Simple Tostadas

Tostadas are one of my favorite "healthy" meals. Sometimes I get complicated and make my own beans and tostada shells, but this time I opted for purchased shells, and beans from Compadre's (house-made, no lard).

You could also add any meat you want - pulled pork, shredded chicken, ground beef. Or skip the beans and top with ceviche. Endless possibilities. These particular tostadas were vegetarian out of laziness and lack of thawed protein.

There's no recipe, just spread some beans on the tostada shell, and top with whatever you want. This one had tomatoes, lettuce, avocado, cilantro, red onion, green olives, yellow chile, green chile sauce, Tapatio, and a squeeze of lime juice. (Yes, I have a tendency to over-chile.) No cheese, because I typically only use cheese when meat is a topping. But go ahead and use cheese if you want.

Visually appealing (look at all the colors!), always delicious. Great for when you don't feel like turning on the oven/stove. Lots of chopping, but worth it.

Franks and Beans, or Beanie Wienies

Can you believe I've never had franks and beans before? I know I've never made it or had it in a restaurant, and I can't remember my parents ever making it when I was a kid. But I came across this post for Beanie Wienies for Grownups over at Homesick Texan, and I just knew it would be good.

After sauteing the onion and garlic (plus a jalapeno, because I could) in bacon fat (from crisped up bacon instead of the salt pork), in went the beans, sliced Nathan's hot dogs, the sauce ingredients, and the chopped up bacon. I omitted the brown sugar, because I thought it was sweet enough with the molasses. My chile powder was a mix of ancho, chipotle, and New Mexico powders, along with a little Aleppo pepper and a habanero flake or two.

I didn't make my beans from scratch, because I've found that Sun Vista beans are better than anything I can do myself. Instead of the white beans the recipe called for, I used pinto beans, because Hubby insisted on it.

Was it good? Hell, yeah. Especially served with a biscuit and a poached egg.

Hubby said he thought the coffee made it bitter, but I totally disagree. He wouldn't have know there was coffee in it if I hadn't told him.

Like I said, I've never had beenie weenies (I prefer the incorrect spelling in this case) before today, but I can guarantee this is 100 times better than anything out of a can.

Braised Cabbage

When the weather turned from warm and sunny to chilly and rainy, I decided I needed to cook something comforting. Being of Eastern European descent, that could only mean one thing - cabbage. And as luck would have it, I had a bookmarked recipe for Braised Green Cabbage from Smell & Taste are My Memory.

As with many of the "comfort foods" I make, this took a while - 2 hours of slow braising, followed by 15 minutes at higher heat to brown the cabbage. Plus an overnight rest in the fridge, because braised things are always better the second day.

I was a little worried that the recipe only called for 1/4 cup of broth and 1/4 cup of olive oil (of which I only used half), but I forgot that the tight seal of the foil on the dish would prevent the liquid from escaping. What I ended up with was meltingly tender, sweet, almost nutty cabbage, accompanied by caramelized bits of onion and carrot.

So what did I do with the final product? A wedge in a bowl, next to some of the stewed white beans with lamb that I had just made. And a fried egg on top.

Is there anything that can't be made even better when topped with a runny yolk?

Stewed White Beans with Lamb

Almost a year ago, I bookmarked this recipe for Stewed White Beans in the May 2009 issue of Saveur. And now I'm kicking myself for waiting so long to make it.

It takes some time and planning, of course. Soak the beans overnight, then cook for an hour. After that comes the fun part - the recipe called for a lamb blade chop, but I found a package of neck bones, so I used that instead. You brown the heck out of it (yay, fond!), then add in onion, garlic, and an Italian frying pepper. The stores around here have never heard of such a beast, so I used an Anaheim. After the veggies are nice and soft, you add tomato sauce, oregano, Aleppo pepper, and grated tomatoes. Cook that down a bit, then pour in some chicken broth and the drained beans. Let the whole pot simmer to blend the flavors, then remove the lamb, pull off the meat, and return it to the pot.

I think my Aleppo pepper is a little old, because I could barely detect the characteristic smokiness, so I added in some smoked paprika to augment it.

This would be a great dish next to some sauteed greens, broccoli rabe, etc. Or just next to a piece of toast. Or with a fried egg. Oh yeah, a fried egg. Stay tuned...

Green Bean Bhajis

I had a pack of young thin green beans in my freezer, courtesy of my MIL. What to do? Make bhajis. I had only ever had onion bhajis before, and loved them. So why not with green beans?

















