Bean There, Done That

One of my most favorite things to cook is a pot of beans when the weather is cool. 1. It's easy. 2. You can make it healthy. 3. It's tasty. Please hold any 4th grade "magical fruit"/"good for your heart" jokes until the end of this blog post. 

Last week I put up a pot of black beans and they were fantastic. Someone asked me once what it means to "put up a pot" of something. I was kind of perplexed. I've always used that expression. I'm fairly certain it's southern if not Texan. I never really questioned its exact meaning and always use it to talk about cooking beans, peas, or other things you would cook for a long period of time in a pot on the stove. If someone has a proper history for this expression please fill me in... any linguist expert type people? No? Shocking.

The sorted life of black beans....

SO, I made black beans. I used dried beans, so they required some soaking. Step one in bean management involves sorting and picking through the dried beans to make sure there aren't any rocks or other non bean type items in there. Some people skip this step. I used to. Then I bit into a rock. Lesson learned. 

Bean Rinse aka Clean yo Bean

After you finish sorting, you want to give the beans a rinse in a colander. Then you have a few options.  All options start with you putting the beans in a pot (or large bowl) and covering them with LOTS of water. Specific amounts will likely be on your bean bag - mine said six cups. If you did the large bowl, make sure it is very large and cover it with a dishtowel to keep random mishmash from getting in there. Then leave the beans on the counter overnight or for at least 6-8 hours. You can do this same thing in a pot. I personally prefer the quick boil method. Mostly because I get tired at night and forget to soak the beans. For a quick soak, the beans need to be in a pot. Bring the water to a full, rolling boil, turn the heat of, cover them, and leave them to sit for 2-3 hours. 

 

Water Covered Beans

Boiling Beans

I did this first thing in the morning since I was making the beans for dinner that night. My plan was to have everything in the pot simmering by 4pm. When L went down for her nap I got to chopping. 

Back to the Grid Method.

Finished Product

I chopped one VERY large onion, sliced about six cloves of garlic (If you don't like garlic you should leave now before one of us gets hurt), and took the beans out of the pot to do one last rinse. I make this one a quick rinse so that I don't lose a lot of the goodness that is naturally in the beans. Next I got out my cast iron pot and turned the stove to medium to heat it up. Once it was nice and hot I added about a tablespoon of EV Olive Oil and tossed in the onions and garlic. 

My Garlic Friends

My lovely garlic press that has a slicing mechanism. Thanks wedding registry! 

Once in the pot, I stirred the onions and garlic until my house smelled amazing and the onions were soft and becoming "clear" in appearance. 

Clear Onions, Full Heart, Can't Lose...... it's late. shut up. 

I put a smoked ham hock in the pot and gave it a little browning on the sides before adding in about 4 cups of chicken stock. You can always add in water, but I prefer to use stock if I have it.  

Stock

Stock and Hock

 After bringing that up to a boil, I added the beans back in along with two more cups of water and two Goya Ham seasoning packets. It's like Ham bouillon. It's magical. 

Ham Flavah.

Full pot.

 I wanted the broth to cook off of the beans so they would be less like soup, so while I boiled them I left the top off and checked in on the broth level. I cooked them over a low boil for about 2.5 hours. You'll want to check the beans after two hours to check the consistency and see if they are getting to what you prefer. I like mine to still be firm, so 2.5 hour timing works well. 

Low boil, badly captured.

 After a couple of hours my beans looked like this. I took out a spoonful to sample.

Taste Test

 This is the point where I see if my beans need added salt. Because I am cooking with broth and a ham hock, and ham seasoning, I like to see how much natural flavor and saltiness I can get out before adding more in. I also (just to remind you again) don't really salt things that can be easily salted to taste after they are cooked. 

I love chopped tomatoes in my black beans. BUT tomatoes and cast iron are not friends. Also, if you put the tomatoes in too early, they wilt into nothing. I took about four roma tomatoes, gave them a rough chop, and put them in to cook for about 15 minutes with the beans. 

Tomato Party

Now  I want this again.

 The last thing I do, right before serving, is take an entire bushel of washed cilantro and tear it into pieces over the pot, dropping it all in but the stems. You have a couple of options with the ham hock. I usually leave it in and then add it to the leftovers, keeping it until all of the beans are gone. You can also pick all of the meat off of the hock and add it in with the beans and throw the non meat rest of the hock away. Do as you please. 

