Jan9

Tackling dried beans

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We eat a lot of beans, but I always use canned. I have never been able to master cooking dried beans. The last time I tried was in 2003, when I was studying abroad in Chile, where dried beans were more readily available than canned. My beans were undercooked no matter how long I boiled them for, and I have shied away from them ever since. This weekend, however, I took another crack at them.

I soaked them for 4 hours, then cooked them on high in the slow-cooker for 5 hours.  It worked!  I would definitely only cook one pound next time, though, as two pounds made an entire 6-quart pot.  You could also cook them overnight using the low setting.

Pinto Beans with Smoked Turkey
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

2 lbs. dried pinto beans
2 smoked turkey drumsticks (or a ham hock)
2 red bell peppers, diced
1 onion, diced
1 jalapeno, sliced
4 cloves garlic, smashed
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. kosher salt

1. Cover the beans in cold water, soak for 4 hours or overnight. After they have soaked, drain off the soaking liquid, rinse the beans, and cover with fresh water in the slow-cooker. (The water should be 2 inches higher than the beans.)
2. Add the turkey drumsticks, bell pepper, onion, jalapeno, and garlic to the slow-cooker. Set the slow-cooker to high, and allow to simmer until tender.

3. Remove the turkey legs. Shred the meat and return to the pot.


4. Taste, then season with cumin, pepper, smoked paprika, chili powder, and salt.

Jan8

Baked eggplant parmesan

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Baking eggplant parmesan is so much easier than frying it. I love that you can bake a whole sheet at once in the oven.

I bought these cute little eggplants at the farmers market, but one big one would be just fine. I always leave the skin on, but you can peel it if the texture bothers you.

Baked Eggplant Parmesan

1 1/2 lbs. eggplant
kosher salt
black pepper
1/2 c. flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 c. panko crumbs
1/4 c. plus more for sprinkling, finely grated parmesan or parmesan/romano blend
28 oz. can whole tomatoes
1 small onion
4 cloves of garlic
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. sugar
8 oz. mozzarella
1 lb. linguine

Make the eggplant:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Slice the eggplant into 1/2-inch slices. Salt with kosher salt, and allow to rest for an hour. Blot the water that has been released from the eggplant, then flip the slices over and salt the other side. After an hour, blot the second side. (You can skip the salting and just slice the eggplant if you’re pressed for time.)
3. Set up a little assembly line, and coat the eggplant slices first in flour, then egg, then a mixture of panko and grated parmesan/romano cheese.
4. Place the eggplant onto a wire rack on a cookie sheet. Spray the coated eggplant lightly with a little bit of olive oil or cooking spray.
5. Bake at for 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Make the sauce while the eggplant is baking:
1. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add garlic, onions, and red pepper flakes. Sautee until the onions are translucent, and season with salt and pepper.
2. Add the tomatoes, 2 cups of water, the oregano, and the sugar. Salt to taste.
3. Bring to a gentle simmer, and allow the sauce to simmer for at least 20 minutes. You can add fresh basil or parsley at this point as well.

Assemble the eggplant parmesan:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. I like the eggplant to stay crispy, so I only use a little bit of sauce and then serve it with extra sauce over the pasta. Spread a little bit of sauce in the bottom of a large casserole dish, then lay the pieces of eggplant on top of the sauce, and cover the eggplant with the mozzarella and parmesan.


3. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and starting to brown.

Serve over pasta with additional sauce.

Jan7

Carne asada tacos

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Our friends came over to watch the Lakers vs. Warriors game, so we thought it would be fun and easy to barbeque and make a taco bar.

I love pretty much all tacos.  I live in Los Angeles now, but I grew up in New Jersey and Arizona, so I have very fond memories of the admittedly unauthentic taco bar at Sizzler (“hard” corn shells, ground beef, iceberg lettuce, diced tomatoes, and orange cheddar) and of the Yaki tacos at The Islands (chicken teryaki, letuce, pineapple).

However, in L.A. there’s really no excuse for not making a decent Mexican taco (unless that’s what you’re into, of course), so we hustled on over to the Camaguey Meat Market on Venice to pick up supplies.  It’s technically more Cuban/Dominican than Mexican, but I have wanted to visit since I read about it in the L.A. Times. (Sadly, they were not selling prepared food when we went, sob I’m not sure if they still do.)

On the menu:
* Carne asada, marinated by the market
* Pico de gallo
* Pickled carrots/jalapenos
* Black beans
* Queso fresco from the Mexican market

For pico de gallo, I just dice tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, and a jalapeno, and toss together with salt, pepper, and lime.  Paco made this one, though!

We usually make guacamole as well, but there weren’t any ripe avocados available.  Next time we’ll think ahead!

 

Jan6

Mexican pickled carrots

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You know those pickled carrots and jalapenos that they always have at taquerias, at the salsa bar?  I love them, but I had never thought of making my own until we went our friends Matt’s and Cari’s house for a barbeque.  So delicious!  Now we make them on a regular basis.

I use this simple recipe from About.com.

I like to use the jumbo carrots to make this, so that I don’t have to peel a ton of smaller carrots.

Slice them on the diagonal.

Let them simmer with the vinegar, jalapenos, bay leaves, salt, and peppercorns.

And that’s it!

Jan5

Panzanella salad

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Even though it’s January, the weather has been quite summery here lately. One of our favorite things to eat when it’s warm out is panzanella.  This “recipe” can be modified as much as you’d like. I don’t usually measure when I make this, so you can adjust the amounts  to taste.  You can also add cucumbers, olives, or anything else that sounds good to the salad.

Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt
Pepper
1/2 loaf of baguette
1 lb. tomatoes, I used mini heirlooms from Trader Joe’s
10 basil leaves, chopped or ripped
8 oz. fresh mozzarella, or as much as you like
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
Parmesan or Romano cheese

1.  First make the dressing. Mix 2 parts olive oil with 1 part vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper.  Add a bit of mustard or dry mustard if you’d like.

2. Toast the bread. Slice the baguette into 3/4 inch slices. You can drizzle them with olive oil, salt, and pepper, or you can leave them plain. If you like extra garlic, cut a clove of garlic in half, then rub it along the slices of bread before baking. Bake at 425 degrees F for a few minutes, until lightly toasted. Cut the bread into cubes. (OR, you can get really crazy like I did, and smear a little bit of this garlic crack spread that they sell at the farmer’s market on the bread before toasting, for extra garlic flavor.)

3. While the bread is toasting, slice your tomatoes into a size that works for you. I usually use cherry tomatoes and slice them in half. Slice the mozzarella balls into bite-size pieces.  Toss the tomatoes, mozzarella, and red onion with the dressing.

Look how cute the “mini heirlooms” are!

4. Add the bread, a sprinkle of parmesan, the basil, salt, and pepper to the salad.

Serve immediately, before the bread gets soggy.