1 lb dried beans, soaked overnight and cooked (No, I really don’t care what sort of beans you use. Use the beans you like)
1/2 lb cooked ham, chopped
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 ribs of celery, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, whole
1 12 oz can of tomato paste
1 bunch of cilantro or parsley, chopped
2 T. light brown sugar
Salt
DIRECTIONS
1. Mix the 12 oz can of tomato past with 24 oz of water (seriously – just dump it in the crock pot, then add three cans worth of water. There’s no sense dirtying up a measuring cup).
2. Place all the ingredients except the salt in the crockpot and set to “High”
Derived from the Moosewood Cookbook recipe “Drunken Beans”)
Mess o’ Beans (click to enlarge)
INGREDIENTS
3 cups pinto beans, soaked and cooked
3 cups of bean water from cooking the beans
1 T olive oil
1/2 – 1 lb boneless pork, cut into 1″ cubes
2 onions, diced
1 red or green bell pepper, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
6 cloves of garlic, minced (yes six! Don’t be a wimp!)
2 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes in juice
2 t. ground cumin
1 t. salt
2 t. adobo sauce
2 t. soy sauce
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute the pork, onion, bell pepper,celery, and garlic until the pork begins to brown (around 10 minutes).
While that is cooking, place the beans in a pot with the bean water, tomatoes, cumin, salt, and soy sauce. Bring to a simmer. Add the pork and vegetables, and reduce heat. Simmer for one hour or more.
If you want drunken beans, replace the bean water with warm, flat beer.
Feel free to add chili powder and/or chilis to taste.
TORTILLAS
Homemade tortilla (click to enlarge)
INGREDIENTS
2 cups unbleached white flour
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 t. garlic powder
3/4 cup milk (not non-fat)
DIRECTIONS
If you have a bread machine, throw all the ingredients in and let it do the work. Stop the machine after 15 minutes or so when everything is kneaded together.
Alternately – put the flour, salt, garlic powder, and baking powder into a bowl. Cut the butter in with a pastry cutter. Add the milk and work the dough with your hands on a floured surface. f it comes out sticky, add flour. If it comes out dry add more milk or water.
However you get the dough, put a cast iron skillet on the stove top and heat it to screaming hot. Don’t add oil. While this is heating, divide the dough into 8-10 pieces. Roll out each piece with a rolling pin on a floured surface until it is 1/8″ or less thick and vaguely circular. Carefully place in the pan for 30 seconds on a side. If bubbles are not forming in the tortilla after the first 30 seconds, your pan is not hot enough.
A word about the ingredients –
Yes, there is soy sauce in the beans. Yes, there is milk in the tortillas. The both help to boost the protein absorption. You can leave out the soy if you want, and use water instead of milk.
1. Mix the butter and oil in a bowl, then add the spices, thyme, garlic, lemon zest and juice. Add 2 t. harissa, 1 t. salt, and plenty of fresh ground black pepper. Mix until thoroughly blended.
2. Place the lamb in a shallow dish and spoon over marinade, making sure to coat all sides. Rub the marinade into the meat with your fingers to make sure every bit is coated. Cover with plastic wrap or foil, and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours to three days.
3. On the barbecue, grill at high temperature for 5 minutes on a side, then place on smoking rack or move coals to the sides of the grill, and allow meat to cook for 45 minutes, turning occasionally. This will give pink meat.
4. Remove meat from grill, cover lightly with foil, and allow to stand for 15 minutes before carving.
5. To prepare the sauce, mix 1 t. harissa into yogurt, add chopped cilantro and a pinch of salt. You can make this the night before, or add more harissa if you want a stronger flavor.
6. Carve lamb into thick slices, and serve with sauce and couscous.
_____
I added an additional t. of harissa to the marinade to give the lamb a somewhat stronger flavor. Also, I recommend letting the lamb sit for up to a couple of days, since there is not that much salt in the marinade. If you want a faster marinade, add an additional t. of salt.
From http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1415685/. No copyright infringement intended.
Ingredients
4 t. kosher salt or 2 t. table salt*
1 3-4 lb boneless eye-round roast, trimmed of visible fat
4 t. canola oil
Pepper
Directions
Sprinkle the salt evenly over the meat. Place the roast on a large plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 18-24 hours
Adjust the oven rack to the middle position in the oven, and heat oven to 225 degrees. Set a rack inside a large, rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.
Pat the roast dry with paper towels, rub 2 t. of canola oil over the roast, and season with pepper.
Heat the remaining 2 t. of oil in a 12 inch skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Brown the meat on both sides (~ 5 minutes per side). Transfer the roast, fat side up, to the prepared wire rack and roast for 1 1/4 hours to 1 3/4 hours (or until internal temperature of the roast reaches 115 degrees). DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR DURING THIS TIME.
Turn the oven off and let the roast continue to cook in the oven for 20-35 minutes (or until internal temperature of the roast reaches 225 degrees). DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR DURING THIS TIME.
Transfer the roast to a carving board, lightly tent with foil, and let stand for 20 minutes. Carve in thin slices and serve.
_____
* You can try this with garlic- or onion-salt if you like.
