1 Tbs (15 ml) olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
4 - 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 - 2 jalapeno chilies, seeded and chopped
2 cans (15 oz each, 425 g each) black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups (500 ml) vegetable stock (or chicken stock for a non-vegetarian version)
1 tsp (5 ml) dried oregano
1 tsp (5 ml) ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)
Lime wedges for garnish (optional)

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over moderate heat. Add the onions, garlic, and jalapeno and sauté until tender but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and mash the beans with a fork until the desired consistency is reached. Serve garnished with chopped cilantro and lime wedges if desired.

Serves 4 to 6.

1 pepino melon
1/2 pound prosciutto
2 cups arugula
1 loaf ciabatta bread
2 tablespoons olive oil

Peel the skin off the melon using a sharp knife and cut in half. Scoop out seeds and slice thinly.

Cut the bread into four pieces then slice each piece in half.

Create sandwiches by layering the melon, prosciutto and arugula between the bread slices.

Brush the outside of the bread with olive oil and grill in a pan or panini press.

5 tablespoon mayonnaise, (heaping)
2 tablespoon yellow mustard (heaping)
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon Louisiana hot sauce
2 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon wine vinegar
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 juice of medium size lemon
3 teaspoon salt (to taste)
4 bell peppers, sliced
2 onions, medium, shredded
1 large cabbage, shredded

Put mayonnaise and mustard in a bowl large enough to hold complete mixture, but shaped so that the mixture can be beaten with a fork. Beat mayonnaise and mustard until combined. Add olive oil slowly, beating all the time. Beat until mixture has returned to the thickness of original mayonnaise. Add Louisiana hot sauce, continuing to beat. Add ketchup and keep beating. Add salt and garlic salt, beating all the time. Add wine vinegar (this will thin the sauce down). Beat this thoroughly, adding the lemon juice as you do so. Taste for salt and pepper. Place shredded cabbage, peppers, and onions in a large salad bowl. Pour sauce over and toss well. This should be done about an hour before serving. Tastes even better the next day.

Serves 8.

2 Servings:

1 bottle red wine (750 ml)
4 eggs (or 8 egg yolks)
5 tablespoons sugar
one packet of vanilla sugar
some cinnamon
2 cloves
lemon or lemon juice

Whisk eggs (or egg yolks) with sugar. Add a little bit of red wine. Stir quickly. Add vanilla sugar and the rest of the red wine.

Heat with cinnamon, cloves and lemon juice. Just before it comes to boil, remove the pot from the stove. Strain and serve