Tag: flame

Black Bean and Vegetable Stew

Judging by the empty shelves in the dried bean and legume aisle of our grocery store, beans are everyone’s go-to ingredient for cooking in a crisis. I’ve been using them a lot in soups and stews, because one-pot meals are easy, nutritious and comforting — just what we need right now. This black bean and vegetable stew is great ladled over some white or brown rice, but it would also be tasty with fresh tortillas, garlic bread, or just as a stand-alone dish.

If you don’t want to use dried beans, you can substitute 3 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed (reduce simmer time to about 20 minutes). To make a vegetarian version, omit the bacon, use olive oil to saute the vegetables, swap in vegetable broth and add 1 tsp smoked paprika.

Adapted from The Splendid Table’s Cuban Black Bean Stew.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

3 slices thick cut bacon, cut into small pieces
1 large onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeño, chopped fine
6 cloves garlic, chopped fine
3 tbsp tomato paste
4 cups chicken broth
3 bay leaves
3 whole cloves
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp pepper
1 lb dried black beans
1 cup water
Juice from 2 limes
Salt
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Soak the beans in about 4 cups of water. You can do this overnight or use the quick soak method: In a large bowl, pour 4 cups of water over the beans, cover and let sit for 1 hour. Drain and rinse.

In a large pot over medium high heat, cook the bacon until the fat has rendered and the bacon is starting to brown. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside. Reserve about 1 tbsp of grease and discard the rest.

Add the onion, carrots, celery, bell pepper and jalapeño and saute until the onions and celery are translucent. Add the garlic and cook about 1 minute more. Stir in the tomato paste, then deglaze with about 2 cups of the chicken broth.

Stir in the spices, beans, reserved bacon, remaining broth and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 40 minutes.

Test beans for doneness. If they have not softened enough, give them more simmer time in 10-minute increments (add water as needed). Cooking time for dried beans varies widely by age and quality, but it typically shouldn’t take more than an hour or so.

Stir in lime juice, salt to taste and cilantro. Serve over rice.

Pictured: Descoware Flame Dutch Oven, Pyrex Spring Blossom 443 Cinderella Mixing Bowl, Corning Ware Grab-It Bowl

Hominy Stew with Bacon and Poblano Peppers

The weather is warming up in Northern California, and I’m having a hard time letting go of stew season. Plus, I’m on a mission to test out recipes that might freeze well for ready-made summer camping meals. This one fits the bill, though I might try adding white beans next time for extra protein.

Side note: Ever since I made this Slow Cooker Pork Stew with Hominy, I’ve been wanting more hominy in my life! I don’t know how I overlooked the chewy goodness of nixtamalized corn kernels for so long. This hominy stew really lets them shine.

Adapted from Food & Wine‘s Hominy Stew with Bacon.

Serves 6

Ingredients

8 oz bacon
2 medium onions, chopped
3 poblano peppers, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped fine
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 15-oz cans white or yellow hominy, drained and rinsed
1 14 1/2-oz can diced tomatoes (undrained)
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
zest (about 1 tsp) and juice (about 2 tbsp) of 1 lime
1 tbsp masa harina (optional)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
salt
pepper

Use kitchen shears to snip bacon into 1/2-inch pieces, then place in a large pot or Dutch oven. Cook over medium heat until browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer bacon to a plate lined with a paper towel and set aside.

Remove all but 1-2 tbsp of the bacon grease from the pot, then add the onions, poblanos and jalapeños. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper, then saute over medium heat until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.

Add the hominy, tomatoes, chicken broth and lime juice and stir. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

Uncover and continue to simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in masa and simmer 5 minutes more. Add lime zest and cilantro, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve topped with bacon.

Pictured: Descoware Flame Dutch Oven, Pyrex 024 Lime Round Casserole

Easy Chickpea Curry with Kale

Recently my daughter and I were making a curry dish from a kid’s cookbook, and I couldn’t help but modify it to my own liking. Plus, there were so many problems with the recipe: It called for a single leaf of kale (is that ever enough for anything?), used way too much salt, listed a bake time of 20 minutes (no baking was actually involved), and was illustrated with a drawing of a red onion that looked exactly like a rutabaga (which just didn’t inspire much confidence!).

So I was pleasantly surprised when our version turned out very tasty! The recipe is designed to be kid-friendly, so it’s not spicy, and lends itself to some kid help along the way. My daughter particularly enjoyed tearing up the kale, rinsing the garbanzos, measuring the water and spices, and stirring the pot.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 tbsp canola oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 tbsp mild curry powder
1 tsp salt
1 28-oz can whole tomatoes (undrained), torn into pieces
2 15-oz cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup water
1 bunch lacinato kale, torn into bite-size pieces (discard stems)

In a medium pot over medium-high heat, saute the onion in oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.

Stir in the curry powder, salt, tomatoes, garbanzo beans and water. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the kale and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes more. Add salt to taste.

Serve over rice.

Pictured: Descoware Flame Dutch Oven, Pyrex Spring Blossom 471 Casserole

Grandma’s Hamburger Goulash

This is my comfort food: a classic American one-pot dish made with pretty basic ingredients that come together into something delicious and belly-warming. It’s also pretty hard to screw up! Case in point: While cooking this last night I accidentally added some tea- and anise-infused simple syrup that I mistook for the mushroom-infused soy sauce I wanted to use (both of those were homemade items in similar-looking mason jars). I quickly realized my mistake, so I put in the soy sauce too and hoped for the best. And it still came out pretty tasty! Maybe a tad sweeter than usual, but not that noticeable. Hooray for a foolproof dinner!

Adapted from Classic Goulash on Allrecipes.com.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 tbsp canola oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground beef
1 14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
2 bay leaves
1 cup elbow macaroni (uncooked)
salt
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a medium pot over medium-high heat, saute the onions until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking the meat up into bite-size pieces, until no pink remains.

Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, soy sauce, Italian seasoning and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Skim off any excess fat with a spoon. Add salt to taste (about 1-2 tsp). Then stir in the macaroni, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Uncover and continue simmering, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes more.

Remove from heat. Take the bay leaves out, then stir in the cheese and serve.

Pictured: Descoware Flame Dutch Oven

Warm Potato Salad with Bacon and Spring Onions

I love most kinds of potato salad, but my least favorite ingredient in the typical dish is the mayonnaise. You won’t miss the mayo one bit with this version, which is dressed with a mustard vinaigrette instead. Bacon and spring onions top off the flavor punch. It’s best served warm or at room temperature, which makes it easy to bring to a potluck or picnic too!

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

2 lbs small red potatoes, quartered (unpeeled)
6 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 medium spring onions, chopped (bulbs and light green stalks)
2 tbsp whole grain or coarse grain mustard
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp honey
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup chopped parsley

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, fry the bacon pieces until crisp and golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a bowl. Drain the excess grease from the pan, reserving about 1 tbsp. Next, saute the spring onions until softened and starting to brown. Add the spring onions to the bacon and set aside.

Put the potatoes in a large pot and add water until covered. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the mustard, vinegar, honey, olive oil and salt. Stir in the bacon, spring onions and parsley. Add the potatoes and stir gently until well coated.

Let sit for at least half an hour to let the potatoes absorb the flavors, then serve warm or at room temperature.

Pictured: Pyrex Gooseberry 444 Cinderella Mixing Bowl, Le Creuset Flame Skillet