Rancho Gordo Drunken Beans

And here we are again with yet another new recipe for my favorite beans.  I just can't pass up new offerings, and I have yet to be disappointed with a new try.

I usually make beans vegetarian, but this called for bacon and I happened to have spicy spanish chorizo so I decided to break with tradition and give it a whirl.  Plus I added chopped some green pepper for fun.  I made them nice and brothy, served them with mexican brined chicken, slaw and corn tortillas plus a lovely Shiner Bok!

I precooked some beautiful Santa Maria Piqunito Beans - tiny with pinto flavor and richness but in a large recipe with amazing aromatics it is nice the the beans don't take center stage; instead they work in harmony with everything.

Drunken Beans (inspired by Rancho Gordo)

2 cups beans, cooked
1/2 bottle beer (I used a local brown beer)
1 rasher bacon (I used some spanish chorizo)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 whole serrano peppers, minced
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
limes

Warm cooked beans. Add beer. These beans should be somewhat soupy. Add more beer if too thick; or turn up the flame, cook off excess liquid if too thin.

Cook single rasher of bacon in an ungreased frying pan. Remove bacon and excess fat, leaving about a tablespoon. Sauté onion, green peppers, garlic and chiles. When soft, add mushrooms. Cook until soft. Chop bacon and add to mixture.

Add mushroom/bacon mix to the pot of beans. Mix thoroughly and cook for another 10 minutes. Test for seasoning. Serves 4-6.

Serve with a lime wedge.

Pork Chops with Chipotle Rub

I found a fabulous recipe in my Sunset cookbook for a pork tenderloin with a creamy pumpkin seed sauce.  Well I really didn't want to make the sauce but the rub caught my eye so I grabbed some pork chops from the freezer, made the rub/marinade and went to work! 

If you love recipes that are simple to make but have hours of flavor then try this one.  It has a rich flavor and mild heat that would be great with chicken and fish too.  The pork chop was grilled to tender juicy perfection, but then again that isn't me, that is all Bo!


Chipotle Marinade for Pork Chops

• 4  canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, chopped, plus 2 tbsp. sauce
• 1/4  cup  orange juice
• 1  tablespoon  light brown sugar
• 2 lbs pork loin or pork chop

In a small bowl, combine chiles, sauce, orange juice, and sugar. Put pork in a baking dish and add marinade, turning pork to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to overnight.

Seafood and Chorizo Paella

Have you ever had paella?  Better yet, have you ever made it?  Both are quite an experience!  

Bo loves to make paella, so it isnt uncommon for us to make it at least once a year so we decided it was time to purchase a paella (pan) that would correctly conduct the heat and could be used on the grill!  So what you are seeing in these pics is the inaugural use of the paella on the Big Green Egg.

We began by frying the chorizo then removing it to cook the veggies.

After that the rice is added along with the hot saffron broth I had been simmering in the kitchen

Finally the mussels and shrimp make their appearance.

Between the chorizo and its oil infusing throughout and being cooked over natural wood charcoal, it was a beautiful smoky dish with perfectly plumped rice.

Now dont discount this if you dont like seafood, or red meat.  Paella is made with chicken, pork, seafood....there are so many recipes and most are made on the stove top or oven.  Just do some research and try one!  PS - paella makes a lot of food, so grab some company and be prepare to impress! 

Grilled Seafood and Chorizo Paella (Sunset Cookbook)

2 pounds ripe tomatoes, cut in half
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
5 teaspoons sweet Spanish paprika*
2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 cups Spanish Valenciano or Arborio rice
24 mussels, scrubbed, beards pulled off
24 small littleneck clams, scrubbed (we doubled the mussels and left out the clams)
24 shelled, deveined medium shrimp with tails (3/4 pound; 36 to 42 per pound)
1 1/4 pounds fully cured or semicured Spanish chorizo, cut into thin diagonal slices
1 teaspoon saffron threads
9 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
2 cups dry white wine
7 tablespoons olive oil, divided (for grilling) (We discovered that only about half of this oil is needed)
Coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Coarsely grate tomatoes into a bowl and discard skins. Put onion and bell peppers in another bowl. Measure garlic, paprika, and salt into a small bowl. Put rice, seafood, and chorizo each in a separate bowl.

Toast saffron in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add 6 cups broth and the wine, cover, bring to a boil, and keep hot. In a small saucepan, boil remaining broth; keep hot.

Heat grill to medium (350° to 450°). Bring prepped ingredients to grill, along with a long-handled wooden spoon, a slotted spoon, and oven mitts. For charcoal add 15 briquets to fire just before cooking and cook with lid off until adding seafood. For gas keep lid closed as you cook.

Heat a 17-in. paella pan on grill. Add 3 tbsp. oil to pan, then brown chorizo, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer chorizo back to bowl.

