What’s Cooking in Kelli’s Kitchen - Warm You Up Recipes

Our fantastic publisher just sent me a kick-in-the-pants email asking for my article “STAT.”  To be fair, it’s past my deadline. My calendar has been booked solid, and there’s no indication that things are slowing down–it’s mid-December, y’all; stop booking meetings!  Clearly, expediency is prioritized over wit today, so here are three tasty recipes to warm you up on a cold December night.

Kelli’s Black Bean Soup

INGREDIENTS:

• ½ lb black beans, cooked til soft or substitute, 2 cans of black beans if you must
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 white onion, cut into quarters
• 2 limes
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and minced
• ⅓ c minced cilantro stems
• 1 T tomato paste
• 1 T cocoa powder
• 2 t cumin seed
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2 c chicken stock
• For garnish: crumbled cotija, crema or sour cream, avocado, cilantro leaves

DIRECTIONS:

1. Thinly slice one onion quarter and place in a shallow bowl.  Season with salt and add the juice from 1 lime. Set aside. Dice the remaining onion.  In a Dutch oven over medium heat add olive oil. When shimmery, add diced onion and ½ t salt and sauté until soft and golden. Add minced garlic, jalapeno, and cilantro stems and continue cooking for 2-5 minutes until the stems are softened.
2. Add tomato paste, cocoa powder, cumin seed, and ½ t salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until the tomato paste has darkened a little.  Add coconut milk, stock, and beans with a little of the cooking liquid.
3. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer.  Cook for 25-30 minutes.
4. Using a potato masher or an immersion blender, process to your desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in large bowls topped with assorted garnishes, including lime-pickled onions, cotija cheese, crema or sour cream, cubed avocado, and cilantro.

Hot Buttered Rum 

INGREDIENTS:

Batter:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 packed cup of brown sugar or Sugar in the Raw
• ¼ t ground cloves
• ½ t nutmeg
• ½ t ground cinnamon
• ¼ t ground allspice

For each drink:

• 2 T batter, add more to taste
• 2 oz dark rum
• 4 oz boiling water
• Ground nutmeg for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cream the butter with the sugar in a stand mixer (or with beaters or by hand with a wooden spoon). Add the spices. Store in the refrigerator.
2. Add batter to a warm mug and pour in 2 oz of boiling water. Stir to mix, add rum, and the rest of the water, then stir again. Garnish with fresh nutmeg.

Sticky Toffee Pudding 

Adapted by Mark Bittman

INGREDIENTS:

Pudding

• 1 c dates, pitted and chopped
• 1 c boiling water
• 3 T butter, cold, unsalted, cubed
• 1 t baking soda
• ¼ t salt
• ⅓ c plus 1 t Sugar in the Raw
• ⅓ c plus 1 t dark Brown Sugar
• 2 eggs
• ¾ c plus 2 T flour
• 1 t vanilla extract
• Topping
• 5 T butter
• 1 c cream
• 6 T dark brown sugar
• ⅛ t salt

Extra Sauce

• 3 T butter
• 1 ¼ c cream
• 3 T dark brown sugar
• ⅛ t salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Put the dates in a bowl and cover with 1 c boiling water to soften.  Heat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a deep 9x13” baking dish.
2. Combine the 3 T of butter, baking soda, a pinch of salt, Sugar in the Raw, ⅓ c + 1 t of brown sugar, eggs, flour, and vanilla in a food processor and pulse until just combined. Add the dates and ½ of the water to the mixture and pulse until nearly smooth.
3. Pour the mixture into the baking dish and bake for about 30 minutes (until just firm to the touch).
4. Meanwhile, make the topping. Melt 5 T butter in a saucepan over medium heat, then slowly add 1 c cream, 6 T dark brown sugar, and a pinch of salt, whisking constantly until the mixture bubbles gently and comes together. Turn off heat.
5. In another small saucepan over medium heat, make the extra sauce. Melt 3 T butter, then slowly add 1 ¼ c cream and 3 T dark brown sugar with a pinch of salt. Repeat the process above.
6. Preheat broiler. Pour the topping (not the extra sauce) over the cooked pudding and place the whole thing in the broiler until it bubbles and looks sticky (1-2 minutes; watch carefully). To serve, spoon into bowls and cover with the extra sauce. Add a dollop of whipped cream if you want.