Despite the recent triple-digit heat wave, the Central Coast’s version of autumn has indeed arrived. The afternoon light is softer, winds have mellowed and morning temperatures are cool.
The bulk of Santa Barbara County’s winemakers have harvested their 2014 fruit in what some are calling as one of the earliest and “quickest” harvests on record. To be sure, some slower-to-mature red Bordeauxs remain on the vine, but will likely see a cellar by at least the end of October.
We mortals are not the only ones to discern the change in seasons: Vines, when picked clean of grapes, enjoy a proverbial seventh-inning stretch and look ahead to hibernation, known in the plant world as senescence.
Once green leaves’ chlorophylls break down and the sugars, proteins and starches are transitioned to storage inside the vine for winter’s dormancy, the hues of yellow, orange and brown become clearly visible.
Like many others, I view autumn as a vineyard’s prettiest season, and spend most of my commutes admiring the contrast between vines’ orange and yellow leaves and the bright green carpet of cover crops that sprout between the rows.
If by day I admire colorful vineyards, by evening I celebrate autumn with a longtime favorite recipe, Zesty Black Bean Soup.
I first tried this in 1986 at the Off Broadway Cafe, a Captiva Island, Fla., restaurant that, to the best of my knowledge, no longer exists. No matter. I have a torn, ragged paper copy of a March 1987 column by longtime writer Jeremy Iggers, who then wrote about food for the Detroit Free Press.
In his column, Iggers highlighted this bean soup as one that doesn’t result in the gas that creates havoc with diners’ digestive systems.
Some of the more difficult-to-locate ingredients are likely available in Asian or Indian markets, he noted.
Ingredients
2 tbsp. vegetable or olive oil
½ cup unsweetened, shredded coconut, finely minced
2 tbsp. fennel seeds
1 tbsp. black mustard seeds
1 tbsp. cumin seeds
1 medium onion, diced
½-inch piece fresh ginger root, minced
Six plump cloves garlic, peeled and chopped (or more to taste)
1 tbsp. ground cumin
1 tbsp. curry powder
½ tsp. ground coriander
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
Three 15-ounce cans black beans
One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, with puree
Juice of one lemon
One bunch cilantro, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions: In a large, heavy pot, heat oil slightly and add coconut, fennel seeds, black mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Saute two minutes, until slightly brown (don’t burn).
Add onion, ginger and garlic and cook until soft. Stir in ground cumin, curry powder, ground coriander and cayenne pepper. Add beans and tomatoes.
Mix well and simmer for one hour, covered, stirring occasionally. Add lemon juice, cilantro and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with corn chips. Yield: Six generous servings.
This soup is an ideal match for hearty red wines such as syrah, cabernet sauvignon or zinfandel.
— Laurie Jervis blogs about wine at www.centralcoastwinepress.com, tweets at @lauriejervis and can be reached via winecountrywriter@gmail.com. The opinions expressed are her own.