Black Beans in Garlic Sauce

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Black Beans in Garlic Sauce

Attention all garlic lovers: this dish is for you. These black beans are more about the garlic than they are about the beans. With a whole head of garlic minced, sautéed, and mixed into cooked black beans – this hearty garlicky dish is perfect for the never-ending cold winter nights. A little cumin adds an ethnic flare and when eaten with white rice, these beans become a fulfilling meal. And then there’s the bacon. As if the garlic black bean combination wasn’t tasty enough, crispy bacon adds a level of smoky flavor.

“The Art of Good Cooking” has a fair number of bean recipes. There are some with black beans, chick peas, white beans, kidney beans, etc. and almost all of them provide instructions for cooking the raw bean instead of canned. I’m not sure if raw beans were just my grandmother’s preference (and less expensive) or if canned beans weren’t as readily available as they are today – maybe a combination of both. I often find that unless you are infusing flavor into the raw beans while cooking them, canned beans are a fast and easy replacement. This recipe is no different. Canned beans can be simply heated in a little broth or water and then added to the garlic sauce as instructed. These Black Beans with Garlic Sauce then become even easier to make on a weeknight when your craving something warm and comforting.

Ingredients:

2 cups black beans
1 head of garlic, separated into cloves, peeled and minced
1/3 lb of bacon, diced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon salt
coarsely ground black pepper

If using dry black beans, wash and soak overnight in water. In the morning, place in a deep pot with enough additional water to cover beans. Add a little of the garlic. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer until beans are completely tender. Drain beans, reserving some of the liquid for later use. Keep beans warm.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cook bacon in a skillet over low heat until crisp. Remove and reserve. Add remaining garlic to bacon fat and saute over low heat until soft.

Place beans in a casserole. Stir in crisp bacon, sauteed garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper. Add about 3/4 cup of reserved liquid from the beans. Place in oven and bake, covered, for about 30-45 minutes. Serve hot.

Serves 6.

Adapted from “The Art of Good Cooking,” by Paula Peck.

Black Beans with Garlic Sauce

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Chinese Spare Ribs

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Chinese Spare Ribs

Chinese Spare Ribs

We often think of spare ribs in the summer, thrown on the grill and eaten with corn on the cob or cole slaw. However, Chinese spare ribs have a sweet and salty warmth that make them perfect for the winter. Marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, garlic, rice wine vinegar, and Chinese five spice powder, these ribs are baked in the oven and basted until almost charred but still gooey and tender.

There are many different methods for baking ribs. Some recommend boiling the ribs prior to baking to extract some of the fat.  In “The Art of Good Cooking,” my grandmother recommends steaming the ribs in tin foil in the oven before baking and basting the ribs. Other methods indicate marinating the ribs and putting them directly in the oven, similar to what I’ve done here. The cut of meat may help determine what method to use. If the ribs are particularly fatty, they will be greasy so either boiling or steaming them will help produce a leaner tasting rib without a fatty residue.

Although my grandmother didn’t specialize in Asian food, there are a few recipes hidden throughout her book. Her original Chinese BBQ sauce recipe can be found in the spare ribs section along with Hawaii BBQ sauce and Mexican BBQ sauce. I decided that the Chinese sauce needed a bit more attention so I made a few modifications. To get the full texture and flavor that Chinese spare ribs deserve, I added the Chinese five spice powder and rice wine vinegar to the sauce as well as a step to marinate the ribs. On these crazy winter days, juicy flavorful ribs are worth the extra effort.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 lbs beef or pork spare ribs

Mix together all ingredients in a shallow dish and add ribs. Turn to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place a baking rack on a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan lined with foil. Remove ribs from marinade and place on rack, meat side up. Reserve marinade. If space permits, pour water half-way up the sides of the pan (make sure the water does not touch the ribs). Bake 30 minutes and baste with reserved marinade. Bake another 30 minutes and raise heat to 450 degrees. Baste the ribs then bake another 20-25 minutes until glazed and tender, basting once after 10 minutes.

Adapted from “The Art of Good Cooking,” by Paula Peck

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Rice Pudding

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Rice Pudding

Rice Pudding

Comforting and easy, rice pudding is a classic winter treat. It’s often considered a dessert but I usually find myself making a big a batch and eating it for breakfast throughout the week. Maybe not the healthiest breakfast option, but it somehow makes more sense than eating it after dinner. This creamy pudding is not only simple but also budget friendly. You probably already have most of the ingredients. With just basics like rice, milk, eggs, and sugar – you can make a delightful rice pudding in under 30 minutes. There are, of course, variations that have slightly fancier additions. This version from “The Art of Good Cooking” dessert section includes vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange zest, and raisins. These ingredients add tasty layers of flavor but can be considered optional.

