Fearless Kitchen

Recipe: Drunken Beans

Recipe Source: Bayless, Rick. Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen. Scribner, New York, 1996 pp. 239 – 240

This is another recipe dating to Memorial Day weekend. I originally intended to serve it on Monday – one of my guests was pregnant and I wanted to give her the taste of tequila without the potential harmful effects. Then I found out that we were getting another family as well, a family with some pretty stringent dietary restrictions. One of the guests detests beans and will not eat them. Well, I knew that we were having another couple over on Sunday night, a couple that included one vegetarian. Beans are always good for vegetarians, right?

Well, I made a few more changes to the recipe. The pork was already going to be omitted, as was the bacon. I couldn't get beef bacon at that point and I can't eat the normal stuff. One of my guests is likewise pork-averse, so they had to go. I couldn't get a white onion, so I used a red onion and a yellow onion. Why yes, that is increasing the onion, glad you noticed. Onion is super good for you. I added some garlic, because everyone needs more garlic in their lives. Since one of my guests is allergic to cilantro, I substituted the only other fresh herb I had on hand.

The resulting dish was actually pretty tasty. I wouldn't have envisioned tequila and sage matching all that well together but they didn't do too badly. The tequila was definitely not overpowering.

Drunken Beans (serves 4; approx. cost per serving not available)

1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 red onion, diced

1 yellow onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 jalapenos, sliced

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

1 ½ tablespoons tequila (1 shot), plus more for the cook if you like

1 bunch chopped fresh sage

Equipment:

• Dutch oven

1. Heat the oil in the Dutch oven.
2. Add the onions, garlic and jalapenos. Sauté until the onions are deeply colored, seasoning with salt.
3. Add the beans with about a cup of water and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the beans are tender and the flavors are well mixed.
4. Add the tequila and sage just before serving.
5. Serve.

Recipe: Asparagus Tinga

Recipe Source: Bayless, Rick. Rick Bayless' Mexican Kitchen. Scribner, New York, 1996 pp. 216 – 7.

One of my favorite vegetables in the whole wide world is asparagus. I've stopped using it as often as I used to because it's only really in season in the spring, and somehow it just doesn't taste as good out of season. (This doesn't mean that I won't use it at all off-season, just that I try to avoid it because I'm disappointed.) It is also a lot more expensive off-season, which is something I'm trying to be more conscious of these days. But you see, it's spring now. Well, sort of. It's mostly spring. When I saw this recipe for a stew mostly made of zucchini, I decided to use the asparagus instead to celebrate spring.

I made a few other changes as well. I used a jarred salsa, although since it was a Frontera Grill chipotle salsa I'm not sure that it counts as a substitution. If you don't like spicy food, use a milder salsa. I couldn't get white onions so I used red and I added some red chili peppers on general principles. I couldn't find a non-pork chorizo and let's face it, I was really disappointed with the beef chorizo I got a few months ago. I used a turkey andouille sausage instead. I omitted the oregano and I used a delicious soft goat cheese in place of the queso fresco. I also added some chopped fresh cilantro at the end just for my own personal pleasure.

I don't think I'm bragging when I say that this was an excellent dish. It was exactly what I wanted at the time. Like any stir-fry type dish, the key is to have the ingredients prepared ahead of time. This cooks up very quickly.

Asparagus Tinga (serves 4; approx. $3.22/serving)

1 16-oz jar chipotle salsa

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 bunch asparagus, cut into lengths approximately as long as your thumb

1 red onion, sliced

2 red chili peppers, sliced

2 turkey andouille sausages, sliced

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese

Equipment:

• Large sauté pan
• Slotted spoon

1. Heat the oil in the sauté pan.
2. Add the asparagus and sauté until it is bright in color and just tender. Use a slotted spoon to evacuate the asparagus to a plate and set aside.
3. Add the onion and peppers, along with a pinch of kosher salt. Sauté until softened.
4. Add the sausages and the salsa. Sauté until the liquid is reduced slightly and the sausages are heated through.
5. Return the asparagus to the pan and heat through.
6. Transfer to the serving vessel and mix in the cilantro.
7. Sprinkle the cheese on top and serve.