Up close and personal.

Finished product.

 We are usually a brown rice family. I like brown rice and if it's better for me, then bonus. I happened to have the brown and wild rice I used with the chicken soup that is fantastic, so I decided to try that out with the beans. WINNER. Here is a photo op in case any of you want to seek it out and try it. 

You know it's good because it says "Arroz"

Cooked to perfection, even though I need a new rice cooker. Suggestions appreciated. 

Things that are great to serve with this meal include: sliced avocado, Mexican cotija cheese, sour cream (or non fat plain greek yogurt), salsa, or pico de gallo. We did avocados and Cotija cheese. 

The final product. Perfection in a bowl! 

Because I was making this for us AND Landy, I didn't add jalapenos, which I usually do and love. If you want to do that, I like to add in one jalapeno (deseeded then chopped) with the onions and garlic, and then take a second jalapeno, chop the top off of it to expose the seeds and insides, and drop it into the water to boil with the beans. I remove the remaining whole jalapeno before serving. 

Cooking in pots is the best thing about cool weather. And if you happen to be home with the kids or on a Saturday or Sunday, you can work on it little by little throughout the day and still have plenty of time with your kiddos. This is also something you might be able to adapt to a slow cooker if you work during the day. I'm not great at slow cooking, but it's one of my goals to figure that out this cool weather season. Here's a quick recap of my ingredients:

1 16oz package of dried black beans

1 T EV Olive Oil

1 very large white or yellow onion

6 cloves of garlic

1 smoked ham hock

4-6 cups of chicken broth or water

1-3 packets of goya ham seasoning (to taste)

4 large roma tomatoes

1 bunch of cilantro

rice

Optional:

Jalapeno

Avocado

Cotija Cheese

Sour Cream (not really optional)

pico de gallo

This is one of my absolute favorites. I think I make it twice a month during the fall and winter. It is another warm, filling dish that is actually pretty healthy and simple. It is also EXTREMELY cost effective. On the health front, just remember, you are in charge of your own sour cream intake. I love sour cream, so I try to sub it out for plain, non fat greek yogurt. Can't even tell. Share your beans with someone you love. They are magical, after all. 

-RT

Food for the Soul: Cooking for Others

There are things that we get away from as society grows and we further isolate ourselves from our neighbors. The more we turn toward our computers, our phones, and our own needs, the more we lose the connections with those around us. Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti progress, but there are certain old fashioned ways that I hold dear and will do my best to continue. Here is something about me: I like to be useful. But sometimes, the best way to be useful is to not incessantly ask someone "what can I do?" The most important times in our lives, the ones that are the highest peaks and the lowest valleys, are the times when people are needed. But what CAN you do? You can feed the soul by feeding the person.

Food is a group hug for your stomach. Your stomach told me this.

I tend to be good at bad situations. I can't think of a better way to put it. When the world around me is falling apart, the only way I thrive is by being the one who keeps it together. And I keep it together by doing what I can do for the people who have lost more than I have. When someone loses a loved one, I cook. If I can't cook because we have to leave town to be there, I clean. If I can't cook and I can't clean, I send flowers and eat ice cream at home while watching a rom com.

When a new baby is born, I LOVE IT. While I didn't get it as much before having my own baby, how can you not LOVE a brand new baby and all of the brand new joy that goes along with it? You have to. Those are the rules. When a baby is born, I cook. And then I buy monogrammed things and tell L she has a new friend (who she can only look at and not touch for four months), and then I cook some more.

Because I have been the recipient of meals cooked lovingly by others I know how much they really mean. It's more than just a meal, it is love and it is warmth and it is food for the SOUL. When you haven't slept all night because you have a new baby and you have amazing friends drop something from their kitchen on your front door, it is better than Christmas. When you wake up after an hour of sleep to breast feed a colicky baby and find your mother cooking in your kitchen, it is a memory that will last a lifetime. 

I am fortunate enough to not yet be the recipient of sympathy food, but sympathy food is something that is somewhat selfish for me. When I know someone that I love is hurting, it is something I can do for them that is useful and that I know will serve a purpose.

