Archive for the ‘ Beans ’ Category
If you celebrate Cinco de Mayo the way folks around here do, you’re going to need some serious grub to soak up the booze. The following recipes will not only satisfy any Mexican cravings, they’ll also lay down a base coat before your night gets going. Best of all? They can pretty much all be scaled up to feed a crowd. So enjoy responsibly and leave other Cinco de Mayo menu ideas in the comments.
NFL Football playoffs start this weekend and that means it’s time to bust out the heavy hitting game day recipes. We’ve got wings, mozzarella sticks, and potato skins covered, but I thought it was high time to break out a recipe for a good old-fashioned American dip — Bean Dip.
I know, I know, bean dip sounds boring. Surely guacamole and salsa seem to steal the show anytime tortilla chips are broken out, but I assure you, this is no ordinary jarred bean dip. First off, we’re making our own pinto beans. That’s right, from the very get-go this is a homemade affair which means you can load as much flavor into this seemingly humble dip as possible. Slow simmered with smoked pork, cumin seeds, oregano, onion and garlic there is no canned pinto bean on earth that can match that flavor. Next off, we add spicy chipotle chiles for maximum punch and savory, smoky undertones. After a dollop of two of sour cream to cool everything down and lend a velvety texture, the whole thing is topped with cheese and thrown into the oven until piping hot and gooey.
I promise, you’ve never tasted bean dip this good. It’s fantastic served alongside some thick, crispy tortilla chips and dare I say, even better with Fritos Scoops. But if you’re feeling truly badass, try using it as the backbone for a homemade 7-layer dip and taste the rainbow of game day paradise.
If you have any smoky chipotle black beans leftover, you might want to consider making this tostada — a dish that represents the marriage of two of my all-time favorite recipes.
Lucky enough to live only a short drive from the Napa Valley, I’ve had the opportunity to dine at Cindy Pawlcyn’s restaurants since I was a boy. Having eaten amazing meals at Go Fish and Mustards Grill, the most memorable dish came on a visit to Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen for lunch when I first tasted her famous Rabbit Tostada. Imagine tender, juicy chile-braised rabbit nestled on top of warm, earthy black beans and a crispy fried tortilla. Finished with a refreshing salad of herbs, thinly sliced cabbage and tart feta cheese, quite simply, this is as good as a tostada can get.
The other half of this recipe comes from pioneering chef, Robert Del Grande and his restaurant, Cafe Annie. While I still haven’t had the opportunity to visit the iconic Houston restaurant, I have made his signature bar staple, Black Bean Nachos with Red Chile Beef. With each tortilla chip covered in the perfect amount of over five different flavor components, it goes without saying that these were the most delicious and extravagant nachos I’d ever eaten. However, at a prep time of close to three hours, I haven’t gotten around to making them as often as I would like.
Hence, the Red Chile Beef Tostada was born. Taking key elements from each dish, I’ve put together a recipe that pays homage to the very best of each chef. Rich, meaty red chile beef fills in for the guajillo-braised rabbit in Cindy’s dish, whereas a black bean topped tostada and refreshing cabbage slaw takes the place of the bite-size nacho in Robert’s. The result is too delicious to describe. You’re just going to have to try it.
Few dishes compliment the bold, spicy flavors of Mexican food better than a bowl of warm, perfectly seasoned black beans. Thrown in a burrito in place of boring old pintos, these smoky black beans instantly add another dimension to your everyday Mexican repertoire. In my opinion, this is a side that’s good enough to stand on its own as a main course. Garnished with a bit of cilantro, some crumbled queso fresco and maybe a dollop of crema, this is Mexican comfort food at its best. And, at a prep time of just over 30 minutes, this is great for a weeknight meal.
The main flavor component of this side dish is the earthy, smoky chipotle chile. If you’ve never worked with the dried version before, this recipe is a great introduction; their inherent flavor shines through without being overshadowed by the tomato and vinegar based adobo sauce found in canned varieties. For this recipe I used the morita chipotle but if you can only find canned chipotles in adobo, I definitely recommend going with La Morena brand.