Recipe: Drunken Chicken

Recipe Source: Milton, Jane with Jenni Fleetwood and Marina Filippelli. The Food and Cooking of Mexico, South America and the Caribbean. Anness Publishing, London, 2009 p. 263

When I was trying to come up with my weekly menu I picked up a book I haven't used in a while and opened it at random. This was the recipe I opened to. Anyone who knows me at all will think it particularly appropriate. It looked like a really fun dish and I was very excited to try it. When I plugged the ingredients into my Weight Watchers points calculator, though, I was dismayed. One serving came close to being my whole daily allowance! Of course, being me I was not daunted. I simply made a few judicious cuts.

The first things to go were the raisins and the sherry. I'm not a big fan of raisins so it was absolutely no loss. They're too sweet for me. Apparently they were too sweet for the PointsPlus calculator too. The sherry went because it was supposed to be used to plump the raisins. I was able to reduce the amount of flour I had to use, and I added a little turmeric to the dredge to give it a more appealing color. (I also happen to really like turmeric.) I reduced the oil and omitted the plantain and almonds. I used boneless chicken thighs, increased the garlic and replaced the chicken stock with Lemony Vegetable Broth. The result was actually a pretty tasty dish, and much lighter than the original.

Drunken Chicken (serves 4; approx. $1.82/serving)

2 ounces flour

1 tablespoon ground turmeric

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 onions, thinly sliced

8 garlic cloves, crushed

2 Macintosh apples, chopped

1 ½ cups Lemony Vegetable Broth

1 cup tequila

Chopped fresh herbs to garnish – I like cilantro.

Equipment:

• Large sauté pan
• Plate

1. Combine the flour, turmeric, salt and pepper on the plate. Dredge the chicken thighs in the mixture and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in the sauté pan.
3. Add the chicken. Brown on all sides and evacuate.
4. Add the onion and garlic. Sauté 2 – 3 minutes.
5. Add the apple. Cook 3 – 4 minutes.
6. Return the chicken to the pan, along with the broth and tequila.
7. Cover the pan and cook 15 minutes.
8. Uncover the pan and cook another 10 minutes. The sauce should reduce by about half.
9. Sprinkle with the herbs and serve.

Recipe: Rice with Seafood

Recipe Source: Tausend, Marilyn. Williams-Sonoma Mexican. Simon & Schuster Source, New York, 2003 p. 62

This was a fun one-dish meal to make. It's very reminiscent of a Spanish paella, but it's unmistakably Mexican as well. I did make a few changes to the recipe as usual. I used Lemony Vegetable Broth in place of the fish stock or clam juice – I've almost always got some on hand and it's cheaper than clam juice. I reduced the amount of oil, increased the amount of onion, increased the garlic, used brown rice for white, used canned fire roasted tomatoes for the fresh tomatoes, added a Serrano chile to the jalapenos (which I skipped roasting), added 3 canned chipotle chiles in adobo and reduced the amount of chives. The result was satisfying and delicious.

Rice with Seafood (serves 4; approx. $4.28/serving)

1 pound shrimp

¾ pound basa fillets

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

4 cups Lemony Vegetable Broth

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 white onion, quartered and sliced

10 garlic cloves, crushed

1 ½ cups brown basmati rice

1 28-oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes

3 jalapeno chiles, sliced into strips

1 Serrano chile, sliced into strips

3 canned chipotle chiles in adobo, chopped

1 tablespoon minced chives

12 clams, scrubbed

4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus extra to garnish

Equipment:

• Dutch oven
• Medium saucepan

1. Peel the shrimp. Reserve the shells and put them in the saucepan with the Lemony Vegetable Broth.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes.
3. Remove from heat, strain and add enough water to bring the total back to four cups.
4. Heat the oil over medium heat in the Dutch oven.
5. Add the onion and garlic. Saute until softened.
6. Add the rice and sauté 3 minutes.
7. Add the tomatoes with their juices and sauté 4 – 5 minutes.
8. Add 2 cups of the broth and bring to a boil.
9. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook about 5 minutes.
10. Add the chiles and chives with the remaining broth. Re-cover and cook until the rice is tender.
11. Uncover and stir in the seafood. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook another 5 – 10 minutes.
12. Stir in the cilantro. Serve. Garnish with additional cilantro if desired.

Recipe: Kale and Feta Tacos

Recipe Source: Bayless, Rick. Rick Bayless' Mexican Kitchen. Scribner, New York, 1996 pp. 161 – 2.

I've said it over and over again here. Vegetarian food doesn't have to taste like cardboard. It isn't, and shouldn't be, a penance. Don't get me wrong. I like meat. I don't know that eating meat every day is necessarily the healthiest thing for someone living in the developed world in a non-manual-labor kind of position, though. Toward that end I've been trying to cut back on the amount of animal protein we eat. It's not always easy or successful, but I suppose that even the attempt is healthier than not. It's also reduced our monthly grocery bill over the course of the year, which doesn't hurt.

Usually I make the vegetarian food during the week and serve meat when we're entertaining. On one recent Sunday, though, I was entertaining a vegetarian. I had a lot going on that weekend and decided that these tacos would be a decent offering: informal, but easy to make and very satisfying. I was pretty happy with how they turned out, and my guests at least said they liked it. I did make a few changes to the recipe. I used kale instead of chard or lamb's quarters, because I can't get lambs' quarters and my friend likes kale better than chard. I couldn't get a white onion so I used yellow. This may seem like a minor change to you but I can assure you that the flavor is quite different. I increased the garlic. I used feta because that's what I could get, although it was recommended as one option and so probably doesn't count as a change. I haven't found a tortilla brand around here that doesn't make me curse and swear, so I used whole wheat "Sahara Wraps" from Thomas'. They aren't the same thing but they hold up quite well and taste good to boot. I used jarred salsa because one of my guests is allergic to cilantro. I didn't have a good cilantro-free salsa recipe, so I decided to go with one I found in the store. I can't recall the brand (I could probably find the receipt if asked), but I was pleasantly surprised to note that I didn't miss the cilantro at all.

Kale and Feta Tacos (serves 3; approx. $3.03/serving)

1 package Thomas' Sahara Wraps

2 bunches kale, trimmed of tough stems and sliced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, sliced

6 garlic cloves, crushed

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ cup crumbled feta

¾ cup salsa, to serve

Equipment:

• Sauté pan

1. Rinse the greens but do not dry.
2. Heat the oil in the sauté pan.
3. Add the onions and salt to the sauté pan. Sauté until golden.
4. Add the garlic. Cook approximately 1 minute or until the garlic is fragrant.
5. Add the greens. Sauté until well wilted.
6. Remove from heat. Add the feta and stir until the feta is just a little melted.
7. Serve. Allow your guests to assemble their own tacos, setting out a bowl with the filling, the jar of salsa and the wraps.

Recipe: Haddock with Roasted Peppers and Salsa Verde

Recipe Source: Bayless, Rick. Mexican Everyday. W. W. Norton & Company, New York, 2005 pp. 270 – 1.

When my dad came to help me out with the baby, I was ecstatic to get to cook for him. I really wanted to make this a good trip for him. In planning my menus, I tried to focus on things Dad wouldn't normally get at home. One thing I know he loves but rarely gets to enjoy is fish. My mom isn't allergic to fish, but she's completely repulsed by anything that comes from the sea. I decided that I would make him a fish dish. This was originally supposed to be a chicken dish, but Mr. Bayless did suggest fish as an alternative and I went with it.

