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LUIS' CUBAN BLACK BEANS

12:26 PM La Americana 0 Comments Category : beans , black beans , comfort food , Cuba , Cuban food , Cuban recipes , food , quarantine , receta , Recipe

Luis' Cuban Black Beans
Photography by Chia Chong
Styling by Libbie Summers

In this strange age of social distancing, our family, like many others across the world, is tighter than ever before. Homeschooling while working from home can be challenging, yes, but we also have more uninterrupted time to be together. Instead of our normal daily hustle, race to pick the kids up after work, then to taekwondo or basketball, and studying, we have time for us.

We take daily bike rides and play rounds of pingpong, Clue and Uno Flip. Luis and Ana potted sunflowers and Mexican sage, which will bring butterflies to our back porch soon, and planted tomatoes, peppers, summer okra, arugula, sweet onions, watermelon, basil, rosemary and mint in the organic box garden he constructed a few years ago.

As always, Luis continues to cook. Apparently, the rest of country is doing the same. I've had numerous requests for Luis' Cuban black beans recipe.

Why? They're comforting, sublime, healthy, affordable and can feed an army. In my opinion, they're perfect.

So much so, that when a network TV producer asked for a video of Luis cooking a recipe of his choice so that he could shop a show around last year, that's the recipe he shared.

On a deeper level, Luis very much believes that we are what we eat. He considers his greatest legacy to our kids is the food that he cooks for them everyday. And his Cuban black beans are at the top of the list.

Just ask our seven-year-old how she feels about it.

"Daddy's food makes me feel alive!"

Luis' Cuban Black Beans
serves 10-12

Ingredients

2 cups organic dried black beans, picked over and rinsed thoroughly

1 bay leaf

1 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into four pieces (highly recommend roasted peppers, as they give incredible depth and flavor)

4 cloves garlic

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 cup olive oil plus more for drizzling when serving

1 large yellow or Vidalia onion, diced

1 cup red wine

1 tablespoon vinegar (Luis like Bragg Organic Apple Cider)

1 tablespoon sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

6 cups prepared rice (optional for serving)

Directions

In a 6 quart pressure cooker, add the beans, bay leaf, bell pepper and 8 cups of water. Following the manufacturer's directions, cover, lock the lid and cook on high until the pressure kicks in, then lower to a simmer for about 40 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes before releasing the steam.

While beans are cooking, prepare the sofrito. Mash the garlic with a mortar and pestle (trick: if you add a pinch of salt the garlic won't fly out) and set aside. Add the oil and diced onion to a sauce pan over medium heat. Cook until the onions become translucent (about 5 minutes). Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes.

Blend the sofrito with the beans and return the mix to the stovetop to simmer over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Stir in the red wine, vinegar and sugar. Remove from heat, cover and let sit for 20 minutes. Add the cumin and salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, ladle beans over rice and drizzle with olive oil.

MY NEWEST PROJECT! A BOOK ABOUT AN ICONIC FAMILY AND FILM PRODUCER, FOREWORD BY PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER

8:19 AM La Americana 0 Comments Category :

PRAISE FOR LEOPOLD'S ICE CREAM

“Though Stratton ventured to Hollywood to become a successful film producer for more than four decades, traveling to far reaches of the world, he never forgot his roots…The Leopold’s story is the embodiment of the American Dream across two generations. I salute Leopold’s Ice Cream in its centennial year and look forward to the next home delivery of my favorite butter pecan ice cream!” — President Jimmy Carter

“Leopold’s is by far the best place to get ice cream in the heart of Savannah.” — Ben Affleck

“Leopold’s is simply the most delicious temptation.” — Helen Mirren

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm so excited to finally be able to share details about my newest project, which was two years in the making. The book, Leopold's Ice Cream: A Century of Tasty Memories 1919-2019, with a foreword by former President Jimmy Carter, chronicles the lives and storied history of the Leopold brothers and their family in Savannah, Georgia, between 1901 and 2019, including the life of film producer and renowned ice cream maker Stratton Leopold.

Stratton grew up in the ice cream business under the guidance of his father, Peter, and uncles, George and Basil, who immigrated from Greece and opened the original Leopold's Ice Cream at the corner of Gwinnett and Habersham Streets in Savannah in 1919. The humble fruit and ice cream stand became a cornerstone of the community, and later an iconic venue in the heart of what is now one of the world's top destinations.

Personal stories from original Leopold's customers, which read more like love letters to the family business and Savannah, are offset with vintage photos and recipes.

(l-r): Leopold Brothers Ice Cream circa 1920s; Stratton with his father, Peter, in 1945

The book also illustrates Savannah's growth and Georgia's multi-billion dollar film industry, kickstarted by Stratton and a group of his peers in the 1970s. Stratton, who later served as executive producer of "Mission Impossible III," "Paycheck" and the "Sum of All Fears," recounts a mentorship by film legend John Huston, the brilliant antics of Robin Williams during the filming of "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" in Italy and tales of Tom Cruise's death-defying stunts in China.

Photos in descending order: Stratton with his mother Marika and John Huston on the set of "Wise Blood"; with Melanie Griffith during production of "Born Yesterday"; serving as production manager of "Tango & Cash," starring Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell; on set with his wife Mary and "The Sum of All Fears" star Morgan Freeman; with "Mission Impossible III" director J.J. Abrams and Tom Cruise. Photos courtesy of Leopold's Ice Cream, The Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros. Entertainment and Paramount Pictures.

Among his many accomplishments, Stratton considers the continuation of his family's business as one of his greatest. With the help of Oscar-nominated set designer Dan Lomino, Stratton and his wife Mary opened a flagship location on Broughton Street in Savannah in 2004. They continue to honor the family legacy, serving the 100-year-old artisan ice cream recipes in a classic soda fountain setting to visitors from around the world, and shipping pints to customers across the country. Leopold's Ice Cream has been featured on CNN, The Food Network and The Travel Channel and in Food and Wine, Travel + Leisure, Garden and Gun, GOOP, Southern Living and USA TODAY. Hosts of the daytime talk show, "The View" chose Leopold's as one their favorite ice cream venues in the country and the Toronto Sun ranked it as one of the top five ice cream shops in the world. "Today, Stratton and Mary are stewards of much more than a business, which they have expanded in many ways," former President Jimmy Carter writes. "They are conservationists of the Leopold brothers' precious legacy, bound by philotimo, the Greek word for a set of principles that places honor, duty, family and service to community above all else."

Stratton and Mary with President and Mrs. Carter

Leopold's Ice Cream 100th celebration in August 2019. Photos courtesy of Stephen B. Morton

Pre-orders of Leopold's Ice Cream: A Century of Tasty Memories 1919-2019 are available online at leopoldsicecream.com. Beginning on February 15, the book will be available for purchase in Savannah at the Savannah Book Festival, the Leopold's store on Broughton Street, the two Leopold's locations at the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport and the Ex Libris Bookstore. Proceeds from the book will benefit local education initiatives in Savannah. I'll be signing books at Leopold's Ice Cream on February 15. Hope to see you there! Book Signing Leopold's Ice Cream, A Century of Tasty Memories 1919-2019 Saturday, February 15 12-2 p.m. Leopold's Ice Cream 212 East Broughton Street, Savannah xoxo, Melanie

LUIS' CUBAN BLACK BEANS

MY NEWEST PROJECT! A BOOK ABOUT AN ICONIC FAMILY AND FILM PRODUCER, FOREWORD BY PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER

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LUIS' CUBAN BLACK BEANS

MY NEWEST PROJECT! A BOOK ABOUT AN ICONIC FAMILY AND FILM PRODUCER, FOREWORD BY PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER

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