Chilled Black Bean Purée
With Basmati and Mango

Nothing new under the sun, and it's certainly warm enough pretty much everywhere now for this from todays NYTimes. It's quite similar to a cajun one I posted years ago, 'cept for the fancy rice and the ever-ubiquitous noxious weed: cilantro. Play nice now....

Recipe: Chilled Black Bean Purée With Basmati and Mango
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Time: 20 minutes, plus soaking and chilling

For the soup:
8 ounces small dry black beans
5 cups filtered water
1 small bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 large clove garlic
1 small onion, peeled and halved
1 small carrot, peeled and halved
1/2 stalk celery, halved
1 chipotle chili in adobo or small dried ancho chili
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt

For the garnish:
1/2 cup basmati rice
1 tablespoon minced scallion
2 teaspoons chopped cilantro
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 ripe mango or avocado
Juice of 1/2 lime.

1. Soak black beans in cold water for 2 hours. Drain.
Combine beans, water, herbs, vegetables, chili and sugar
  in 1 1/2-gallon stock pot,
cover, and bring to simmer over medium heat.
Reduce heat to low, and cook, covered, stirring occasionally,
  until beans are tender, 45 minutes to an hour.

2. Remove carrot, celery, onion and bay leaf from soup with tongs.
Ladle half the soup into blender and purée until smooth.
Transfer to a bowl (not plastic).
Purée remaining soup and transfer to bowl.
Stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.
Cover, and refrigerate, or stir over ice water bath at room temperature until very cold (about 5 hours in refrigerator, about 1 hour over ice).

3. Bring 3 cups salted water to a boil over high heat in medium saucepan.
Stir in rice, lower heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally,
  until rice is tender, about 30 minutes.
Drain rice, rinse with cold water, shake dry, transfer to bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.

4. To serve, taste soup and adjust seasoning.
Stir scallion and cilantro into rice. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Peel, and dice mango or avocado, toss with lime juice and salt.
Spoon 1/4 cup seasoned rice into center of 6 chilled soup plates.
Ladle soup over it. Top with mango or avocado.

Yield: 6 servings.
Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company