Refried Beans � Cooked Well, Not Twice

Contrary to popular belief, refried beans are not called refried beans because they�re refried.  As it turns out the name actually translates to well fried, as in so well fried, beans are reduced to a molten mash.  And what a delicious mash it is.

I don�t think I would ever sit down to eat just a bowl of refried beans, but they make everything they�re served with, on, or in, infinitely better.  Just as long as you use lard.  In my opinion, using rendered pork fat for these produces the ultimate refried beans.

Many folks insist on using bacon, and it�s always hard to argue against using bacon, but for me that smoky flavor, as delicious as it is, just overwhelms the rest of the ingredients.  Besides that enthusiastic recommendation, be sure to taste for seasoning at the end.

Since we don�t cook the beans with salt, it�s going to take some fairly generous seasoning later. In fact, any reviews less than five-stars will be the result of people under salting, and then unfairly blaming me. So, whether these are going on your Super Bowl nachos, or just in your regular recipe rotation, I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 8 portions refried beans:

For the beans:

1 pound dry pinto beans, soaked overnight

4 whole garlic cloves

1/2 teaspoon dry epazote, or teaspoon of dried oregano

9 cups cold water

- Simmer one and a half to two hours or until beans are very soft

For the refried beans:

1/2 cup lard

1 1/2 cups diced onions

2 teaspoons Kosher salt

2 tablespoons minced Serrano pepper

1 teaspoon ground chipotle

the cooked beans

reserved bean liquid, as needed (I usually use all of it)

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Black Lentil Soup � Always Bet on Black

There�s absolutely nothing wrong with green lentil soup, but once you start making it with black �beluga� lentils, you�ll have a hard time going back. These black beauties cook up melt-in-your-mouth tender, but still retain their structural integrity, which gives the soup both a thick, satisfying body, and a light, non-starchy mouthfeel.

The flavor is wonderfully meaty, especially when you toss in a handful of bacon, and they require absolutely no finesse to prepare perfectly. Just simmer until you have achieved lentil tenderness, adding broth as needed. That�s pretty much it.

I�m told black lentils are really good for you, which is weird, since I�ve never asked anybody. Nevertheless, this is a soup you can feel good about putting into your body, unlike that �Bacon Jalape�o Popper Chowder� recipe you got off Pinterest. We�re still right in the middle of soup season, so the next time you feel like a hot bowl, I hope you give this black lentil soup a try. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 large portions:

2 tsp vegetable oil

4 oz bacon

1 cup yellow onion, large dice

1 cup carrots, large dice

1 cup celery, large dice

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp dried thyme

salt and pepper to taste

cayenne to taste

1 1/4 cup black lentils

5 to 6 cups chicken broth, or as needed
1 bay leaf

1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
1 tsp extra good extra virgin olive oil

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When I Think March, I Think Peanuts

For some arbitrary reason, March is National Peanut Month, and to help kick it off, here are a couple of video recipes that feature this great American legume. You can�t beat a warm stew on a cold night, and they don�t get much warmer than red beef curry. The peanuts may seem like a minor player, but they make the dish.

If you want your peanuts more liquid than solid, then by all means, check out this great, and very easy satay dipping sauce. You seriously can�t run out of things to stick in there. 

I hope you give them a try soon, and here�s wishing you a happy and safe National Peanut Month. Click on the titles if you want to read the original post, and see the ingredients. Enjoy!

Red Beef Curry

Peanut Dipping Sauce

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Farinata � Why Didn�t You Wish for This Sooner!

The third best part of this job, after the fame and fortune, is learning about unique, new foods; and this farinata video is a perfect example! Until it was requested by a Vlad Kiperman (if that is his real name), I had no idea this tasty, and dead simple recipe even existed. It�s so good, I�m kind of sad the discovery came so late in life.

Farinata is nothing more than a simple garbanzo bean flour batter, which is spiked with olive oil and salt, and baked in a very hot oven. The surface gets crusty, the edges get crispy, and yet the inside stays moist and sort of creamy. The texture is easy to explain, but the taste, not so much.

This is so simple and subtly flavored that it�s a kind of hard to describe. You may be familiar with the taste of garbanzo (aka chickpeas) in things like hummus and falafel, but here it�s not combined with other strongly flavored ingredients, and so you�re getting pure, un-cut bean. It�s going to be easier for me if you just make it and taste for yourself.

