21 posts tagged “beans and legumes”
For the longest time, I thought I disliked curries. There's no reason for this other than really poor assumption on my part (though I think my mom always saying she didn't like curry didn't help the situation).
But then I started wondering how could I not like curry? I mean, the combo of the sweet & spicy flavors is so similar to Greek and Moroccan cooking, both of which I love. As soon as I saw the spice mixture that was typically used in curry powders, I was on board.
Still, I didn't want to end up with a ton of curry if for some strange reason I didn't like it, so I went to the Spice House and just bought an ounce of yellow curry powder (one of the reasons why I love this store, besides their awesome spices, is the fact that you can buy just a tiny bag of any spice). And then, like most new things I buy, it sat in my cabinet for a while until I remembered it was there.
I very randomly came across this recipe when I was searching for nothing of the sort. Funny how that happens. I love lamb. I adore lentils. It seemed like a great place to start with the curry.
This was delicious. I made modifications based on my tastes and what I had around. It was even better the next day at lunch. I am officially a yellow curry fan. Now I just need to try other varieties.
Curried Lamb and Lentil Stew
Serves 4-6
adapted from Cooking Light
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 ribs celery, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. trimmed and cubed leg of lamb
1 Tbps. curry powder
1 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 cups beef broth
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
3/4 cup lentils
1 large or 2 small/medium carrots, peeled and sliced
1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and all moisture squeezed out
Heat a dutch oven over medium heat and add the oil. Saute the onion, celery and garlic until tender. Add the lamb and brown. Add the curry powder, cumin, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste and stir well to coat.
Add broth, tomatoes, and lentils. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat. Simmer, covered for 15 minutes. Uncover and simmer for 5 additional minutes before adding the carrots and spinach. Simmer about 10 more minutes longer.
We were out of town for a few days (attending a great wedding Tom & I both stood up in) so you'll have to forget the lack of attention to my blog. I wish I could say it won't happen again but since we're going out of town again in the next couple of weeks (it's wedding season!) and the holidays are fast approaching, I can't guarantee that.
Chicago weather has been a bit schizophrenic. I thought for sure Fall had come. I made a batch of Italian wedding soup, switched the clothes in my closet from the skirts and short sleeved shirts to the sweaters and...more sweaters. (I have a bit of a sweater obsession.) And then...it was in the 80s. We had to turn on our A/C all over again. More grilled chicken salads came into the picture.
But I think (hope?) I can say with confidence now that Fall is here. Oh sure, next week we'll probably have to turn our heat on and the week after that we'll probably be trampling through snow. Gotta love the midwest. But for now, I am enjoying the weather and renewing my love affair with soups and stews.
So, the second soup of the season was this white bean, prosciutto, and kale soup. Over the last few years, I have become slightly obsessed with beans (although I am still not the craziest about garbanzo, sadly). I used to dislike beans (or at least, I thought I did) but I am always keeping beens/lentils around these days and adding them to pretty much everything. I love green leafy vegetables with white beans, so I decided to go with kale over spinach since I think it's sturdier and has a more bitter flavor that I prefer in soups. And the prosciutto was just something to bulk it up, that worked really well flavor-wise in this soup. Of course you can always add some smoked chicken sausage or start off the soup with bacon or pancetta. I personally loved the meaty chunks of prosciutto.
This is how I like to buy my prosciutto:
I ask the person at the deli/butcher to cut the entire 1/2 lb. in one thick, meaty slice. Thin slices are great for sandwiches and the like, but more times than not I use don't use prosciutto for sandwiches/wrapping things, so this works best for me. And by the way, even if you do prefer thin prosciutto, still get it from the deli. It's cheaper than the prepackaged kind.
White Bean, Prosciutto and Kale Soup
Serves 6-8
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 can (3 oz. total) tomato paste
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 quarts chicken broth
1.5 Tbsp. rosemary
2 cans cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
1 rind from a wedge of parmesan or romano cheese
1 Turkish bay leaf
1 bunch kale, chopped
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1/2 lb. prosciutto, diced
salt and pepper
Heat the oil over medium heat in a dutch oven or stockpot. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Stir in the garlic, cooking until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and red pepper flakes, cooking just a minute or two to cook off some of the paste.