I used this recipe from The Crispy Cook, omitting the cilantro ('cause I didn't have any), and reducing the cumin, because Hubby claims to hate it. I also ground the cumin seeds instead of leaving them whole, because I don't like biting into pungent seeds.

Baked, these didn't turn out so well. The chickpea batter wasn't cooked in the middle, and the whole thing was kind of soggy. (Maybe if I increased the oven heat to 400, I'd feel differently.) But when I heated some oil in the skillet and fried them, my opinion changed. Crispy, crunchy, yumminess. Yes, yumminess is now a word.

Grains of Paradise

I sometimes get mildly obsessed with unobtainable ingredients. This time, it was grains of paradise. I kept reading about them, their peppery herbiness, all the wonderful things you could do with them. I searched exhaustively, but hadn't been able to locate them, and was about to resort to buying them online.

















But then I got a sample baggie from Marx Foods. What joy! What excitement! What the heck do I do with them?

By the way, you can read more about grains of paradise at Foodista.

Grains Of Paradise

The first thing I did was inhale. Yum. Reminded me a little of cedar. Next, I popped one in my mouth. Not too peppery at first, it comes on gradually. Plus there's some kind of lemony thing going on. And something else indescribable (at least to me).

On to actual cooking. I had a handful of fresh fava beans (thank you Northgate Market!) blanched and peeled. And I had some caramelized onions. And of course there's bacon in the freezer. Mix it all up (sauté in residual bacon fat, of course), a little salt, and crushed grains of paradise.

















The verdict? Loved it. The lemony zing was lost, I think because of the overpowering flavors of the bacon and onion. But the tingly pepperyness was there, slightly different from white or black pepper. Delicious. I can't wait to see what else my brain comes up with for the little seeds.

Lamb Shanks with Broccoli Rabe and White Beans

I made my favorite lamb shank recipe yesterday. Actually, it's my only lamb shank recipe, since I refuse to try another one, because this one is just too damn good (although not terribly photogenic, at least when I make it).

















The shanks are browned, and then braised for hours with veggies, wine, broth, spices, and anchovies. Yes, use the anchovies. They disappear after 3 hours of braising. You won't know they're there, but they add a little oomph to the sauce. Trust me.

After everything's deliciously tender, you mash the veggies through a strainer, and combine the mash with the braising liquid. I love the resulting sauce. I've found myself going back to the kitchen repeatedly to dip a piece of bread into the pot. I (almost!) don't even need the lamb.

If your shanks are small, you can serve them on the bone, topped with sauce. Mine were Huge(!), and there's lots of yucky bits on a shank that most people don't appreciate, so I removed the meat and added it back in chunks to the sauce. (Feed the yucky bits to the dogs, they'll love you forever.)

This is one of those dishes that's better the 2nd day. Please don't be alarmed when the sauce solidifies in the refrigerator overnight. It'll melt right back up.

For the white beans, I drained a can, tossed 'em in a dish with some very thinly sliced garlic and a little beef broth, and warmed them in the oven (covered with foil) while the lamb cooked.

















The broccoli rabe was blanched, then sautéed in olive oil with garlic and red pepper flakes, finished with a bit of cider vinegar.
















I'm full. And happy. And so are the puppies.

White Bean and Escarole Soup

Three days ago it was 96 degrees at 6pm. Now it's 68 degrees. Talk about a change in weather!

Having grown up in Chicago, I'm used to temperature swings. But almost 30 degrees in 72 hours is pretty strange for southern CA.

So since it's so much cooler (yay, fall!), I made soup! A few days ago, Faith at I Pray to Gouda posted a recipe for White Bean and Escarole Soup. Just like with Peabody's Cheese Twists, I had to make this quickly, or risk it falling into the bookmark-abyss (currently at 360 items, and rising every week).
















While at the market today, I found cavolo nero for the first time, so I used that in place of half of the escarole. I also used bacon instead of pancetta, since that's what I had, and omitted the rosemary, because Hubby hates it. My beans were Sun Vista white beans, which I believe are Great Northern - for canned beans, Sun Vista is the best (but if anyone wants to send me some Rancho Gordo beans, I won't say no!).

I loved the slight bitterness of the escarole, combined with the almost-meatiness of the kale. Cavolo nero cooks up a little differently from "regular" kale, completely retaining its form - I don't think it would disintegrate even if cooked for an hour. The tomatoes provided some nice acidity, complementing the richness of the crispy bacon sprinkled on top. If you make this (and I highly recommend that you do!), please make sure to use a good broth, chicken or veggie, since it's a relatively quick-cooking soup, and the broth is key.

Happy fall!

