black bean stew with chipotle and tomatoes
March 26, 2011
Viva la Mexico! We were in Tulum last week and got bitten by the Mexican foodie bug – guacamole, pico de gallo, black beans and blackened rice. I’m having a hard time coming back to the snow and cold as I dream of blue water and white beaches so to nurse my holiday hangover we are having a weekend of Mexican food. First on the menu is Black Bean Stew with Chipotle and Tomatoes. A little Blackened Rice on the side with a dollop of salsa and you’re transported to the Mayan Riviera. I can smell the ocean.
1 1/2 cups black beans, sorted and rinsed
2 tsps fresh epazote (a Mexican herb which I don’t have on hand so I just skipped this ingredient)
1 onion, quartered
1/2 tsp dried oregano
salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1/2 tsp ground chipotle chili
1 cup chopped tomatoes (or I used slow-roasted tomatoes)
4 cilantro sprigs
salt
Drain the beans, cover them wiht 6 cups fresh water, and boil them hard for 10 minutes, skimming of any foam that collects on the surface. Add the epazote, onion, and oregano. Lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the beans are partially tender, about 45 minutes. Add about 1 tsp salt and continue cooking until completely tender, 15 to 30 minutes more.
Heat oil in a roomy skillet or saucepan over fairly high heat. Add the onion and saute for 4 to 5 minutes to soften. Add the beans, chile, tomatoes, and cilantro, lower the heat, and simmer for 15 to 30 minutes. If the beans are dry, add a bit more water. Taste them for salt, then turn the beans into a dish and garnish with more cilantro.
Adapted from Deborah Madison, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
romesco sauce
February 20, 2010
This recipe comes from Deborah Madison. She suggests making it in association with the Potato Chickpea Stew but it’s great on sandwiches, other stews, or as a dip.
Romesco Sauce
Ingredients:
2 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, and seeded
1/4 cup almonds, roasted
1/4 cup hazelnuts, roasted and peeled
1 slice country-style white bread
Olive oil for frying
3 cloves garlic
1-1/2 tsp. ground red chile or red pepper flakes
4 small plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 tbsp. chopped parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 tsp. sweet paprika
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Makes 2 cups
This Catalan sauce is utterly delicious served with chickpeas, roasted potatoes,
or grilled vegetables.
To roast the peppers, place them under a broiler or over a gas flame until the skins are charred. Put them in a bowl, cover with a plate, and set aside for 15 min. Peel and seed the peppers.
Roast the nuts in a 350°F oven for 7 to 10 min., or until they smell toasty. Let them cool slightly, and then rub the hazelnuts between the folds of a towel to remove loose skins. (The almonds don’t need peeling.)
Fry the bread in a little olive oil until golden and crisp. When the bread is cool, grind it with the nuts and garlic in a food processor or a mortar until fairly fine. Add everything else but the vinegar and oil and process or work with the pestle until smooth. With the machine running, or your arm working if you’re using a mortar and pestle, gradually pour in the vinegar, then the oil. Taste to make sure the sauce has enough salt and plenty of piquancy.
winter portobello stew
January 31, 2010
This is incredibly delicious. It’s so hearty it’s almost like a beef stew. We love this on a cold, snowy, wintry night in January.
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
salt and pepper, to taste
2 pinches red pepper flakes
1/2 pound portobella mushrooms, sliced 3/8-inch thick
1 pound large white mushrooms, thickly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsps tomato paste
1 1/2 cups quick mushroom stock or water
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped parsley or tarragon
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and rosemary and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes and remove to a bowl. Return pan to medium heat and add half remaining oil. When pan is hot, add portobella mushrooms and saute until nicely browned, about 5 minutes. Add them to bowl with onions, and repeat with remaining oil and white mushrooms. Return everything to pan and add garlic, tomato paste, stock and vinegar. Simmer gently 12 to 15 minutes. Add parsley and taste for salt and pepper. Makes 4 servings.
– Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison
thick mushroom stock
January 30, 2010
This goes with the Winter Portobello Stew but could be used for other yummy mushroom-y things.