Meanwhile, lightly smash about 1/2 a can of the white beans (this will thicken the soup a bit). Add the chicken broth, rosemary, beans, rind and bay leaf. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for about 20-30 minutes. Add the kale and carrots and simmer an additional 8 minutes or so until the kale is tender.
Off the heat, add the prosciutto (or you can just add it to the bowl you are eating the soup out of).
Nutritional Information (for 6 servings): Calories: 341 / Fat: 10g / Carbs: 45g / Fiber: 9.8g / Protein: 21g
Honestly, why is it that I am always compelled to make things for blog events that look like ass? I feel like I am always sticking a disclaimer on my entries that says, "Sorry this doesn't photograph well, but I promise it tastes good!"
OK, so, to be a broken record, this is precisely the case with this recipe. There are so many food blogging events that I've been wanting to participate in lately but have been so busy I haven't had the chance. I made it a point, though, to participate in Savory Pies, an event hosted by my friend Ivy at Kopiaste.
Now, you know me. You know I eat pretty healthfully most of the time. Pies are not so healthy. I mean you could make them with phyllo, which is much better than typical crust, but then you have to use all that butter between the layers. And for whatever reason, I can't justify the cooking oil spraying between each layer instead of the butter or oil. I mean, I am healthy but first and foremost I am Greek! That's borderline blasphemous. :)
That said, the only thing I might change in this is to add a little more fat to the crust. I was trying to keep this relatively low-cal which is why there is only 2T of fat in it, but let's be honest, more fat = tastes better. Otherwise, this is a nice dinner version of everyone's favorite dip--the 7 layer one! I decided to make the crust with cornmeal - something I love in my plasto - because corn just goes so well with Mexican/Tex-Mex dishes. This looks like a long process but it's really not bad. You can make the beans while your crust bakes and your ground beef mixture right after. And, since everything is already cooked, the final baking of the pie is really only to melt the cheese. I went ahead and used the same pan for the beans and the meat and I already had the food processor out for the pie crust, so why not use it for the bean layer, too? This made for some easy cleanup on my part.
7-Layer Pie
Crust - Layer 1
3/4 cup corn meal
1/4 cup masa harina or regular flour
1 T cold butter
1 T canola oil
pinch of salt and a little ground pepper
cold water or milk
Preheat the oven to 375.
Combine the corn meal, flour, butter, oil, salt & pepper in a food processor and pulse to combine. Slowly add a little cold water or milk until the consistency is such that you can pinch some of the mixture with your fingers and it sticks together a bit.
Spray a deep dish pie pan with a little cooking oil and then press the mixture into the dish to form a crust. Prebake for about 12 minutes and then set aside.
Black Beans - Layer 2 (<--- Mmm, isn't that a pretty picture? LOL)
This is the same way I make beans as a side, but this time I pureed them for more of a refried bean-like consistency.
1-2 tsp. canola oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/2 cup chicken broth
squeeze of fresh lime juice (optional)
Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the oil to a shimmer. Stir in the onions and cook until tender. Add garlic and tomato paste and saute an additional minute. Add the beans, chicken broth, bay leaf, cumin, chili powder and oregano. Simmer to combine flavors. Squeeze fresh lime juice in mixture if desired. Pulse the mixture in your food processor until it is a spreadable consistency. Of course you don't HAVE to do this, but I just felt this was more dip-like.
Ground Beef - Layer 3
1 lb. ground beef or sirloin
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1.5 tsp. cumin
1.5 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. oregano
1/3 cup beef broth
salt and pepper
Brown the beef and the onion together until the beef is cooked and the onion is translucent. Drain the fat. To the pan add the garlic, sauteing until fragrant. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer over low until thickened. Season to taste if necessary.
Cheese - Layer 4
1 cup shredded cheese
After you have layered the crust, beans, ground beef & cheese, bake the pie in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and everything is warmed through. Top with the remaining layers:
Sour cream - Layer 5
1/3 cup sour cream
Tomato - Layer 6
1 large tomato, seeded and diced
Olives - Layer 7
1/3 cup sliced olives
Okay, you got me. This piece doesn't have sour cream on it (yet) because it was a leftover piece. Nor is it reheated. Congealed cheese, anyone? And the pic above? The reason it's so close up is because I didn't want to store the remaining pie with the sour cream on top. Who wants to eat hot sour cream when reheated? Not me.