At the end of last week, S's first cousin once removed passed away. He and S's father grew up together and he thought of him very much like a brother, so it was a difficult loss for his parents. He was also a really fun and wonderful man in lots of ways who hosted us in Pittsburgh when we were engaged and helped us celebrate our wedding. He was instrumental in the craft beer movement in Pennsylvania and although he was taken too soon, he lived a great life. 

When I heard that he had passed away, I was already on my way to the store, so I stocked up on the things I needed to make a casserole for S's parents so they wouldn't have to worry about cooking for a few days. My first rule in bringing food to others is to cook something that you love to eat. That way you know that it is good. I went for King Ranch Casserole and I was on a time crunch since I had Landy with me and because S's dad was going to swing by and pick it up. Also, this is not a "healthy" recipe, but I make it as healthy as possible. Please just don't focus too much on the cheese quantity. You are the one sprinkling, you can sprinkle as much as you want (or don't want).

Time Crunch King Ranch Chicken Casserole (for the soul)

Makes two pans if you use a 7" x 11" rectangular pan

I made one in a 13" x 9" rectangular pan with another small one in an 8" x 8" square pan

Ingredients: 

time crunch ingredient: Store Rotisserie Chicken

or

non time crunch ingredient: 3 - 4 cups of cooked, shredded chicken

2 large onions

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

3 - 6 cloves of garlic (optional, if you like garlic)

1 T EV Olive Oil

2 cans of healthy request cream of chicken soup (low sodium if they have it)

2 cans of healthy request cream of mushroom soup (low sodium if they have it)

2 cans of original rotel, drained

2 t Chili Powder

2 t garlic powder

20 corn tortillas

4 C of shredded cheese (mexican four cheese blend works well)

Salt & Pepper to taste

Chop your onions and peppers and mince your garlic. Then put a large stock pot on the stove over medium heat to warm up the pan. Combine the onions, peppers and garlic.

Chopped Onion with a trash bowl nearby.

Chopped peppers

About to murder the garlic. Then combine it all.

Pour the EV Olive oil in the pan to coat the bottom and add the onion, pepper, garlic mixture to pan, cooking over medium and stirring until everything is soft.

Pan Party

If I cook my own chicken, I actually do that first so it has time to cool before I need to shred it. Since I used a rotisserie chicken I shredded it while the vegetables were cooking.

Half way mark for shredding.

When your veggies are soft and the onions are clear, add the cans of chicken and mushroom soup, the rotel (drained), the shredded chicken, the chili powder, and the garlic powder. Salt and pepper to taste.

REMINDER: if you are making for someone else and you don't know their salt/pepper preferences, keep your salt and pepper in check. They can always season later to their taste.

Empty soup

Rotel

One big gooey family.

After a couple minutes over medium heat, remove the mixture from the stove. At this point in my cooking, S's dad showed up early and I was put into overhaul mode to finish their larger casserole. What you see below is just the smaller one we kept for ourselves.

Grease the bottom of your pan with your preffered method. Then add a layer of tortillas, torn, until the bottom is covered.

torn tortilla bottom

Next, add a layer of your chicken mixture

Second layer

And last, sprinkle with cheese

Then start again with torn tortillas

More chicken mixture

More cheese

Grand finale, one more tortilla layer, skip the chicken mixture and go straight to the cheese. This layer gets really crispy and crunchy when you put the casserole in the oven.

And there you have it.

A side view of the layers.

If you were making this for immediate consumption, you would put it in the oven at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes or until the top is toasty with bubbling cheese.

Our casserole was a giveaway and we didn't cook the one we made for ourselves until the following day. In these isntances you cover the casserole and put it in the refrigerator. If well covered you can also freeze the casserole. To cook after freezing or refrigerating, simply bring the casserole back to room temp and heat your oven to 350 degrees and cook it for 25 - 30 minutes or until the top is toasty with bubbling cheese.

If there was a food in the world with the ability to group hug, it would be a warm casserole. This is one of my favorites.

Cooking for others doesn't have to be a practice you turn to just for loss of life or new births. Maybe you know someone who is having a hard time, maybe you have new neighbors, or maybe you just want to see a friend smile. That's right guys, I'm getting cheesy and sentimental, but it's true. Cooking for someone else is a wonderful gift and it means so much to the recipient of the meal that took your time and thought to create.