Like I said in the video, if you�ve never made this before, you should probably try a plain version to get an idea of what this stuff is all about, but after that, the sky's the limit. The options for add-ons to the batter, as well as potential toppings are virtually limitless. I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Pan Note: I know many will ask, so I�ll just say it now; yes, you can use any oven-safe 10-inch pan to make this, but I have a tough time believing it will come out as wonderfully textured as it would if you use a cast-iron skillet. Putting the batter into a smoking hot pan seems to be one of the big keys here.

Ingredients for 6 portions (one 10-inch cast iron pan):

2 cups lukewarm water

1 1/2 cups garbanzo bean flour (aka chickpea flour)

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt (about 1 tsp fine table salt)

1/2 tsp finely minced rosemary leaves, optional

5 tbsp olive oil, divided (use 3 tablespoons for the batter, and 2 tablespoons for the pan)

freshly ground black pepper to taste

Gluten-Free and Loving It

By the way, since this is made from a legume-based flour, farinata is 100% gluten-free, which should make a small, but very passionate group of foodwishers happy. My usually modus operandi when it comes to such requests and questions is a referral to Allrecipe.com�s impressive, and extensive gluten-free recipe collection, or one of my many talented GF food blogger friends. 

Speaking of which, Shauna and Danny from Gluten-Free Girl (the Beyonce and Jay-Z of GF bloggers), have a new cookbook out called, Gluten-Free Girl Every Day. If you happen to swing that way, check it out. The recipes sound wonderful, the photos are gorgeous, and the book�s getting rave reviews.

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A Quick and Easy Cassoulet Recipe � Pork & Beans with Benefits

Of course you can�t make a real cassoulet in an hour, but you can make this very acceptable cheater version, and as long as you manage expectations, you�re in for a great, cold-weather meal.

Real cassoulet is an involved process, with several days of prep just to make the various meats served in this rustic bean casserole. Once everything is prepared, the dish bakes for hours, during which time the ritualistic crust forming and re-forming occurs.

Buttery breadcrumbs are scatted over the top, and when they form a crusty, golden brown layer, they�re pushed down into the bubbling mixture, and new crumbs applied. This is done several times, creating the dish�s signature texture. A creamy, aromatic, not-too-wet-or-too-dry bean mixture into which is suspended the chunks of succulent meat.

Here, we�re taking lots of short cuts. Chicken thighs replace the classic, and time-consuming, duck confit; canned beans replace dried; and bacon serves as a convenient substitute for other, more involved smoked pork options.

While it will be tempting to dig right into this as soon as the final �gratin� is formed, please follow the advice in the video, and let your cassoulet rest in the hot oven for 15 minutes. This will allow the beans and buttery crumbs to absorb the last of the excess liquid, and make for a better texture.

By the way, please adjust your seasoning depending on the sausage used. Mine was plenty garlicky, so I didn�t add any additional cloves. You�ll also have to taste and alter the salt, depending on whether your bacon and sausage shared enough with the rest of the ingredients. I hope you give this hearty, cold-weather classic a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 large portions:

4 oz bacon, sliced

8 oz spicy, garlicky, smoked pork sausage, sliced

12 oz boneless skinless chicken thighs, cubed

1 onion, diced

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups chicken broth, or as needed

2 (15-oz) can white beans, drained, rinsed

1 1/2 tsp minced fresh rosemary

1 1/2 tsp minced fresh thyme

cayenne to taste

4 tbsp melted butter

1 cup plain breadcrumbs

1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

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Quick and Easy Black Bean Soup � Something from Almost Nothing

This black bean soup saved me during a recent attack of, �Oh my God, there is nothing in kitchen to cook with!� Even though it sometimes seems that way, there's rarely, literally nothing to cook with. I quickly found a few slices of bacon, a couple cans of beans, and an onion, and with the help of a spicy lime and green onion relish, turned it into a very decent bowl of soup.

It got me thinking about all those long shelf life, must-have pantry and fridge staples you can count on to produce a meal when lacking supplies. My short list is olive oil, beans, pasta, bacon, Parmigiano-Reggiano, eggs, tomato sauce, anchovies, salami, capers, garlic, onions, potatoes, and fresh citrus. As long as those things are close by, I can still look forward to a great meal no matter how sparse the rest of the provisions.

By the way, this will work with any smashable bean, and rumor has it that a handful of sausage in place of the bacon is a great variation. With wet, chillier days ahead, I think you�ll have occasion to give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 Servings:

6 slices bacon

1 large onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups chicken broth or water

2 cans black beans, rinsed, plus 1 can of water

pinch dried oregano

pinch cayenne

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp black pepper

salt and pepper to taste

For the relish (note � I only made a little bit in the video. This is enough for 4 servings):

1/3 cup minced green onion

2 tsp crushed or minced red chilies

juice of one lime

green onions to garnish

sour cream to garnish

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It�s Easy Being Green Hummus

This simple, basil-spiked �green� hummus is a great summer twist on everyone�s favorite spread. While making your own hummus is quite simple, as you�ll see, I completely understand why people don�t. Those big, ready-to-serve tubs at the grocery store are tempting when you�re party shopping and short on time.

