he's back

Husband is back. I did not realize how easy is was to sleep without the snoring until about 2AM.

Husband said that his Mom was shipping him stuff that would not fit in his suitcase. He had to have room for the tortillas! You can not get him within an hour of Quatro Milpas without eating. Las Quatro Milpas is the oldest, best kept San Diego eating secret. I imagine the neighborhood scares off most tourists, it is in Bario Logan. If you want the real deal, this is the place.

So there are stacks of tortillas on the counter. I think this will be a Black Bean Soup night. I have made many pots of black bean soup, but this one is my absolute favorite. It came out of the Seattle Times and never fails.

Van's Black Bean Soup

I cup olive oil
1 large onion
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 pound back beans, soaked in water overnight
~~I partially cook in the pressure cooker instead of soaking~~
2 meaty ham hocks
~~no ham hocks for me~~
32 ounces chicken broth
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon brown sugar
6 ounces tomato paste
juice of one small lemon
1/4 dry sherry
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

You can probably figure it out from here. Oil in the pot, onions then garlic, saute 10ish minutes. Beans then chicken broth then spices and herbs. Bring to a biol. simmer until tender, 1 -2 hours. Add brown sugar, tomato past lemon juice, simmer 15 minutes. Stir in sherry and Dijon. Ta da!