Frijoles Negros (Black Beans) - Simon Picton

Ingredients:
500g Dried Black Beans
1 small onion
1 green pepper
1-2 cloves garlic
Olive Oil
Ground cumin
Oregano
Bay leaf
Salt
Pepper
Red Wine Vinegar

Method:
1. Soak the beans in plenty of cold water for a few hours (or overnight).
2. Transfer the beans, KEEPING the water they've been soaking in, to a pot, and if necessary add more water so they are well covered. Bring to the boil, and when the water is boiling, skim off the foam that accumulates on the top. Add a bay leaf or 2, cover and leave simmering until the beans are tender (somewhere around 40mins). Add water if the beans start to dry out. DO NOT add salt at this stage.
3. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat plenty nice olive oil and add the onion and pepper (finely chopped) and some salt. Sauté the onion and pepper for a while and then add the crushed garlic, stirring occasionally and making sure it doesn't burn. After a while, add a pinch of ground cumin, a pinch of oregano, a twist of pepper and a tiny splash of vinegar. Keep cooking until the onion and pepper is really soft.
4. When the beans are cooked, add the sofrito (i.e. the onion and pepper mixture) to the pot with the beans and the bean stock and simmer for maybe 10 minutes or so. The beans should start to thicken up, but if there's too much liquid, take a ladleful of beans from the pot, place in a bowl and mash up with a fork or a masher, then return to the pot and stir in. Add salt to taste and also some more olive oil.
5. Serve over rice to accompany chicken/pork/beef/fish or if you're a skint musician (or just skint) just serve over rice or even on toast.

Bableves - Arnie Somogyi

Ingredients:
300g dried kidney beans (or other!)
two medium onions
3 cloves garlic
one green pepper
one large carrot
one parsnip
two sticks celery
Diced pancetta, sliced cooked sausage, left over Sunday joint or any other meat that needs eating! (optional)
2 tbsp paprika
one generous dollop of miso
sunflower or olive oil
bay leaf and mixed herbs
salt
pepper
soured cream
2 tbsp wholemeal flour
knob of butter
Method:
300g dried kidney beans (or other!)
two medium onions
3 cloves garlic
one green pepper
one large carrot
one parsnip
two sticks celery
Diced pancetta, sliced cooked sausage, left over Sunday joint or any other meat that needs eating! (optional)
2 tbsp paprika
one generous dollop of miso
sunflower or olive oil
bay leaf and mixed herbs
salt
pepper
soured cream
2 tbsp wholemeal flour
knob of butter

Method:
Soak the beans overnight. If you forget to do this, just boil them for 10 minutes in the morning and leave to stand until you need them.
Finely chop all the vegetables and gently fry for 5 minutes, stirring all the time. Add the paprika,beans, bay leaf and herbs, mix with the veg and then add enough water to make up the soup. Bring to the boil for 5 minutes, reduce the heat and simmer on a low heat until the beans have softened.
Add salt and pepper to taste, the miso and left over meat. Bring back to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for as long as you can (at least 90 minutes). Remove the soup from the heat. Make a roux with the butter, flour and some cold water (if you don't know how to do this you can use cornflour as a thickener) and add to the soup. Bring the soup back to the boil, remove from the heat again and serve with crusty bread, soured cream and chopped fresh parsley.