Vegetarian Beans with Chile Tezcucana-style

One of my favorite movies of all time is Like Water for Chocolate

. Not only is the story mesmerizing, but the dishes created by Tita amazing. However, the predominance of lard and pork in Mexican cooking can create some challenges for vegetarians. I decided to take a stab at a vegetarian version of one of my favorite meals in the book – simple, yet elegant - Beans with Chile Tezcucana-style.

I made several modifications to simplify the recipe along the way, so here goes…
1 pound dried black beans
1 package Smart Bacon (bacon style strips), chopped into 1 inch strips (it’s ok if the pieces are stuck together as they will eventually dissolve into the beans)
¼ cup olive oil
1 tbs epazote (or more if you like)
5-7 chiles Serrano (or 3-4 chiles de Arbol soaked in boiling water for 30 minutes)
1 cup chopped onion
5-6 large cloves garlic, peeled (will be use whole)
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp cinnamon
6-8 springs of fresh cilantro
Pinch of ground cloves (optional)
8-12 cups vegetable broth
Salt to taste (careful due to salt in broth and bacon)
Crumbled queso blanco or queso fresco for garnish

Soak the dried beans in two cups of water while preparing the other ingredients. Chop the onion fine and slice the chiles Serrano lengthwise and remove ribs and seeds, chop fine (I use rubber gloves while handling the chiles)

In a 4qt saucepan, heat the olive oil until a piece of the onion sizzles on impact. Add the onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes, then add the chiles and the whole garlic cloves. Sauté for an additional 5-6 minutes and then add the bacon pieces, spices and cilantro. Sauté 2-3 more minutes then add the vegetable broth and the beans. Bring to a boil and then simmer very gently for one hour until the beans are tender. If the garlic cloves do not dissolve, you can remove them, same for the sprigs of cilantro.

I served the beans with rice cooked in vegetable broth and seasoned with cilantro and butter. The traditional recipe calls for rice and fried sweet plantains but they were not available, so I used fried green plantains instead. The market had no ripe avocados, but the dish was fine without them: next time!

Don’t forget to put the onion on your head and thank Esperanza for salvaging the cookbook from the smoldering embers of the ranch.

"American" Food

It took me seven months and 6 days for it to finally happen: a craving for American food. Not just any American food, but the classics. Things that only those from the U.S. of A. would really, truly appreciate while living abroad. I know it is not the same anyway (because I am a vegetarian) but even veg-heads need their dose of American soul food. Tonight, we put our friend's oven to the test. With the freshest zanahorias Spain has ever grown, a cake was made tonight. That's right: A carrot cake frosted with Philadelphia cream cheese icing. And man, was it good. The best I have ever had, really. Again, like the Thanksgiving post, there is nothing to be said about the ingredients here. They truly are as fresh as fresh can be in Spain, and making food from scratch is always the best.

Also on the menu: Black Bean Cheeseburgers. And no, for the first time we did not use currado, semicurrado, or any other form of Spanish cheese. I bought real Swiss cheese. What burger is complete without a slice (or two) of melted Swiss? And the garnishes … sliced avocados, tomatoes, and Tabasco sauce. Delicious. Now clearly we cannot escape the fact that we are living in Spain. We washed these delicacies down with Sangria, and used Pollo Asado seasoning in the burger patties, but other than that, it was pretty authentic. The only things missing were fries and a milkshake, but we always have to save something for the American food craving. We still have four more months…

... And no recipe for this, guys. You all know how where to buy and/or how to make your favorites. Who makes the best cake? The answer is always your own mama, so why even bother with posting our recipe. We know you are using her recipe already anyway, and we love it that you do. Happy cooking.

Zumo con Gas

It is citrus season here in Spain, and the fruits are literally falling off the trees heavy with juice. At Paradiso, the frutería which I haunt weekly, there is a box that can be found at the entrance. This box is loaded with oranges on sale, mere euros for kilos upon kilos worth of citrus(many of which still have leaves connected to the tops. There are adorable).

My friend has a grapefruit tree (which I also haunt [almost] weekly) in his front yard. Between both sources, my tiny kitchen was packed full of citrus. On the first warm day last week, my friend and I juiced 10 fruits: 5 oranges, 2 lemons, 3 grapefruit. What better way to bring in the warm weather than fresh juice? Pump it up with some cool, sparkling water. (I use Vichy Catalan, a Spanish brand of sparking mineral water, or agua con gas. My flatmates call me addicted.)

Materials:
10 citrus fruits of your choice. Stick to one, or mix it up like we did!
1 1.5 L bottle of sparkling water
Sevral dashes of sugar or honey to cut the tang (if using bitter citrus)

Serves 4.

Method:
Juice your cirus. If using, add some of your sweeter of choice. Ratio is half/half: Pour juice into a tumbler and top off with sparkling water. Serve on ice, or use chilled sparkling water. I prefer the latter.