So, I'm a little behind on blogging. And the problem with being a little behind on blogging is that, despite being the young and sprightly age of just-barely-27, I am incredibly forgetful. As a result, I don't really remember what went into a dish I made. I promise I will try to be better--both with staying on top of blogging and writing things down--but I think the recipe below is at least 90% accurate. Maybe even 100%.
I saw this recipe for chicken in a sweet and spicy lentil sauce over on Ben's blog, What's Cooking? I immediately starred it because a) I love lentils, b) I love spicy, and c) I have been trying to incorporate more fruit into my savory dishes and this dish has pineapple.
However, because I am a self-proclaimed lover of both the chicken thigh and the one pot dinner, I adapted this recipe so that everything cooked together in my lovely 3 qt. saute pan with lid. The result was a comforting, delicious, and easy dinner. It had just the right amount of kick from the chipotle, just the right amount of sweet from the pineapple. Thanks for the inspiration, Ben!
Sweet & Spicy Chicken and Lentil Stew
Adapted from What's Cooking?
Serves 2
1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 bone-in chicken thighs, skins removed
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 chipotle in adobo, minced
3/4 cup chicken broth (I actually believe I used a cup and it was a little too much, so maybe somewhere in between...)
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes (with juice)
1 small (8 oz.) can pineapple chunks or tidbits
1/2 cup uncooked lentils, rinsed & picked over
1 tsp. dried oregano
salt and pepper
Heat your high saute pan/dutch oven over medium heat and add the oil. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and then add to the pan, browning on both sides. Remove.
To the pan, add the onion and saute until translucent. Stir in the garlic and chipotle until the garlic is fragrant. Add the broth, diced tomatoes, pineapple and oregano and bring the mixture to a boil.
Stir in the lentils, and place the chicken and any accumulated juices over the lentils. Cover with a lid and simmer for 30-35 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to simmer for an additional 5 minutes, until the chicken and lentils are cooked and the sauce has thickened.
Nutirion Information Per Serving: Calories: 420 / Fat: 12.5 / Saturated Fat: 2.3 / Carbs: 40g / Fiber: 6.5g / Protein: 33.5g
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am not terribly big on fruit in my dinners. I like salty-sweet combos but something about cooked fruit, especially, turns me off. But, I'm trying to ease my way into more dishes that incorporate fruit and I've been successful a few times so far. I'm still not a pork and cinnamon apples kinda gal, but who knows? Maybe one day I will be.
What better way to include fruit in a dish than with Jamaican jerk shrimp we had last week? Island food often has fruit flavors fused into everything from the main course to the dessert. I decided that pineapples would complement the meal nicely and, as a bonus, pineapples are one of my favorite fruits. I thought the pineapples, spice, and black beans went nicely with this rice side, and paired well with the shrimp. The pineapples definitely don't stay as sweet as they would be if you were eating them alone, even with the addition of the brown sugar. But, I like that because it's more of a mellow sweetness than an overpowering acidic taste. I think I can add this to the fruit-in-a-dish success pile.
Now, the problem with not using a recipe and then not updating your blog for a few days after the meal is that you tend to forget what actually went into the dish. So, in other words, I make no guarantees that these are the exact ingredients and amounts that I used on that fateful fruity day, but they are close enough and of course you can play around with the ingredients and amounts to your liking.
Pineapple and Black Bean Rice
Serves 2
2 tsp. canola or olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup long grain white rice
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup black beans
1/3 cup diced pineapple, and a couple Tbsp. pineapple juice
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. brown sugar
1 lime, juiced
Heat the oil in a saucepan until shimmering and then saute the onion until translucent. Stir in the garlic, just until fragrant, and then add the rice, stirring it to coat it in the oil and toast it up a bit.
Add the water, black beans, pineapples and juice, cloves, chili powder and brown sugar and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until rice is cooked. Off the heat, stir in the lime juice.
Nutritional Information: Calories: 152.5 / Fat: 4.9g / Carbs: 24g / Fiber: 3.7g / Protein: 3.6g
Susan the FoodBlogga has one of my favorite blogs. Everything is always so fresh, simple, and beautiful. When I saw she was hosting a blog event, Beautiful Bones, I knew I wanted to participate. The event asks bloggers to make a calcium-rich dish to bring awareness to osteoporosis.