Cooking is a cherished practice that should be undertaken by everyone. Make every meal a celebration, and every time you cook remember that you are feeding more than just an empty stomach.

-RT

"People Who Love to Eat are Always the Best People" - JC

Today would have been Julia Child's 100th birthday, so we are going to celebrate by talking affordable luxuries with added butter and garlic. Julia Child did a lot for women and a lot that changed the way women and men cook in the home. She made cooking that was once seemingly difficult or only available in restaurants accessible to everyone in their own kitchen. She is one of the 5 people (alive or dead) who I would want to have dinner with. She would be cooking, obviously. 

Who doesn't love her? Keep your mouth shut, or I will pound you with my mallet.

I finally went to the grocery store yesterday and after spending about 20 minutes making a list (while distracting a toddler) I headed out. The list, of course, stayed home. I got to the store with a general idea of what I needed and fared pretty well. When I headed to the fish monger to get some salmon I noticed that lobster tails were on sale and I could get two for around $9. What's up H-E-B? I heart you. I switched salmon for lobster in full knowledge that I had never cooked my own lobster or even had any since a fateful college limo ride to Beau Rivage about ten years ago. More on that never again. 

If you want me to level with you, I really didn't follow a French recipe with the lobster. I decided, after checking in with Google, that I wanted to bake the tails. First I had to pull the little legs off and cut them down the middle. After the fact I learned that kitchen scissors are really handy for leg removal. I let them sit out about 20 minutes to bring them to room temp. Also, I preheated the oven to 400. 

Before mutilation:

After mutilation:

I took a strong knife (I would use a thick, sharp one that is easy to control) and slowly cut down the center being careful to not slice through the meat. You can also use kitchen scissors for this if you have a good pair that let you get underneath the shell. I found the knife a bit easier. For first timers, watch out for sharp shells. All shelled friends (maybe not shrimp) can give you a nice slice to the hand. 

Here is a close up where you can see that the white shell is pulled up on the sides.

Next I took some butter and melted it. Don't get overwhelmed by this step. You can do it.

A photo, just in case you were wondering what melted butter looks like. 

 I brushed the melted butter all over the lobster tails, squeezed some fresh lemon juice on them, and finally sprinkled the insides with some kosher sea salt. I did all of this on the same baking sheet I was going to use in the oven. These are two 4 oz tails and I put them in the oven for ten minutes. 

Ready for the oven. Remove the lemon first.

 I know you all want to see how I cook kale AGAIN, so here you go. After I put the lobster in the oven, I got to work. This time I took about 4 cloves of garlic and sliced them, tossing them in a large saute pan with EV Olive Oil.

I washed and dried the kale

Then tore it off and put it in the pan with the sliced garlic, tossing it to get the garlic off of the bottom of the pan. 

Meanwhile, in another part of the house, S was grilling corn. We prefer our corn done on the grill with no foil. It adds so much to the flavor, you can baste it while it is grilling, and you can tell immediately when it is ready.

Almost ready to come off.

 Then my ten minutes were up and the lobster was ready to come out. This was possibly one of the easiest things I have ever cooked. Prep was simple, put it in the oven and then... BOOM. Perfectly cooked lobster tails. Notice how the meat has swelled up and the shell has turned a bright orange color. 

Yes and Yum

The color of lobster success.

 As the lobster cooled off, the corn came in ready to go.

I melted a little butter with crushed garlic and lemon as extra dipping sauce for the lobster, but we really didn't need it. The meat was so sweet and the basting prior to baking it really held some great flavors in there.

The grand finale.

We took the third ear of corn and cut the kernels off of the cob so that it could go with a few of Landon's meals. 

Landon Corn

In honor of JC's bday, pick up her fabulous first book Mastering the Art of French Cooking and try something new that you never even thought of. French cooking isn't always the most budget friendly or the most healthy, but it is tastes and flavors that have been around for centuries and would make a great Friday or Saturday night date night at home. 

The Simple Truth

Child ended her last book, My Life in France, with "... thinking back on it now reminds me that the pleasures of the table, and of life, are infinite - toujours bon appetit!"  

What a fantastic woman who lived a fantastic life. Let her inspire you to really see what you can do in your kitchen.

-RT