Sauté onion and peppers in pan until onion is softened, 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cook, stirring often, until liquid evaporates and paste turns a shade darker, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup oil and the garlic mixture; cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Stir in rice, then pat it level.

Carefully pour hot saffron liquid over rice and scatter chorizo on top. Adjust position of grill if necessary so grill and liquid in pan are level. Maintain a steady simmer for 12 minutes, reducing heat (for gas) or airflow through vents (for charcoal grill) if needed.

Pour enough hot plain broth over paella so rice is just covered. Arrange mussels around rim of pan, almost touching, pushing them into liquid. Distribute remaining seafood over paella.

Cover grill. Cook until clams and mussels open and rice is al punto (al dente), 6 to 10 minutes. Remove paella from grill, drape with paper towels, and let stand about 5 minutes. Scatter parsley on top.

*Find sweet (unsmoked) Spanish paprika in the spice aisle or at spanishtable.com

Mexican Brined Chicken

Yes, you are correct, you haven't seen me in a week.  Nothing personal, it has just been one of those weeks - not much cooking, when I did cook it didnt excite me, and I didnt really like the outcome.  And now I look ahead to this week and I wonder if it will be much different.

But for the time being let's look at chicken.  This brined chicken to be exact.  The flavor was magnificant, so moist, taste infused through the skin to the meat.  Whole chicken is a fairly new obsession of mine - I never knew a roasted/broasted/grilled/baked whole chicken could have so much character.  But now that I know, it is fun to make, smells great and have multiple uses.

First of all it is fabulous to pull meat off the bone and nibble at the kitchen counter.  Next, pulled meat is great folded into corn tortillas served with spicy beans (as we did with this one).  Also, it makes wonderful fodder for a green salad and a unique chicken-salad. 

So now that I've give you the "ways", here is the "recipe."  I found it in my latest issue of Sunset Magazine

Mexican Brined Chicken (Sunset Magazine)

• 1  cup  (about 3 oz.) hickory, mesquite, or applewood chips (optional)
• 12  cloves garlic, peeled
• 1  tablespoon  chili powder
• 1/3  cup  chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1/3  cup  chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1/4  cup  olive oil
• 1  tablespoon  salt
• 1  tablespoon  fresh-ground pepper
• 1  chicken (4 to 5 lb.)

1. In a medium bowl, cover wood chips (if using) in water. Let soak at least 30 minutes; drain just before using.

2. In a food processor, combine garlic, chili powder, thyme, rosemary, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Process until mixture forms a paste.

3. Rinse chicken inside and out; pat dry. Press down on the breastbone of the chicken to flatten the bird slightly; rub the paste evenly over all the skin.

4. Prepare your grill for indirect heat (see "How to set up your grill for indirect heat" below). The temperature inside your grill should be between 350° and 400° (insert a long-stemmed thermometer through lid vent to measure temperature). If using a gas grill, place all the chips in the metal smoking box or in a foil pan directly on the heat in a corner. If using a charcoal grill, scatter half of the wood chips over the coals.

5. Place the chicken over the drip pan, breast side down. Cover barbecue with lid. If using a charcoal grill, adjust vents so that they're open halfway. Cook 40 minutes, then turn the chicken over (if using charcoal, scatter another 20 briquets over coals, along with the remaining wood chips). Cover barbecue again.

6. Continue cooking chicken until a thermometer inserted through the thickest part of breast to bone reaches 170°, about 40 minutes longer. Transfer to a board or platter and let rest 10 minutes under a tent of foil. Carve to serve.

How to set up your grill for indirect heat.
On a charcoal barbecue: Ignite about 60 briquets on the firegrate of your barbecue. Let burn until coals are dotted with ash, about 25 minutes, then push coals to one side and lay a drip pan on the other side. Set grill in place.

On a gas barbecue: Turn heat to high and close lid for at least 10 minutes. Adjust heat to medium and turn off burners as needed to create a hot and a cool zone for indirect cooking. Set drip pan in cool zone; set grill in place.

Mendo Crab Cakes

In my opinion, you can judge a recipe by if your husband requests it again the next week.  So this one must be a winner! 

A crab cake is perfect if it is tender and full of crab.  And this one fits the bill.  All the ingredients blend nicely so no one thing stands out, letting the crab be the star.  The panko bread crumbs, instead of softer ones, allow for a nice crunch without tons of oil (and you will see by my notes below I used even less than called for).

The recipe has a nice slaw with it.  I decided to use my own slaw but will try that one eventually!  If you want to try it, there is a link to the recipe.

Oh, and crab cakes are perfect the next morning mixed with scrambled eggs!

1 pound shelled cooked crab (about 2 3/4 cups)
1 3/4 cups panko (Japanese dried bread crumbs) or other dried bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions (including green tops)
Tarragon aioli (see notes)
About 1/2 cup vegetable oil  (I used WAY less!)
Champagne cabbage salad

1. Sort through crab; remove and discard any bits of shell. In a bowl, combine crab, 3/4 cup panko, and green onions. Gently mix in 1/2 cup tarragon aioli just until mixture holds together.