Braised Lamb with Anchovy Sauce and White Beans with Tomato and Garlic

My next challenge recipes come from Recipes: The Cooking of Italy, a spiral-bound Time Life Foods of the World book, published in 1968. This one came from my mom when she was getting rid of no-longer-needed stuff in preparation for a move.

I had an uncharacteristically easy time picking not just one, but 2 recipes from this book. The first to jump out at me was White Beans with Tomatoes and Garlic (Fagioli all'Uccelletto). And then I saw the Braised Lamb with Anchovy Sauce (Abbacchio alla Cacciatora), and knew that the two would go well together.

My original plans were to have a green veggie on the side, maybe sauteed spinach or broccoli rabe, but I flaked, so we were greenless. But nobody seemed to mind. The beans, with a little bit of tomato, so simply seasoned with sage and garlic, were really good - even Youngest went for a second helping.
















And the lamb? Oh, the lamb. Seared on a skillet until brown (Mr. Maillard, I love you), dusted with garlic, rosemary, salt, pepper, and flour, baked at high heat for 10 minutes, then topped off with red wine vinegar and chicken broth. Baked for an hour or so, with a couple chopped anchovies thrown in during the last 5 minutes. Meaty, salty, sticky, umami goodness.
















Hubby, being the good Mexican that he is, grabbed some flatbread (lavash) and made mini lamb tacos. (They were really good topped with a dollop of hummus.)

Verdict? This book stays on the shelf.

Home Fries with Canadian Bacon

and Fava Beans with Caramelized Onions, all topped with a runny egg.



















The original plan was fried rice with favas and Canadian bacon. But I didn't have enough leftover rice, so I poked around to see what I could do.

I had half a bag of home fries in the freezer, the kind with bits of bell pepper and onion. I also had caramelized onions and a roasted jalapeño leftover from a chicken dinner the night before. (If you live in San Diego county, I highly recommend a trip to Compadre Grilled Chicken just off the 78 on Nordahl.)

While following the package directions for the taters, I chopped up some Canadian bacon, and crisped it separately. I also sautéed some fava beans that I had shelled the night before, and mixed in caramelized onions. When the potatoes were almost done, I mixed in the bacon. All topped off with an egg, scrambled for Hubby and Youngest, and of course runny for me. I love it when I can whip up something on the spur of the moment and have it turn out delicious.

Side note on the favas - while preparing the ice bath for the boiling beans, I dropped an ice cube. Little Dog darted in, grabbed the prize, and retreated.

Grilled Chicken, Black Bean Sauce, and Grilled Corn

I had some ears of corn that wanted grilling, so had to come up with something else to grill to go along with it - I can't justify $3 worth of charcoal for a few ears of corn! So I perused Food Blog Search, and quickly found Elise's recipe for Grilled Lime Chicken with Black Bean Sauce.

For the chicken, you marinate in lime juice, olive oil, cilantro, oregano and s&p. Then you bake it on a bed of red onions for 15-20 minutes, which really does wonders for keeping the chicken moist. After baking, grill until done. While the chicken (and corn) were grilling, I added a little olive oil to the onions in the dish, and baked a little longer to get them softer (and kill any par-cooked chicken juice).

The black bean sauce is simply canned beans, water, cilantro stems and oregano. Cook forever, then blenderize. Mine turned out a little soupy, but easily reduced on the stove until I got a good consistency. I added a little epazote while simmering, acquired from Penzeys on my trip to Chicago, and I like the herby-stinky-bitter undertones. Umm...that didn't sound appetizing. But believe me, epazote is a good addition, in moderation.

For the corn, I pulled back the husks, removed the silk, and put the husks back in place. Grilled until the kernels were nicely browned in spots, turning every couple minutes, probably 30 minutes total, maybe more. The husks char and get black & crispy (I love that smell). Served with butter mixed with chili powder and lime juice.

I've got plenty of bean sauce leftover, and I think it would do well as a dip with some green onion, tomatoes and cheddar cheese stirred in. Maybe some chorizo, if you're feeling meaty.

All in all, this was a very pleasant dinner. Thanks to Elise for the chicken and bean sauce recipes, and thanks to Ben for recommending epazote.

Crunchy Fava Bean Cakes

I picked up a bunch of beautiful fresh fava beans the other day (I love spring!), and decided to make Melonfish's Crunchy Fava Bean Cakes. So today I acquired the necessary corn and cornflour (Bob's Red Mill) and was ready to go. Unfortunately, my ear of corn looked rather sad once unhusked. The kernels weren't very puffy, they looked more like miniature albino raisins. But I tasted a couple, and they seemed ok, so on I went.