I was actually planning on thinking something up and making it next week for the event, since I already had my dinners planned out for the week. But, as I was reviewing the event on Susan's blog (and also inputting my meal into SparkPeople), I realized the chicken salad I was making was mighty high in calcium. Cheese? Check. Sour cream? Check. Avocado? Check. Black beans? Check. Lime? Check. Corn tortillas? Check. Tomatoes? Check. Oregano? Check. Tequila? Okay, that's not high in calcium but it's good to have.
When all is said, calculated, eaten and done for, this salad provides you with a shade under 40% of the recommended calcium intake for the day. w00t! It's good to know I am naturally planning calcium rich foods without really thinking about it.
I suppose this is what is called a "Santa Fe Chicken Salad." Honestly, I have never had one of these concoctions before in a restaurant, but that goes without reason. I love all the components in this salad and it's a nice twist on a boring ol' grilled chicken salad. I haven't calculated the nutritional value for this (other than the chicken itself) because it will really vary based on whether you use full fat cheese, sour cream, ranch, etc. If you don't, this is definitely a light, healthy and filling salad. Take that, osteoporosis!
Santa Fe Chicken Salad
Serves 2
Tequila Lime Chicken
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 4.5 oz. each)
1 lime, zested and juiced
2 Tbsp. Tequila
2 Tbsp. orange juice
2 tsp. canola oil
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. chili powder
2 cloves garlic, smashed
salt and pepper
Combine the lime juice and zest, tequila, orange juice, canola oil, spices and garlic and whisk together. Pour into a dish or resealable bag along with the chicken and refrigerate for 30 minutes - 2 hours (any longer and the acid in the citrus could start to "cook" the chicken).
Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and then grill or saute the chicken, basting with the marinade, until cooked through (about 4-5 minutes per side).
Nutritional information per piece, if consuming all marinade (which, you probably won't): Calories: 225 / Fat: 7g / Carbs: 4g / Protein: 29g
Dressing
1/4 cup salsa
2 heaping Tbsp. sour cream
2 Tbsp. ranch dressing
hot sauce (optional)
Combine all ingredients (and a few dashes of hot sauce, if you'd like) and refrigerate as you make the rest of the salad.
Salad
3-4 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
1 large tomato, diced
1/2 avocado, diced
1/3 cup black beans, drained/rinsed
1/3 cup corn
1/3 cup cheddar jack cheese
2 corn tortillas
cooking spray
Cut the corn tortillas into squares and spray with oil. Bake at 350 in your oven (or toaster oven, as I like to use for these small jobs) until crispy.
Combine the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Toss with the dressing and then stir in the crispy corn tortillas. Top with chicken.
First, a little TCB/taking care of business. I'm working on bringing Eat to the Beat back. I think it will be a quarterly thing where I make a deadline every 3 months or so. If you miss that deadline, your entry will just roll over to the next round-up. I've just been lazy about posting it, but I promise to do that soon. So, get your thinking caps on! I'm so excited to see everyone's submissions, so I hope you will all take part!
Also, since Vox only lets me put 5 personal links on my page, I decided to make a post with some of my favorite blogs. You can access it here, or I've now put it as the sole link on my left sidebar, <---- over there. This was next to impossible because I follow something crazy like 200 food blogs in my Google reader, so I had to pare down the list a bit. That said, if I visit you a lot and I missed your blog (because, let's face it, despite being young I am quite forgetful), just let me know and I will add you.
Speaking of Vox, I have been trying (unsuccessfully) to move to a different blogging service because of the limitations/annoyances here, but haven't had any luck yet. A lot of sites will import blogger, Wordpress, etc. but not Vox and, as I said earlier, I am lazy--so I don't want to copy and paste well over 200 posts. In the meantime, I want to apologize for everyone who has problems commenting, signing in, etc.. I know it's annoying that you need to sign up with Vox to begin with and then when your comment doesn't work, or gets cut off...grr. So thanks to those of you who have been persistent in commenting or letting me know you read my blog via email, even though Vox has been quite craptastic in that regard.