1/4 cup or more dried porcini mushrooms
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 large garlic clove, chopped
2 mushrooms, sliced, plus any trimmings
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon fresh marjoram or 1 teaspoon dried (or I use thyme)
1/2 cup dry white or red wine (red makes it much heartier)
1 tablespoon flour
salt and pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
Cover dried mushrooms with 1 1/2 cups hot water and set aside. Heat oil in saucepan over high heat. Add chopped onion, carrot, garlic and mushrooms. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until well-browned, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, stir in tomato paste, marjoram and wine, and sprinkle on flour. Cover pan and cook until wine is reduced to syrupy glaze, about 3 minutes. Add porcini and their soaking water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, a little pepper and vinegar and simmer 20 minutes. Strain well (although if you are adding this stock to a stew, like the Winter Portobello Stew, leave the veggies and just add the whole shebang). Concentrate stock by simmering it, uncovered, until desired strength. Makes about 1 cup.
– Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison.
potato chickpea stew with picada and romesco sauce
January 22, 2010
This is a great recipe from Spain – Potato and Chickpea Stew with Picada and Romesco Sauce. The Picada and Romesco Sauce share many of the same ingredients but they are two distinct toppings with very different textures and tastes. It looks involved but it’s not hard. There are a number of steps but it’s all pretty easy and straightforward. Enjoy. Make double. Chin Chin. It’s from Deborah Madison‘s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. (Oh, and I keep the extra Romesco Sauce around for sandwiches and dips! It’s really good on the VLT.)
Potato and Chickpea Stew
1 lb waxy-fleshed potatoes
3 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 generous pinches saffron
2 large red bell peppers, diced
1 large yellow or red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch wide strips
1 heaping tsp sweet paprika
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup medium-dry sherry
2 cups crushed tomatoes with juice
2 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (or two 15-oz cans, rinsed)
3 cups chickpea broth, stock, or water
1 1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper
chopped parsley for garnish
If using fingerling potatoes, halve them lengthwise. Large round potatoes can be cut into thick rounds or quartered.
Warm the oil in a wide pot with the onion, garlic, saffron, peppers, and potatoes. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring gently every now and then, until the potatoes are tender-firm, about 25 min. Add the paprika, parsley, and red pepper flakes, and cook 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sherry and cook until the juices are thick and syrupy, about 12 min.
Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, and broth, stock or water to cover. Season with salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper, then cover and cook over low heat until the potatoes are completely tender, about 20 min. If the stew is soupy and you plan to serve it right away, stir in 1/4 cup picada (or more if necessary) to thicken it. If you don’t plan to serve the stew for 1 hour or more, it may not need the bread crumbs since it will thicken as it stands. Serve in soup plates with any additional picada sprinkled over the top along with the extra parsley. Add a spoonful of the Romesco sauce to each bowl and pass the rest.
Romesco Sauce
2 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, and seeded
1/4 cup almonds, roasted
1/4 cup hazelnuts, roasted and peeled
1 slice country-style white bread
olive oil for frying
3 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tsp ground red chile or red pepper flakes
4 small plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
This Catalan sauce is utterly delicious served with chickpeas, roasted potatoes, or grilled vegetables.
To roast the peppers, place them under a broiler or over a gas flame until the skins are charred. Put them in a bowl, cover with a plate, and set aside for 15 min. Peel and seed the peppers.
Roast the nuts in a 350°F oven for 7 to 10 min., or until they smell toasty. Let them cool slightly, and then rub the hazelnuts between the folds of a towel to remove loose skins. (The almonds don’t need peeling.)
Fry the bread in a little olive oil until golden and crisp. When the bread is cool, grind it with the nuts and garlic in a food processor or a mortar until fairly fine. Add everything else but the vinegar and oil and process or work with the pestle until smooth. With the machine running, or your arm working if you’re using a mortar and pestle, gradually pour in the vinegar, then the oil. Taste to make sure the sauce has enough salt and plenty of piquancy.
Picada
A lively seasoning of fried bread and garlic, picada is used in Spanish dishes as a thickener and flavouring. Picada is also a good addition to pasta and plain vegetables. To make 1/2 cup picada, toast 1/4 cup peeled almonds in a 350°F oven until they’re pale gold, 8 – 10 minutes. Remove and set aside. Meanwhile, slowly fry one slice of white country-style bread in 2 tbsps olive oil until golden on both sides. Grind the bread, almonds, and 2 large garlic cloves and pinch of salt in a food processor to make a crumbly paste.
v:gourmet 