Some people complain about the labor involved in shelling fava beans, but I find it relaxing. Time-consuming, but relaxing. And fun - it's amusing to see a bean shoot across the kitchen when you're trying to peel it.

Beans and corn sautéed, half pureed, mixed with flours, eggs, feta, basil and milk, then formed into patties and fried. I followed the recipe exactly, except for the puree part. I have a problem pureeing things. I blame my blender. So I minced and mashed until I got something that kind of looked like wet green sand.

Hubby was fully prepared to hate these. He saw the batter on the counter and started looking for something else to eat. I convinced him to take a bite. He did so, reluctantly, eyeing the cake suspiciously. But then his eyes lit up. "These are delicious."

We ended up eating them on baguette with a little prosciutto (and hot sauce, of course). Hubby couldn't stop raving. "Don't lose this recipe. These are great. I guess I do like fava beans."

Thanks, Melonfish!

Ham Shank, Kale and White Bean Soup

Once again, I found myself in possession of a hunk of protein for a very low cost. In this case, a ham shank.

I figured that the shank could be cooked the same way as the hock, since they're just different parts of the piggy leg.

So I boiled said shank for about 90 minutes, removed it from the resulting porky broth, cooled, and separated meat from doggy bits.

After that, the broth was refrigerated until cold, in order to remove the fat. Then I clarified the broth using 2 egg whites mixed with a little cold water and the crushed up shells. (I found various ways to clarify - I picked the easiest, simmering broth, dump in cold beaten egg whites, cover and let simmer 10 minutes, remove from heat, let sit 10 minutes, strain through cheesecloth, or, in my case, paper towels.)

The whole clarifying thing probably wasn't necessary, but if you've ever made piggy broth before, you know it's cloudy with unattractive protein.

For the soup, I sautéed onion, garlic, carrot and celery for a bit with a lot of paprika, then added most of the broth and the chopped up meat. Simmered for a while to soften the veggies, then added chopped kale, simmered a while to wilt it, then a can of white beans, and simmered just to heat through.

Of course salt and pepper were added along the way.

Hubby, who normally dislikes my soups, loved this. Went back for a 2nd bowl, and packed himself leftovers (!) for lunch for the next day.

Post #94 - Rice and Beans with Stuff

Here's one of my favorite comfort-food dinners:

Start the rice first:

Rinse 1 1/2 cups of long-grain rice until the water runs clear. Let drain.

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté (in vegetable oil) some chopped onion and a minced clove of garlic until fragrant and translucent. Add the drained rice and stir to coat the grains with oil. Toast the rice, stirring every now and then. When you notice that the color has definitely gotten darker, add in 1 can (drained) of diced tomatoes. Stir around a little. It'll soon try to stick to the bottom of the pan - when this happens, add 2 cups of chicken or veggie broth and a scant teaspoon of salt (table salt this time, not kosher).

Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to really-really low. Let cook until the rice is done - I think it's somewhere around 20 minutes, but I've never timed it. I usually stir once halfway through cooking. (How can you stir halfway through an unknown cooking time? Sorry.) When the rice is done, if there's still too much liquid, remove the cover, increase the heat, and flip-stir the rice gently so you don't break it.

While the rice is cooking:

Open a large can of pinto beans (Sun Vista is my favorite), pour off the top inch or so of beany liquid, and dump into a pot. Add a chili (jalapeno or serrano, slit or not) and a chunk of onion if you have it. Heat.














Chop/shred iceberg lettuce, and dress with lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Chop up some cilantro, green onions, tomatoes, black olives. Shred some cheddar. Make some guacamole. Gather your hot sauces and sour cream.

To serve, plunk some rice in a bowl, and top with beans (free of liquid thanks to a slotted spoon). Sprinkle with some cheese. Mix it up a little to melt the cheese. Then add any or all of your veggie toppings and condiments. Mix. Eat as is, or scoop with chips.

Post #86 - Lamb Chops and White Beans with Leeks

No flowery phrases tonight, just the method and a link.

Marinate lamb chops (I used shoulder chops because that's what I had) in olive oil, lemon juice, roughly chopped or smashed garlic, paprika, pepper, oregano and basil overnight. Be generous with the olive oil, even though the chops are fatty.

Next day, let the chops come to room temperature, unless you're hungry, in which case you should let them sit on the counter until the beans are almost done. Heat a skillet over medium-high with a very small amount of vegetable oil. Take the chops out of the marinade (save it!), and sear them about 3-4 minutes on each side. Salt them if you want - I forgot, and didn't even notice. Lower the heat and cook until they're done to your liking. Turn off the heat and remove the chops to paper towels to drain. Pour off any oil in the skillet, but leave the brown bits.