2. Press mixture firmly into eight equal patties about 3 inches wide; set slightly apart on waxed paper or foil. Pour remaining panko into a shallow bowl.

3. Pour 1/3 cup oil into a 10- to 12-inch frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, set each crab cake in panko, then, using a slotted spatula, turn, pressing gently to coat. Transfer crab cakes to pan, working in small batches. Cook until golden brown on the bottom, 3 to 4 minutes; turn gently and cook until browned on the other side and hot in the middle, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Transfer cakes as cooked, in a single layer, to a 12- by 15-inch baking sheet in a 200° oven and add remaining cakes to pan, adding more oil as needed. Discard any remaining panko.
(I pour just enough oil to coat a non-stick pan and then wiped it with a paper towel.  The cakes were nice and crisp without any greasiness)
4. Divide champagne cabbage salad evenly among plates. Set crab cakes on salad, add a dollop of tarragon aioli, and serve immediately, passing remaining aioli to add to taste.

Asparagus, Spring Onion, and Morel Mushroom Sauté

Vegetables are my nemesis.  Not because I don't love them, because I do, but because I dont give them much thought.  They end up becoming a quick salad or sauteed green beans from the freezer because I focused on the fish, pasta or whatever else I decided to cook.  I pledge frequently to be a bit more creative with sides, but then is falls to the wayside.  So when I see recipes like this one, I become terribly excited.

This particular saute was quite easy to make and was a treat to the taste buds.  So if you are in a veggie rut as I am, here is a great one to try!

Asparagus, Spring Onion, and Morel Mushroom Sauté (Original from Sunset Cookbook)

1/3 pound fresh morel mushrooms or 1 oz. dried 
3 bunches asparagus, ends cut off
3 bunches green onions, white and pale green parts only, root ends trimmed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. If using dried morels, put them in a small bowl, cover with 1 cup boiling water, and let stand 10 minutes. Lift out and pat dry.

2. Meanwhile, generously salt remaining boiling water. Fill a large bowl with ice and cold water and set near the stove. Add asparagus to boiling water and cook until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Remove from water and immediately plunge into ice bath to stop cooking. Repeat process with green onions. Drain asparagus and onions on paper towels, then cut asparagus spears in half.

3. In a large frying pan over medium-low heat, melt butter. Add morels, asparagus, and onions and cook 1 minute, tossing gently to coat with butter. Stir in crème fraîche and season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking until heated through, 4 minutes longer. Transfer to a serving dish.

Interview with Chef Tyler Florence

photo KEF Media

I don't often share articles here that I have written for other places but because of the circumstances I will make an exception.  Because recently I was given the chance to interview one of my favorite chefs, Tyler Florence.

Tyler's newest venture is pairing with Alexia Foods to present weeknight recipes that can be paired with Alexia sides.  If interested, read the article below and be sure to click on the video to the left to see Tyler's cute face and hear my voice during my video interview.

Enjoy!

http://www.examiner.com/food-news-in-national/tyler-florence-and-alexia-foods-make-delicious-dishes-together

Chipotle Corn Bread

If you love cornbread the way I love cornbread, well then you don't make it very often.  After all, something this good is gobbled up a bit too quickly, calories stacking up end on end... well lets just say I don't make it often so when I do, if needs to really count!

For this I pulled out Breads of the Southwest by Beth Hensperger.  Beth wrote the book on bread baking (or least one of them).  It is The Bread Bible and is a necessary reference if you love to bake.

But I digress.  This is, after all, about the cornbread.  The tender, chewy, slightly moist piece of heaven served to you.  This one didn't disappoint.  Chipotle peppers add a nice level of heat that mingled well with the bits of corn.  I left the cheese out and to tell the truth, I didn't miss it.  For me, this bread was the perfect level of moist and dry. 
 

And of course, if you don't want the heat, leave out the chiles.  The recipe will still be perfect.

Chipotle Corn Bread (Breads of the Southwest)

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups coarse-grind yellow cornmeal 

1 T sugar

1 1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

2 eggs

1/3 cup corn oil

2 canned whole chipotles in adobo

1 cup shredded Monterey jack (I left this out)

1. Preheat the oven to 400.  Grease a cast-iron skillet and place it in the oven, or grease a 10-inch springform pan and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt.  In a food processor or blender, combine the buttermilk, eggs, oil and chipotles.  Blend until the chipotles are finely chopped.  Add the buttermilk mixture and the cheese to the dry ingredients and stir with a spoon until just blended,  Take care not to overmix.  Pour the batter into the skillet or pan.

3. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden around the edges,  Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting into wedges to serve.