I made a few changes as usual. I used more poblanos because I wanted to use them up – we got a lot more from our garden than we expected and can't hope to have them last much longer. I used haddock instead of the recommended salmon because I am sick to death of salmon. I couldn't find white onions anywhere, so I used normal yellow onions. I also used Lemony Vegetable Broth in place of the chicken broth or water in the original. The result was pretty darned delicious if I do say so myself. It was a great make-ahead dish, too.

Haddock with Roasted Peppers and Salsa Verde (serves 4; approx. $5.00/serving)

3 fresh poblano chilies

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound haddock fillet

Kosher salt to taste

1 large onion, sliced

12 tomatillos, quartered

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 cup Lemony Vegetable Broth

2 tablespoons heavy cream

Equipment:

• Bowl
• Immersion blender
• Large sauté pan
• Broiler

1. Broil the poblanos until black on all sides. Transfer to a paper bag and let cool.
2. When the poblanos are cool enough to handle, rub the skin away gently and tear into shreds.
3. Combine the tomatillos and cilantro in the large bowl and use the immersion blender to puree them.
4. Heat the oil in the sauté pan.
5. Add the onions to the pan with the salt and cook until golden but not softened.
6. Add the tomatillo puree. Cook until it is as thick as tomato paste, stirring frequently.
7. Add the broth to the pan with the poblano strips and cream.
8. Add the fish, nestling it into the pan mixture. I spooned a lot of the pan mixture on top of the fish to try to keep the cooking even – I have no idea if that helped but it made me feel more confident and that's the important thing.
9. Cook until the fish is cooked through. Serve.

Recipe: Cashew Mole with Roasted Game Hens

Recipe Source: Bayless, Rick. Rick Bayless' Mexican Kitchen. Scribner, New York, 1996 pp. 286-7.

Years and years ago, when the Spouse and I first started dating, we made an agreement. Every Sunday we would enjoy a home-cooked meal. That's actually the origin of the Sunday open houses we have all summer long – I was going to be making Sunday dinner anyway, and there were all these people around, so there it was. However, one recent Sunday we did not hold an open house. My husband went to a practice all the way in Springfield and came home, giving us a more intimate Sunday dinner opportunity.

I made a lot of changes to this recipe. The biggest change was with the nuts. The original called for peanuts. I am allergic to peanuts, so I used cashews. They really do make a great substitute for peanuts, both in savory and sweet dishes. I also substituted game hen for quail, because I did not have quail. I probably would have been able to find quail had I shopped at the Asian market that day, but I didn't. So I used game hen. I couldn't find ancho chilies so I used chilies negros. I didn't have white onions, so I used normal yellow. I used breadcrumbs instead of slices of bread, increased the garlic and the number of chipotles, used Lemony Vegetable Broth instead of chicken broth, red wine vinegar for cider vinegar (I ran out earlier in the day), omitted the sugar and added some fresh chilies because I had them from the garden and needed to use them up. I also cooked the game hens indoors, because my husband was coming home late and I didn't want to wait for him to fire up the Egg. The result was delicious. We both loved the mole, and for once the game hens didn't seem greasy.

Cashew Mole with Roasted Game Hens (serves 2; approx. $16.33/serving)

1 ounce dried chilies negros, reconstituted in hot water

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 yellow onion, sliced

8 garlic cloves, crushed

2 Serrano chilies, chopped

1 medium-sized tomato

1 cup roasted, salted cashews

¼ cup breadcrumbs

3 canned chipotle chilies, plus 1 tablespoons adobo sauce from the can

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 cups Lemony Vegetable Broth

½ cup red wine

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 Cornish game hens

Chopped fresh cilantro, to garnish

Equipment:

• Loaf-shaped roasting pan
• Baking sheet
• Dutch oven
• Food processor

1. Preheat your broiler.
2. Roast the tomato under the broiler until the skin is blackened, turning once.
3. Grind the cashews in the food processor.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in the Dutch oven. Add the onion, chilies and garlic. Sauté until well browned.
5. Transfer the contents of the Dutch oven and set the pot aside, you'll use it later.
6. Add the tomato, breadcrumbs, chipotles, reconstituted dried chilies, allspice and cinnamon to the food processor along with half the Lemony Vegetable Broth.
7. Process until smooth.
8. Heat another tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat in the Dutch oven.
9. When hot, add the puree from the food processor. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.
10. Add the remaining broth, ½ cup of the soaking water from the chilies, the wine, vinegar and bay leaves. Partially cover and simmer 45 minutes. Season with kosher salt.
11. Preheat your oven to 425 ̊.
12. Transfer the game hens to the roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste if you wish.
13. Roast until the internal temperature reaches 175 ̊. Remove from the oven, tent with foil and rest 5 – 10 minutes.
14. Plate the birds. Ladle sauce to taste over the birds and sprinkle cilantro to garnish.
15. Serve.

Recipe: Enjitomatadas

Recipe Source: Bayless, Rick. Rick Bayless' Mexican Kitchen. Scribner, New York, 1996 pp. 176-7

We entertain a lot here in Fearless-land, especially during the summer. When we entertain we never know how many people are going to join us or who they'll be. I try to always have a vegetarian entrée on hand just in case we have vegetarians. (Er… that's an entrée for the vegetarians to eat, not an entrée made from vegetarians. That would be a completely different website.) This was the vegetarian entrée for one Sunday open house. We didn't get any vegetarians, but these little enchilada-like parcels were extremely popular nonetheless.

I made a few changes. I had to use a combination of fresh tomatoes and canned for the sauce, for which I also used serranos instead of jalapenos (preference), olive oil instead of lard (food allergy), yellow onion instead of white onion (no white onions were available that week), and Lemony Vegetable Broth instead of chicken broth. I used whole wheat sandwich wraps for the tortillas because I have yet to find store-bought tortillas that work for me and a combination of feta cheese and Parnassos cheese for the filling. I used more cheese than called for in the original because the wraps were larger than the tortillas and I wanted to fill them.

Enjitomatadas (makes 12; approx. $1.96/ea.)

2 28-oz cans diced tomatoes

6 plum tomatoes, chopped

4 Serrano chilies, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 ½ cups Lemony Vegetable Broth

12 whole wheat sandwich wraps

2/3 cup crumbled feta

Cilantro, for garnish

Equipment:

• Large saucepan
• Immersion blender
• Deep dish
• Baking sheet

1. Heat the oil in the saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and fry, stirring often, until the onion is browned.
3. Add the tomatoes and serranos. Increase the heat to high and cook 5 minutes.
4. Decrease heat to medium-low, add the broth and cook 20 minutes. Let cool, then puree with the immersion blender.
5. Preheat your oven to about 300 ̊.
6. Ladle out about ½ cup of sauce into a bowl.
7. Dip the wrap into the bowl so that both sides have a bit of sauce on them. Lay the wrap on a plate.
8. Put a bit of both cheeses down the middle of the wrap, leaving about an inch of space at the top and bottom.
9. Fold the top and bottom down, then fold the sides over until the parcel looks kind of like an enchilada. Transfer to the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining wraps.
10. Bake about 5 minutes, then remove from heat and transfer to a serving platter.
11. Spoon some of the sauce on top of the parcels. Add a little cilantro and pass the remaining sauce on the side.
12. Serve.

Recipe: Scallops a la Plancha

Recipe Source: Bayless, Rick.  Rick Bayless' Mexican Kitchen.  Scribner Press, New York, 1996 pp. 332-3

I made this recipe on a Friday night.  The weather was beautiful and I wanted to celebrate with what was really a very beautiful dish.  I think I served it with quinoa, although it might have just been a salad night.  At this distance who knows?  (I've been pretty lazy about writing up recipes lately and can barely remember what I've cooked sometimes!) 