Now for a little BBB (black bean burger, that is). I admit that it is very, very rare for me to make a dinner that doesn't have some sort of meat in it. Tom and I are the epitome of carnivores. Even when I make something like spinach pie, I make a piece of grilled chicken (or something) to eat with it. It's not only about taste and being full, but also making sure I eat enough protein. So, when I told Tom I was making black bean burgers he was (rightfully) perplexed. "On a Thursday?" he asked (assuming the reason had to do with lent, or some other day of the week where people don't eat meat, I guess).
The truth is, I am trying to use what I have around and well, I always have a can of beans or two around. What I didn't have around was any thawed meat. I was looking around and saw two recipes from Cooking Light for black bean patties/burgers so I decided to take that idea and adapt both a little for what is below.
These turned out quite tasty. I thought the patties were pretty small and wouldn't fill me up but I guess the fiber in the beans, mixed with the bun (and the huge salad I had) did because I was stuffed. I topped these with a little salsa, some habanero cheddar (from Whole Foods and oh so tasty) and a dollop of sour cream.
Black Bean Burgers
Makes 4 burgers
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 egg
1 jalapeno, minced
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1/4 cup grated or finely diced onion
1/4 cup cornmeal
salt and pepper to taste
Place about 1/4 of the can of beans and the egg in a food processor and pulse until combined.
In a bowl, place the remaining beans and mash lightly with a fork. Stir in processed beans, jalapeno, oregano, cumin, garlic, onion, cornmeal and salt and pepper to taste. Mix until just combined.
Form the mixture into 4 patties. Heat a skillet or grill pan over medium heat and spray with cooking oil. Cook the patties approximately 3 minutes per side or until browned and heated through.
Nutritional Information (patties only): Calories: 130 / Fat: 1.9g / Carbs: 21.4g / Fiber: 6.1g / Protein: 7.7g
Tom and I love flank steak but it's been ages since we've had it. What used to be a very inexpensive (but still tasty) red meat has shot up in price lately, I guess due to its popularity. But, I found flank steak quite cheaply last week, so I decided to buy a few pounds.
Last night, I made a really simple (but really good) rub for the flank steak and broiled it. This keeps the calories really low (no oil for pan frying or marinating) without sacrificing taste.
Since I used some Mexican flavors in the steak, I wanted to complement it with some Tex-Mex-y sides. I decided to make some corn cakes, layer those with a black bean saute (probably my favorite way to make black beans), the flank steak and finally some salsa.
This doesn't LOOK all that appetizing, but I promise you it's good stuff.
Sugar and Spice Rubbed Flank Steak
1 (1.5 lb.) flank steak
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Preheat your broiler and spray the broiler pan lightly with cooking spray.
Combine the brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper and cayenne. Rub the mixture onto the flank steak, coating it completely and pressing firmly to make sure it adheres. Let the meat rest with the spices (at room temperature) for about 15-20 minutes. Broil for about 4-5 minutes per side, for medium rare. Allow to rest under an aluminum foil tent for 5 minutes or so before slicing against the grain.
Nutritional Information for just the flank steak (per 4 oz. serving): Calories: 206 / Fat: 9.2 / Carbs: 6.7g / Fiber: 1.2g / Protein: 23.6g
I'm always missing "events" on my blog. I completely forgot about my 100th post. My blogiversary came out of nowhere, so that all I could muster up was a lame post with a stock photo of a lit candle the day after. And now, I have once again wasted my 200th post on something non-food related: the memes below. Of course, I didn't realize until yesterday that I had 200 posts. D'oh!
But anyway, I'm finally back with something new. It turns out, after 200 posts about food in a little over a year's time, it starts getting difficult to think of things with which to update your blog; not to mention your husband starts asking things like, "do we ever eat anything twice?" We do, of course! That's why I haven't updated my blog. I've been making "staples!"
Tonight, I decided to make something with lentils because I was in the mood for a non-carby carb, if that makes sense (No? Well, too bad). It's nice that lentils are carby without being too caloric. Plus, I never miss rice or pasta when I eat them. They are definitely something I didn't appreciate until later in life, but I'm glad lentils and I have reconnected.