Pour the saved marinade into the still-hot skillet (I had about 3 tablespoons), and let reduce until it looks, honestly, kind of gross. Spread this on top of the chops, and serve with the beans.

For the beans, use this recipe for Creamy White Beans with Leeks courtesy of Jamie Oliver via Serious Eats. Depending on your stove, reduce either the cooking time or the heat level, or you'll burn your leeks/garlic. The parsley isn't necessary, and neither is the créme fraîche. And for God's sake, please use a good white wine.

Post #83 - Ful Mudammas

I made (and ate) ful mudammas for the first time today. Click here for more information than you probably wanted. ;)

After my first bite (scooped into pita bread), I was actually walking towards the garbage disposal. But then I decided to give it another chance. Millions of people (it's practically the national dish of Egypt) eat this stuff every day for breakfast.

One pita and a half-bowl later, I'm still not sure how I feel about it.

1 can fava beans
olive oil
lemon juice
tomato, chopped
garlic, chopped
onion, chopped
cilantro, chopped
chilies, chopped (optional)
s&p
green onion

Drain and rinse your beans. I popped their outer skin off, but I'm not sure if it was necessary. Heat over low-ish heat, while sauteeing the onion, garlic and chilies separately. Stir sauteed stuff into beans, along with tomato, cilantro, s&p, lemon juice, and olive oil. Mash slightly. Garnish with green onion, and serve with pita bread.

Post #79 - White Bean Bruschetta

I made one of my favorite dinners tonight, rapini with cannellini beans (see Post #17). Since it was only hubby and me tonight, I didn't use the entire can of beans. What to do with the remainder?

Inspired by Kirsten, but lacking mackerel fillets, and forgetfulness and pure laziness preventing the red wine vinegar, rosemary and red onion, here's what I ended up with:

Smash 'em up, stir in some lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper. Spread on toasted bread (sourdough from Boudin is yummy).

Post #48 - Chili Beans

This is my husband's ex-mother-in-law's recipe for chili beans.

2 large cans of Sun Vista pinto beans
"lots" of California chili powder - I'm guessing he means about 2T
oregano - we used Mexican, but he says Italian is better - about 3/4 teaspoon
"itty bit" of cumin - about 1/4 teaspoon
some Lawry's
some garlic powder
1 serrano, cut in half, seeds left in
1 to 1.5 lbs ground beef
1/2 large brown onion
"tons" of garlic - it looked like about 8 cloves

Combine the beans, chili powder, oregano, cumin, Lawry's, garlic powder and serrano in a large Dutch oven. (Check out my orange Descoware!) Bring to a simmer.













In a separate large skillet, sauté the ground beef and onion until the beef is almost cooked through. Add the garlic, sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Drain the grease if you'd like. Dump into the pot o' beans. Let cook for about an hour, adding water if it starts getting too thick. Be careful when stirring (occasionally) so you don't smoosh up the beans.

Serve with shredded cheddar, sour cream and cilantro on top, ideally with jalapeño cornbread, or with chips, or stale bread, or whatever carbohydrate you have on hand.

I had planned on taking a picture of the finished dish, but we ate it all before I had a chance!

Post #41 - White Bean and Tomato Dip, and a Rant

I made this recipe from What Did You Eat? for Herb Pita Crisps and Sun-Dried Tomato Dip just now. It's wonderful. I also have lamb-feta burgers refrigerating, tzatziki sauce mellowing, and spicy green chutney doing whatever it does.

However, no pictures because I just got a call from my doctor - the x-ray of my knee showed evidence of fluid buildup. I'm supposed to rest the leg, elevate it, ice it for 20 minutes out of every hour when it hurts, and compression-wrap it if I have to move around.

WTF? I never realized how much I move around until I had to make a conscious effort not to. And what about work? It would be lovely if I could sit at my desk all day (with my leg elevated, of course), but there's no way in hell that's going to happen.

Getting old sucks.

Post #17 - Beans and Rapini

This is one of my favorite weekend lunches.













Recipe:
1 bunch rapini (broccoli rabe)
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic, diced
1 slice pancetta, diced
hot pepper flakes
chicken broth
lemon juice
parmesan cheese

Trim the tough stems off the rapini. Blanch for about 5 minutes, shock in ice water. Drain well - squeeze in paper towels or your hands.

Saute the pancetta until crispy, add the garlic and pepper flakes, saute a while. Add the rapini and beans, toss around for a while. Add chicken broth, let simmer for a bit. Add in a squeeze or 2 of lemon juice. Top with parmesan.