jalapeno

Charro Beans with Roasted Chayote and Red Chili Corn Pone

/ Ren

A traditional Mexican dish named for her charros (cowboys), charro beans (frijoles charros, cowboy beans) are pinto beans simmered with onions, garlic, chilies and tomatoes.  I’m adding black beans, epazote and Mexican oregano and serving it a roasted, scooped-out chayote (Aztec chayotli) squash with red chili corn pone on the side..

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Soak dried beans overnight, then drain, rinse and cook in fresh water until not quite done, about 1-1 1/2 hours.  Set aside.

For the corn pone, mix together 1 cup of white or yellow stone-ground cornmeal with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of coarse chili powder.  Add 1 teaspoon lard or bacon grease, then carefully stir in 1 cup of boiling water (filtered). Allow to stand long enough to soften and cool, then form into 1/2 inch cakes about 3 inches in diameter.  Cover with a damp towel and set aside. (this corn pone is based on a recipe by author Crescent Dragonwagon)

Meanwhile, split and seed 1 or more chayote, drizzle lightly with oil, season with S&P and roast in a 375 degree oven until charred and tender, about 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Toast whole cumin seed in a dry skillet until fragrant, about 5 minutes.  Add 1 teaspoon lard or bacon grease, minced garlic, chopped onion and diced jalapeño and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes and oregano, beans and the scooped out, chopped flesh of the roasted chayote along with enough of the bean liquor to just cover.

Simmer until beans are tender but intact, perhaps 20-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, reheat chayote in the oven or under the broiler and fry the pones in a small amount of butter until golden brown and crispy on the edges.

Spoon bean mixture into chayote shells and serve with hot corn pones and a roasted jalapeño.

Chayote is a good source of Niacin, Vitamin B6, Pantothenic Acid, Magnesium and Potassium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate, Zinc, Copper and Manganese.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday at cheeseslave.com


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Arroz con Habichuelas y Nopalitos

/ Ren

Red Beans and Rice with Prickly Pear Cactus

Dried red beans and rice, hot sauce, dried herbs and spices with bell peppers, S&P, Mexican oregano, tomato, red onion, olive oil, garlic, jalapeno and a cactus paddle.

Prepare the rice and beans according to package directions or even better, make your own.

Meanwhile, prep the vegetables. 10 minutes before the rice is done, saute all but the cactus until tender, about 4 minutes.

Grill the cleaned cactus paddle for 2-3 minutes per side until fork-tender.  Take care not to overcook.

Fold all the vegetables into the bean and rice mixture and cook another 2 minutes to distribute flavors.

Serve topped with a squeeze of lime, queso bola and hot sauce.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

‘Putting by’

/ Ren

Buying “fresh” produce from halfway around the world in the dead of winter (or any time of year for that matter) is problematic for a number of reasons.  Our great grandparents understood that certain foods were simply not not available out-of-season.

“Putting food by” or preserving, can be accomplished by several methods, including root cellaring, salting, canning, pickling, curing and drying.

1 dozen large fresh jalapenos, cored, split and seeded.

Into the stove-top smoker over medium heat; close the lid just as the wood chips begin to smoke. Do you see the wisps of smoke coming from both ends of the pan?

Don’t want to cook them too much, just long enough that they begin to brown around the edges.

Straight into a pre-heated dehydrator.  Those are tomatoes drying on the rack below.

Here are the smoked, dried peppers after about 24 hours. You can store them just like this in an airtight container, or pulverize and store in a spice jar.

In either case, watch the jars closely for a couple of days to make sure there isn’t any moisture present.  At the first sign of condensation, you must immediately re-dry the goods or risk spoilage.  If everything looks good after a few days, the peppers will keep indefinitely.

Lots of things are suitable for drying, including tomatoes and herbs.

Chipotle Black Bean Chicken Chili (favorite)

/ Ren

Crushed tomatoes, black beans, onion, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, roasted peppers, chicken, corn, chipotle powder, smoked sweet paprika, sea salt and cheddar cheese.

Brine* the chicken for 1 hour before starting the recipe. Brining makes the chicken much more tender and juicy.

In a Dutch oven, saute the onions, jalapeno, garlic and chipotle until tender, about 7 minutes.

Add tomatoes and peppers, simmer 10 minutes.

Brown the corn with cilantro.  Browning releases the sugars and intensifies the corn flavor.

Add the corn, drained black beans and a large spoonful of nutritional yeast flakes.  Stir and simmer 10 minutes.

Cook the (rinsed and patted dry) chicken in hot oil with smoked paprika until almost done, about 5 minutes per side.

Cut the chicken into bite size cubes, add to the chili and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Serve topped with shredded cheese and slivered scallions.

* “The brining process forces water into the muscle tissues of the meat by a process known as diffusion and osmosis. This additional moisture causes the muscle tissues to swell and hold more water. The resulting water in the muscle tissues will make the meat more moist and tender. Any spices herbs or other flavorings you add to the brine solution will get taken deep into the meat with the water.”

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