Ingredients
3 lb beef stew meat
2 T. Worsteshire Sauce
Salt and pepper
Olive Oil
1 cup of flour
2 onions, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 bell peppers (green or yellow), chopped
2 parsnips, peeled and roughly cut
4 heirloom or regular tomatoes, chopped
1 32 oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 32 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 32 oz can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 T. Marjoram
1 T. Oregano
1 t. Summer Savory
1 t. Sage
16 oz mushrooms, sliced
6 carrots, peeled and sliced
Directions
1. Separate stew meat and chop larger pieces into bite-sized pieces. Place in a bowl
2. Add Worsteshire sauce and mix until stew meat is coated. Add more Worsteshire if necessary to coat all meat.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let stand 5-10 minutes.
4. While meat is standing, saute onion, garlic, and green peppers in olive oil on medium heat for 5-10 minutes until onion is translucent and just starting to brown. Remove vegetables and place in crock pot or dutch oven.
5. Dredge stew meat in flour and brown in pan, a few pieces at a time, to a rich brown color on both sides. Add more olive oil if necessary.
6. Place meat, onion, garlic, olive oil, beans, tomatoes, oregano, marjoram, summer savory, and sage in crock pot or dutch oven. Add sufficient water to just cover. Cook in crock pot on high for 2 hours, or in dutch oven on simmer for one.
7. Add mushrooms and carrots. Cook for 2 hours crock pot or dutch oven for one.
You can expand this dish by adding more beans, but I recommend that you use a different type of bean each time for variety and appearance.
1 Round or Top Round roast (3-5 lbs)
8 carrots, peeled and quartered
2 onions, sliced
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 Jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
6 cloves of garlic, whole
16 oz mushrooms, sliced
salt and pepper
DIRECTIONS
1. Rub salt and pepper into the roast on all sides
2. In a frying pan on medium high heat, brown roast on all sides (about 3-5 minutes per side)
3. While roast is browning, place all ingredients except mushrooms and roast in a crock pot. Set to “High”.
4. Place roast on top of vegetables in crock pot, and pour mushrooms over the top of the roast.
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. rice vinegar
1 t. chile oil
1 T. minced fresh ginger
1 T. cornstarch
Vegetables:
2 bunches green onions, sliced into one-inch diagonal pieces
4 leeks (white part only) sliced into 1/4″ thick rounds
2 Anaheim peppers, diced (seeds and veins removed)
Chinese or other hot peppers to taste.
3 garlic clove, minced
Sauce:
3 T. hoisin sauce
1 T. water
1 T. lemon juice
1 T. dark soy sauce
2 t. rice vinegar
1/4 t. chile paste, or to taste
Sesame oil for stir-frying
Directions:
Slice the beef into long strips against the grain and place in a bowl or plastic bag. Mix the marinade ingredients together and then pour over beef. Allow to marinade for 30 minutes to 8 hours. Drain on a rack or paper towels for 10 minutes.
Heat 2 T. sesame oil in wok on high heat. Add the beef and stir fry until browned. Remove and set aside.
Add a little more oil to the wok if necessary, then add vegetables. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Add sauce and bring to a boil, allowing sauce to thicken somewhat. Return the beef to the pan and combine with the sauce and vegetables. Serve over rice or noodles.
In a large resealable plastic bag, mix the lemon juice, olive oil, and rosemary. Place the chicken and lemon slices in the bag. Seal, and shake to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator 8 hours or overnight.
Preheat the grill for high heat.
Lightly oil the grill grate. Discard marinade, and grill chicken 8 minutes per side, or until juices run clear. Don’t worry about the rosemary sticking to the chicken, it tastes great when it’s grilled. If you use fresh rosemary sprigs, throw the stems onto the coals – they give the chicken even more of a smoky rosemary flavor!
This is what I am marinating the chicken for tomorrow’s barbecue in.
1 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 T. curry powder
1 t. powdered ginger
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. ground cloves
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, with juice
3/4 t. salt
Freshly ground pepper (to taste)
1/2 cup raisins or currants
1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds
Directions
In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, and garlic and saute until tender (5-10 minutes). Add chicken and saute for 2 minutes. Add spices and cook until the chicken turns white, stirring often. Add salt, pepper, stock, tomatoes, and raisins/currants. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Simmer, covered, until flavors are blended (about 20 minutes). Uncover, increase heat to medium, and boil until liquid begins to thicken (about 10-20 minutes). Serve in bowls with rice, and sprinkle almonds on top.
This was a favorite at our house growing up. Really easy to make.
(Not a photo of my flank steak. But doesn't it look yummy?)
INGREDIENTS
1 flank steak
1/4 cup soy sauce (reduced salt)
1/4 cup mirin cooking wine
1 T. rice vinegar
Mix together the soy sauce, mirin, and rice vinegar in a plastic bag. Marinate the steak in the liquid for 8-24 hours, turning occasionally. Remove from bag 15 minutes before cooking and let rest.
Broil the steak on the top shelf of the oven for 3-5 minutes per side. Remove from oven, let rest for 5 minutes, then carve into thin strips.
Serve atop stir fried noodles with vegetables.
P.S. The marinade makes a fine sauce for the noodles. Just throw it in the wok when you stir fry the noodles. Make sure it boils thoroughly
ED WRITES STUFF (and nonsense) 