Black beans - Music please, maestro

Yes, it's corny sophomoric humor, and I may not be a junior any more; but I refuse to be a senior (except in the actuarial tables).

I avoid cooking dried beans most of the time, but caved in to the idea while shopping at my favorite Hispanic market the other day. Heck, these dark-skinned little devils are cheap, nutritious and tasty. Somewhere in the Google-verse I found a recipe that included a bunch of stuff to add after the cooking is done.

I didn't write down the measurements (that would be so Food Network). I just added a lot of the stuff I knew I liked and less of anything questionable. The slightly citrus-y cast the beans took on from the orange flavor and vinegar was really nice. And with my beloved fluffy white rice as a vehicle on which to serve them, these beans made my meal.

Add some or all: garlic (while the beans are cooking is a good idea), garlic powder, cumin, black pepper, salt, dried oregano, SunnyD (or orange juice if your nose is in the air), lime juice, EVOO, rice wine vinegar.

Sweet corn and black bean salad

We got our first Colorado sweet corn a couple of days ago. I bought enough for us to steam for dinner and also to make this salad. It’s loosely based on Rachel Ray, but only loosely. Light and nutritious, it’s a quintessential summertime dish.

Sweet corn and black bean salad
3 ears corn, steamed and cooled
1 14.5 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
¼ medium red onion, finely diced
½ green (or other color) bell pepper, diced
2 tbsp chopped parsley or cilantro (or both)
1 tsp ground cumin
juice of ½ lime
splash of tabasco or sriracha (to taste)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp olive oil

Cut kernels from ears of corn. Put into a bowl with beans and onion.

Microwave the bell pepper for 30 seconds with just a splash of water. This is an optional step. We prefer the pepper not to be totally raw.

Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Serve at room temperature.

Pork and black bean tacos

I had about 5 oz. of boneless pork country rib meat left over from another application. I’d been thinking about making gorditas (Mexican sandwiches. When I finished cooking the cubes of pork I turned it into, I had one basic problem. I feared that if I kept reducing the liquid in the pan it might intensify its spiciness to far. Then the 5 watt bulb went off in my head. Sandy had given me some of her prepared-from-scratch black beans. I did the step below of adding them to the pork. After they were mashed and simmered for a bit, the liquid thickened perfectly and the beans add a depth of flavor I didn’t even know was missing.

Please bear in mind that I brine all pork before cooking. I’ve posted about that and won’t do so again here. After brining and then rinsing I do not add more salt.

Now, about the gorditas. I have masa (corn flour) in the pantry. I tried making gorditas quite a while ago. Tried again this time – with not great results. So forget about that and just make tacos with this filling.

For the pork::
1 dried pasilla pepper
1 dried Mexican red chili pepper
5 oz. lean boneless pork, cut into 1” cubes
1 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
½ cup chicken stock
1 cup cooked black beans (2/3 of a 14-15 oz. can, rinsed)
Store-bought corn or flour tortillas
Chopped lettuce (any kind)
Grated cheese

Chopped tomato (optional)
Avocado (optional)

Remove the seeds and stems from the peppers and soak them in just enough hot tap water to cover for 30 minutes. Use an immersion blender or food processor to puree them.

Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the pork. Brown slightly (about 5 minutes), stirring every minute or so then reduce heat to medium. Add pureed peppers with their liquid and the chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and cook over medium-low heat until the pork is tender (about 10 minutes).

Push the pork to the side of the pan. Add the beans and mash with a potato masher. Stir and bring back to a low simmer. The beans will thicken the dish in about 10 minutes. If there is too little liquid when you get to this step, add a bit more chicken stock.

To assemble:
Heat a griddle. Spray tortillas very lightly with cooking spray. When the griddle is hot, toss on the tortillas for just 1 minute per side.

Transfer to cutting board. Stuff with lettuce, cheese, pork, and avocado and tomato (if using). That’s all there is to it.

A soup

Here’s another soup composed partly of leftovers and additions to round it out. As my e-mail pen-pal, Jen, put it, recipes are about “ideas.” Couldn’t agree more. Visit Jen’s blog; a link is just above this paragraph.

I would make a bet with anyone who cooks regularly that I could rummage through his/her fridge and freezer and find the basics for a soup. I mean, gosh, can’t you make a soup out of almost anything?

Ham and black bean soup
1 tbsp olive oil
¼ medium onion, diced
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
Leftover black beans plus a 14.5 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
4 oz. hickory smoked ham, diced
1 14.5 oz. diced tomatoes
2 cups chicken stock
2 corn tortillas, torn into pieces
1 dried pasilla pepper
½ Serrano pepper (or jalapeno), seeded and minced
salt and pepper to taste
1/8 tsp smoked Spanish paprika

Remove the seeds from the pasilla pepper and reconstitute it in hot tap water for 30 minutes. Put it in your food processor with 1/8 cup of the beans and enough chicken stock to form a puree. (The pureed beans will lend texture to the soup.)

Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. When hot add onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic, stir, and sauté 1 minute. Add tomatoes and stock and tortillas. Simmer until the tortillas dissolve.

Add all remaining ingredients including the pepper/bean puree, and simmer for 10 minutes. Eat. A nice hunk of crusty bread would be fun with this.

Sandy's green chili

Introducing my friend Sandy. The last couple of New Year’s Days Sandy has brought a sample of her green chili for Peter and me to share. It’s very, very good, and after the most recent sample I suggested to her that I feature her on this blog.

Chili, like so many other dishes, is made a thousand different ways. I have my way, you have your way. This is Sandy’s way, although it came from a Hispanic school principal she worked for about 10 years ago. Sandy’s green chili has evolved, the inevitable consequence of not having a written-down recipe. Originally beans were not included. At some point potatoes were included, in the style of a green chili stew.

What Sandy put together this morning (with a minimal amount of assistance from me) included beans, in deference to the fact that I told her I had added some leftover beans to the chili she gave me this past January.

I certainly don’t expect you to follow this recipe – you can, and should, modify, expand, or ignore it all together.

So here it is, my first guest chef on theobsessivechef.

Sandy’s green chili
3 lbs. pork tenderloin, cut into 1” cubes
8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
10 tomatillos
4 cups finely chopped Hatch chilis, seeded and skinned of course
28 oz. can of Rotel spiced chopped tomatoes
1 ½ cups cooked black beans, from scratch with garlic, onions and Hatch chilis (or use a can of beans)
salt to taste
water as needed

Put the pork into a large stewpot – no oil necessary – with the garlic. Add a small amount of water. Stir periodically and when the water disappears add some more. Do this 5 times until the pork is largely cooked through.

In the meantime, boil the tomatillos in just enough water to barely cover them until they soften and are ready to fall apart. Drain them of most of the water and mash with a potato masher until nearly pureed. (I would think one could do this in a food processor.)

Combine the tomatillos with the pork, add the tomatoes and Hatch chilis, barely cover with water, and simmer for maybe an hour until the pork is tender. Stir in the beans and add salt to taste.

Shrimp soup w/ preserved black beans

I got on a preserved black bean kick due to an episode of Ming Tsai's show, "East Meets West," in which he combines a western ingredient with an eastern one. Putting butter and preserved black beans together may sound a bit strange, but I've done a couple of things with this idea and guess what, it's good. Having had preserved black beans on hand for at least the last year, they provided a unique taste touch to the soup.

Clockwise from top left: the mushroom liquid from rehydating, chicken broth, garlic, chopped yellow jalapeno-style pepper, diced zucchini, ramen noodles, preserved black beans, rehydrated shiitake mushrooms.

Shrimp soup w/black beans (serves 2)
6 dried shiitake mushrooms

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp butter
1 inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
1 large garlic clove, minced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
½ cup diced zucchini (1/2” dice)
2 tbsp fermented black beans, lightly chopped
1 cup clam broth
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 3/4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 packages ramen noodles (shrimp flavored)
10 oz. shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 scallions, white and green parts chopped

Rehydrate the mushrooms in 3/4 cup hot water. Put something on top of them to keep them submerged. When finished (about 30 minutes), slice them into 1/4" pieces. Reserve the liquid.

Heat the oil and butter in a large sauté pan. Add ginger, shiitakes, jalapeno and garlic and cook 1 minute. Add zucchini and black beans. Cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, combine the clam broth, mushroom liquid, soy sauce and broth. Add to the sauté pan and bring to a boil. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Add ramen noodles and shrimp. Reduce to a simmer and cook 3 minutes.

Transfer to soup bowls, garnish with scallions and serve.

Pork chops with preserved black beans

If you can get to a good Asian market, pick up some preserved black beans. They last forever in the fridge and, used in small amounts, provide a nicely different take on many dishes.

The squash is delicata, the skin of which can be eaten.

Pork chops with preserved black beans (serves 2)
2 bone-in or boneless loin pork chops
2 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp black pepper, plus more to taste
2 cups water
1 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
½ tbsp butter
1 tbsp preserved black beans, lightly chopped
1 tsp ginger, minced
1 tsp garlic, minced

Brine the pork for 1-3 hours in the fridge in the water, in which you've dissolved the salt and sugar and to which you've added the pepper. One hour before cooking rinse the chops thoroughly, dry them, and allow them to come to room temperature.

In a saute pan large enough to hold the chops without crowding, heat the olive oil and butter over medium high. Add the beans, ginger and garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly so that nothing burns.

Add the chops to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, until just barely pink in the center (cut a little slit in order to take a peek). Serve at once.