But, if you do have an extra 10 minutes, and access to some fresh, sweet basil, this version will provide a great change of pace from the standard wake-me-up-when-it�s-over hummus recipes.

I didn�t mention it in the video, but as great a chip dip as this is, it�s also a world-class sandwich spread. Turkey on wheat? Yawn. Turkey on wheat with green hummus? Hello! And, don�t even get me started on wraps. I won�t even touch a wrap that doesn�t contain hummus, and neither should you.

Fresh basil should still be in good supply, and what better way to enjoy its fragrant flavor than this delicious dip? I hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup packed blanched fresh basil leaves

1 (15-oz) can white beans, drained

1 (15-oz) can garbanzo beans, drained

4 cloves chopped garlic

1 or 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste

3 tablespoons olive oil (1 to start, 2 to finish)

salt and pepper to taste

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Sandy Beans! Getting Our Grit On with Crispy Parmesan Breadcrumb Coated Beans

We all know our food has to look and taste good, but one of the more overlooked aspects in cooking is texture. This sandy beans recipe is a great example. Sure, a nice bowl of white beans warmed in garlic oil and topped with parsley is a fine thing, but texturally�kind of a snoozer.

Here we're coating the beans with a crispy, cheesy, pleasantly gritty breadcrumb mixture. That's right; less yawn, more fawn. This was inspired by a similar trick I like to use for finishing pastas, and if there's one thing I know about people (maybe the only thing), it's they like crispy and crunchy toppings.

At the beginning of the recipe you'll hear me mention a garlic-infused oil. I will demo this in a future video, but in case you're wondering, here's what I did. Take a 1/4 cup of olive oil and place it on low heat. Add a sliced garlic clove. As soon as the garlic starts to bubble slightly, turn off the heat and let the oil cool to room temp. Do not brown the garlic. Strain this oil and voil�, you have garlic oil.

One quest that never ends for a cook is the search for ways to make common side dishes seem a little more special, and this is one trick I hope you try soon. Enjoy! 

Food Safety Note: One of our concerned viewers reminded me to point out that there is a botulism concern when dealing with garlic stored in oil. So you don't worry needlessly, out of 300,000 Americans, there are only about 25 cases of botulism per year with very few cases resulting from stored garlic. But better safe than sorry, so it's recommended that you store any leftover garlic oil in the fridge and use within 10 days.

Ingredients:

For the crumbs:

1/4 cup garlic olive oil

3/4 to 1 cup breadcrumbs (depends how "dry" you want your "sand")

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

For the beans:

1 can white beans, drained, rinsed

1 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

salt to taste

cayenne to taste

1/4 cup chopped parsley

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Beans and Greens for New Year's Day? Good Luck with That!

One of the oldest culinary traditions in American cooking is serving beans and greens on New Year's Day. Tradition has it that eating "poor" on the first day of the year brings wealth and good fortune throughout the rest of the year.

The greens represent paper money, and the beans, usually black-eyed peas, coins. I've posted all my beans and greens videos below. You can also click the titles to read the original posting with ingredients. These recipes are so tasty, the fact that they may, or may not, bring prosperity won't seem to matter. Happy New Year, and enjoy!

Black Eyed Peas with Pork and Greens



Butter Beans with Bacon and Rocket



Italian Pork and Beans and Greens Recipe



Beans and Greens

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Cool Beans! Fresh Corn and Shelling Bean Ragout a la Ramblas

At a recent dinner at Ramblas in San Francisco, Michele and I enjoyed an incredibly simple, yet deeply flavorful shelling bean ragout. Ramblas is our favorite Spanish restaurant in the City, and the big, meaty beans were stewed with corn, citrus, and currants.

In fact, I was so impressed with this dish I swore to myself the next time I saw fresh shelling beans, I would attempt something similar. A week later I was shopping in Berkeley and saw a beautiful pile of cranberry beans (another common name for shelling beans).

I was so happy, and my mouth watered thinking back to that great crock of beans. I'm sure as I stuffed them into the bag, I had one of those deranged smiles that had on-lookers wondering, "What the hell is wrong with that guy."