I've been meaning to make something Moroccan-inspired for weeks now and I finally got around to it. Like Greek cuisine, Moroccan food tends to pair meat with sweet flavors, like allspice and cinnamon, which I love. But Moroccan cuisine tends to have a little more heat and smokiness to it. I made the rub for the chicken thighs with things I had on hand but of course you could make your own to suit your tastes (or your pantry). This would be great with some squash or eggplant but since I didn't have any, I just used some carrots and celery to bulk up the veggies a bit. This was very tasty, filling and really healthy.
Moroccan Chicken with Lentils
Serves 2
1-1/2 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp allspice
4 bone-in skinless chicken thighs
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 small onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
2 ribs celery, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
drizzle of balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup lentils, rinsed and picked over
1/4 cup raisins
salt and pepper
Mix the first 7 ingredients, along with some salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl. Pat dry the chicken thighs and rub each thigh, on both sides, with a quarter of the mixture. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the chicken and brown on both sides. Remove.
To the pan, add the onion and cook until translucent. Stir in the garlic, celery and carrots and saute for an additional minute. Add a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, and scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the tomatoes, chicken broth, bay leaf, lentils, raisins and salt and pepper. Place the chicken thighs on top. Bring the mixture to a simmer and then cover. Simmer for about 35-40 minutes until the lentils are tender and the chicken is cooked through.
Nutritional Info Per Serving (two thighs, based on SparkRecipes; as I have noted before chicken thigh nutritional information is apparently impossible to keep consistent so this could be off). Calories: 395.4 / Fat: 12.7g / Carbs: 36.4g / Dietary Fiber: 7.4g / Protein: 34.6
During the holidays, I read Ruth Reichl's Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table. Reichl, now the editor of Gourmet magazine, used to be the food critic for the New York Times. This book is about some of her earlier adventures in life, food and otherwise. I really enjoyed the book, though I think I prefered Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise, which focused on her time as the NYT critic. At any rate, one of the great things about Reichl's books is that they are sprinkled with recipes throughout. When I saw the recipe for a pork and tomatillo stew based on the version at a restaurant where Reichl used to waitress (The Swallow), I bookmarked it to try soon.
I made the stew tonight, with a few changes since I can never follow a recipe, and it turned out well. It was a little too liquidy for my tastes and the orange flavor just a tad too strong. I would probably reduce the OJ by a couple ounces next time around. It wasn't overly orange-y, I would have just prefered it to be slightly less sweet. I did think it might be too much at the beginning but I figured the beer and tomatillos would mellow it out--and it did quite a bit. Don't get me wrong...it doesn't taste like it has 12 oz of orange juice in it :)
Unfortunately, I don't like cilantro. I have tried and tried and tried but it just tastes like potpourri to me. It's one of those things I really wish I loved. In my experience, you either love cilantro or you loathe it. If necessary, I can tolerate it in small amounts, but I'd rather not So, although they don't really have similar flavors, I used parsley in this recipe instead because it's more palatable for me.
The Swallow's Pork and Tomatillo Stew
adapted from Ruth Reichl
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used 2 Tbsp. canola oil)
8 large garlic cloves, peeled
2 lbs. lean pork, cut into cubes
1 bottle dark beer (I used a Goose Island ale)
12 oz. orange juice (would use 1 cup next time)
1 lb. tomatillos, halved
1 lb. Roma tomatoes, peeled and cut in half
2 large onions, chopped
2 jalapenos, diced
1 bunch cilantro or parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp. ground cumin (not in original recipe)
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper
Topping
1 cup sour cream
juice of one lime
In a saucepan, add the beer, orange juice, tomatoes and tomatillos. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat, simmering until the tomatoes are soft. Set aside.
Meanwhile, heat the canola oil in a dutch oven or stockpot. Add the garlic cloves and stir to coat with the oil. Sprinkle the pork with salt and pepper and then add it to the oil, in batches, to brown on all sides. Remove from the dutch oven. Add the onion and jalapeno and saute until tender, 5 or 6 minutes.
Add the tomatillo mixture to the dutch oven, scraping the bottom of the pot to be sure you are getting all the browned bits. Add the pork, cilantro, cumin, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Cook, partially covered, for about 2 hours.
Taste for seasoning. Add the black beans and cook an additional ten minutes, uncovered.
For the topping, stir the lime juice into the sour cream.
Serve the stew over rice, and top it with the sour cream.