I had to make a few more revisions to this recipe than normal. I don’t think it was tested as much as some of the other recipes in my grandmother’s cookbook. It may have been added last minute to fill space among the other somewhat random selection of recipes that make up the dessert section. Most of my revisions are in the measurements. Like most Paula Peck recipes, the ingredients themselves are a delicious combo.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 – 3 cups whole milk
1/2 cup long grain rice
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 teaspoon each: cinnamon and nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon orange zest for sprinkling (optional)

Heat milk and keep it warm. Add about 2 1/4 cups of the warm milk to rice in a deep pot. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently. From time to time, add more milk, as rice absorbs it. When the rice is entirely cooked, it should be in a very light creamy sauce.

Stir in sugar, orange zest, and vanilla. In a small bowl, break up yolks with a fork. Whisk in about a 1/4 cup of liquid from the rice to temper the egg yolks. Add egg yolk mixture to pudding. Replace over low heat, stirring constantly until slightly thickened ( it will thicken more when it cools).

Remove from heat and stir in raisins. Sprinkle with cinnamon, nutmeg, and orange zest (optional).

Serves 4-6.

Adapted from “The Art of Good Cooking,” by Paula Peck.

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Palmiers

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Palmiers

Palmiers by Paula Peck

Sometimes I think my grandmother should have written a book called “101 things to do with puff pastry.” There are at least 20 recipes in “The Art of Find Baking” alone that use this buttery flaky dough. Also known as the elephant ear or palm tree, the classic French Palmier is more versatile than you may think. Instead of rolling the dough in just plain sugar, cinnamon sugar can be used for extra spice.  By folding the dough into the more traditional palmier shape (versus the four-finger), these pastries look similar to a heart and are the perfect accompaniment for that morning cup of coffee on Valentines day.  It may be a bit of a stretch but if Parmesan cheese is used instead of sugar (a far less traditional ingredient), these turn into a delicious game day appetizer for the super bowl. Who knew these simple pastries had so many uses?

The key to a delicious palmier is to make them yourself and eat them fresh. Those sad boxed palmiers you see at the grocery store do not do them justice. Most of us don’t have time for the lengthy process of making puff pastry so store bought puff pastry may be used. As long as you bake them yourself, these snack-worthy pastries will be much better than the often stale, pre-made ones. Since rolling and folding the dough into the palmiers shape may seem daunting or even confusing, I have included the below illustration from “The Art of Fine Baking.” For those of you who are not familiar with this baking book, it’s full of these charming old fashioned illustrations and this one in particular is actually quite helpful. So the next time you have extra puff pastry or are looking for a fun, easy snack – give palmiers a chance. You may be surprised how much you like them.

Ingredients:

1 Puff Pastry recipe
granulated sugar, cinnamon sugar, or grated Parmesan cheese

Roll out puff pastry in sugar to make a long strip ten inches wide and 1/8 inch thick (if using cheese instead of sugar, roll out pastry in flour). Sprinkle with sugar (or cheese). Determine the center of the strip. Fold each long side inward into thirds, so that two folded halves meet exactly in the center. Then fold halves together to make a compact 6-layer roll. Coat with additional sugar or cheese. Wrap in wax paper and chill for 1 hour.

Palmiers Folding Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut roll into 1/4 inch slices. Place well apart on ungreased baking sheet. Spread the two halves of each slice slightly so they can expand while baking. Bake about 30 minutes, turning slices over once with a spatula after 25 minutes. Bake until golden brown.

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New England Clam Chowder

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New England Clam Chowder

Clam Chowder

The weather in the Northeast has been quite a roller coaster lately. When it’s cold, it’s really cold. And when it’s warmer, it’s usually raining. New England Clam Chowder is the perfect lunch for either side of the crazy winter weather spectrum and anything in between. Warm and comforting, a steaming bowl fills you up while giving you a taste of the sea you might be missing.

I found this recipe in buried my grandmother’s stack of unpublished soup recipes. John Clancy’s name was typed neatly in the top corner of the page so I’m assuming this is his recipe or a collaboration of some kind. This chowder is not as thick as what you would expect from a traditional New England Clam Chowder (and definitely not as thick as the nasty stuff in the can). That may be good or bad, depending on your preference. If you prefer a thicker chowder, you can simply start with a roux – add roughly 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons flour to the pan before cooking the bacon and onion. However, I believe that if you use really fresh clams (right from the shell), you won’t care about the thickness of the soup. The taste of fresh meaty clams with the smoky bacon is enough to keep you going back for more.

Ingredients:

2 dozen chowder clams, shucked and chopped, and their juice
1 8oz bottle of clam juice
1/4 cup bacon, diced
4 cups potatoes, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
1 1/2 cups onion, coarsely chopped
2 cups heavy cream or half and half
3 sprigs thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

In a large 3-4 quart saucepan, brown bacon and saute onion until golden. Add all clam juice and bring to a boil. Cook potatoes in mixture for 10 minutes or until they are tender. Add thyme, clams, and cream and simmer for 5-6 minutes (careful not let the soup boil or it may curdle). Season with ground pepper and remove sprigs (once thyme leaves have fallen off).

Serves 6.

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