As you watch this video, I can understand if the combination of ingredients seems a little strange, but trust me, this is a fantastic vegetable dish. It's my new favorite side dish, which is funny since I can't seem to wait for the main course to eat it.

At the end of the video, I garnish the dish with a spoon of something called gremolata. I've already filmed this for another recipe, which isn't live yet, so you will get to see that made, but for now here's all you need to know. Gremolata is simply fresh parsley minced with some raw garlic and lemon zest, moistened with a little olive oil.

This sharp, raw green sauce, along with a little more freshly zested lemon takes a great bean dish and turns it into something spectacular. Enjoy!



Ingredients (these amounts are complete guesses):
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves sliced garlic
1 cup shelling beans
1 cup fresh corn
2 tbsp dried currants
chicken broth as needed (about 1 1/2 cups total, maybe, possibly)
1/4 cup diced fresh ripe tomato
2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 tbsp fresh lemon zest
To garnish:
gremolata (see description in post)
lemon zest

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Cool Beans - Turning the Mysterious Fava Bean Inside Out

This fava bean video recipe was originally published last year, but since I've been seeing beautiful fava beans at farmer's market I thought it was a perfect time for a rerun.

It�s a shame when people don�t get to experience some great culinary pleasure simply because they don�t know how to work with the product. Fava beans, also called Broad Beans, or Horse Beans, is a good example of that.

These beans are a favorite of Chefs worldwide because of their beautiful color and unique flavor. Unfortunately, for the average grocery store, or vegetable stand shopper, they are just those big, ugly, green pods that get passed over for the more familiar green string beans. I hope after watching this demo that you will run out and buy a big pile of these wonderful beans and begin to enjoy them, as they deserve to be. If you don�t find them at the grocery store, check the local farmer�s market.

Yes, as you�ll see, there is a little bit of work involved in preparing these beans for whatever recipe you are planning to use them in, but when you consider how delicious they are, it�s definitely worth the effort. I compared them in the original title to Russian Dolls since the part of the bean you eat is actually a seed that is encased in a think skin, which is encased in a large green pod.

Once liberated, these Fava beans are an incredible addition to so many dishes. They can be eaten plain, added to pastas, risottos, soups, or on salads. I have a delicious video recipe for a fava bean salad, pictured above, that you can check out by clicking on the link. Enjoy!




Note: In the video I say "MTV," but really meant "VH1." Sorry, Flav.

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Scallops and Arugula with Lentils and Butter Beans - Great Recipe, Horrible Soundtrack

One great thing about using Apple's iMovie editing software is the library of instrumental soundtracks that you can use as music in your video clips (Hey, Apple, you made billions last quarter, how about a donation for this plug?). There are a few dozen options, and if you've been watching my video recipes for a while, you've heard many of them.

This very delicious Scallops and Arugula with Lentils and Butter Bean recipe video features a soundtrack called "watercolor." At first listen, I thought it was a nice light tune to match with this savory spring dish. But, now that the clip is finished, and I've listened to it a few times, I realize that my scallops are accompanied by bad elevator music. So, please forgive me, and I'm sorry about all those dentist office waiting rooms this will remind you of.

In the clip I mention something called the "Maillard effect." It's the actual reaction that most cooks incorrectly call "caramelization." I could explain it to you in my own words, or simply copy and paste from Wikipedia�guess which one this is:

"The Maillard reaction is a chemical reaction between an amino acid and a reducing sugar, usually requiring heat. Like caramelization, it is a form of non-enzymatic browning. In the process, hundreds of different flavor compounds are created. These compounds in turn break down to form yet more new flavor compounds, and so on. Each type of food has a very distinctive set of flavor compounds that are formed during the Maillard reaction."

I hope that clears things up. Enjoy!



1 pound scallops
2 tbsp olive oil
pinch of cayenne
1 tsp paprika
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 clove garlic
1 lemon
12 oz jar butter bean (or any large cooked bean)
1 1/2 cup cooked lentils
1/2 tsp dried Italian herbs
2 large handfuls baby arugula

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Is This Really a Buffalo Bean?

I came across this incredibly bizarre object being used in a window display at a florist shop near my home. I snapped a couple shots, and asked the florist what in the world it was. It was obviously organic in nature, but I had never seen anything like it. He said it was a �Buffalo Bean,� but that�s all he knew about it. He even snapped one open for me and it had a firm white center. I did a quick search online, and while �Buffalo Bean� did turn up quite a few links, I couldn�t find anything looking even close to this. Does anyone out there know what the hell this is? Is it as evil as it looks? Can I cook with it? Help!

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