I did make a few changes to this recipe.  I had to use drained canned diced tomatoes for the salsa, as tomatoes are not in season around here.  The recipe called for "3 - 5" serrano chiles.  Who are we kidding?  I used 5.  I increased the amount of garlic and the amount of cilantro and finally I used scallops instead of shrimp.  This was one suggested variation, but I would have made it anyway.  We were having shrimp later in the week and I didn't want to get bored with them. 

Scallops a la Plancha (serves 4; approx. $5.96/serving)

1 14-oz can diced tomatoes, drained

5 fresh serrano chiles, diced

6 garlic cloves, crushed

1 onion, finely diced

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

1 pound sea scallops

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 avocados, diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

about 1/3 bunch chopped fresh cilantro

Equipment:

• Large saute pan
• 2 bowl

1. Combine the tomatoes, chiles, garlic, onion and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl.  Set aside.
2. Put the scallops in the second bowl.  Add 1 tablespoon of the lime juice, the remaining kosher salt and all of the pepper.  Let sit 30 minutes, no longer. 
3. Put the olive oil in the saute pan.  Heat over medium-high heat.
4. Add the scallops in a single layer.  Cook 2 - 2 1/2 minutes, then flip and finish cooking.
5. Evacuate the scallops to your serving platter.  Top with the salsa and then the avocados.  Sprinkle the remaining lime juice on top and then top with the cilantro.
6. Serve. 

Recipe: Kale and Mushroom Tacos

Recipe Source: Bayless, Rick.  Mexican Everyday.  W. W. Norton and Company, New York, 2005 pp. 215-218

I made this recipe recently as part of my efforts to prove that a vegetarian meal doesn't have to taste like cardboard.  While I did make a few... spontaneous changes... I'd say that I succeeded in my goal.  These tacos were pretty tasty (if I do say so) and the whole dish was easy to make.  It was made even easier by one of those changes.  The original recipe called for making the salsa when you cooked the meal.  I'd found a container of Salsa Verde that was left over from a recipe my husband made in the freezer.  I decided to use it, which certainly made my life easier. 

One of the spontaneous changes I made involved the dish itself.  You see, the name of the recipe is on page 215.  The ingredients and instructions - the important part of the recipe - were on page 217.  I was a little rushed when I was making this, and to make a long story short I didn't realize that these were supposed to be enchiladas.  Looking at the photo - on p. 216, so visible while I was cooking - would have set me straight, but whatever.  These worked as tacos. 

Other changes I made were an increase in the amount of mushrooms (the mushrooms came in a 10-oz package and I didn't want leftovers), substituting kale for spinach (we'd already had several spinach dishes that week and I wanted more variety), omitting the (optional) chicken, using these odd multi-grain tortillas instead of corn (because I've bee really unhappy with the corn tortillas I can get here), omitting the sugar, and using feta for the queso fresco (which was a suggested option so I shouldn't really describe it as a change.)  I'm pretty happy with all the changes I made, although the tortillas were a bit larger than called for and so the filling didn't come close to... well, filling them. 

Kale and Mushroom Tacos (serves 4; approx. $3.70/serving)

1 1/2 cups Roasted Salsa Verde (or store-bought)

1 tablespoon olive oil

10 ounces mushrooms, sliced (I like baby bella)

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1 bunch kale, stemmed and sliced

Pinch kosher salt

12 tortillas - I used these strange multi-grain tortillas but corn tortillas are more authentic

4 ounces crumbled feta

Equipment:

• Saute pan

1. Heat the oil in the saute pan over medium-low heat. 
2. Add the mushrooms and cook until they soften.
3. Add the onion and salt and continue cooking until the onion is translucent. 
4. Add the kale.  Cook until it starts to wilt.
5. Add the salsa.  Cook 1 - 2 minutes and remove from heat.
6. Add the cheese. 
7. Spoon 1/12 of the mixture into the middle of the tortillas. 
8. Serve.