Soul Food Is Comfort Food

A lot of time and thought went into choosing a name. Finally, I landed on Soul Food because food should speak to the soul. Not only should it feed the soul, it should also enrich the soul. The phrase 'soul food', by its very nature, means something different to everyone. To me, soul food is all about comfort. I have never and will never profess to be a gourmet chef- I'm a home cook and I want (and need) things to be simple and delicious- just like you do. Italian and English food are my number one cuisines, but I love Mexican, Indian and all other cuisines. Over the next few months I am sure that you will come to notice the English and Italian influences in my cooking, but for tonight- it's my take on Mexican.

Taco's are a classic street food and I think that you should be able to fill them with what you want: pulled pork, chicken, veggies, steak etc. We try to have a one or two (three if I'm feeling brave) vegetarian nights a week. Mum has never been that fussed by meat but both my dad and I are massive carnivores so having meat free meals that satisfy us can be tricky. To combat this I've been using more Quorn products in my cooking (I know its cheating but it is still vegetarian!). So tonight I served up (to my parents and the family friends that we had over) a Chicken Style Quorn Taco and my take on refried beans. Not wanting to blow my own trumpet- toot toot- it went down a treat. Personalise your taco filling by adding the veg that you want, that's if you want any, to your choice of meat or meat substitute (you can always use sweet potato if you don't like meat substitutes and still want to keep it veggie).

My refried beans are by no means traditional, and they are always different but always taste great. Refried beans are often made with Pinto beans but I tend to use what ever is in the cupboard. So many of us have a tin of dusty butter beans, haricot beans or chickpeas in the back of the cupboard so just apply the recipe below to whatever you have in the house...

1 tin of Butter Beans in water (drained weight 225g)

1 tin of Black Eyed Peas in water (drained weight 215g)

30g Peri Peri Sauce (I use medium heat- its such a great cheat ingrediant)

2 tsp Paprika, use smoked or hot paprika if you wish.

1 tsp Cumin

10g Tomato Puree

1. Simply pop all of the ingredients into a sauce pan and dry fry them for a few minutes.

2. Top up, until just covered, with boiling water.

3. Cook it on a low heat for 25-30 minutes, topping up with water as nessecary.

4. Place the hot beans, and any liquid, into a blender (I use the Nutribullet) and blitz it.

5. Pour the contents back into the sauce pan and cook it on a low-medium heat for about 10-15 minutes (or until it is lovely and thick).

I am sure that my 'refried beans' are seriously un-authentic and 'wrong' in an Abuela's (Mexican grandmother) kitchen but they always go down well in my house. It is important to bear in mind that the beans you use will effect the amount of water you add, and the cooking time. But use your gut (I believe that gut instinct and a good nose is key in cooking) and add what you want when you want. Let's face it any beans, peri peri sauce, tomato puree, cumin and paprika is always going to taste great! If all goes 'tit's up' just add even more jalapenos to your plate......

xo