Tortas

There are rare, incomparable meals I have eaten that embody the Platonic ideal of certain foods. At the time, all you can do is revel in their glory. You are ecstatic to have the experience of tasting such delectable perfection.

But then problems begin. No matter where you go, no matter how hard you search, you cannot find anything to replicate that original experience. Everything else you taste comes up short.

I once had the best fish and chips from a hole in the wall joint in Auckland, New Zealand. I subsequently spent the better part of three weeks attempting to replicate the experience. I searched all over the North and South Island. No dice.

The same thing happened in Mexico City. Across the street from the apartment where I lived, there was a hole in the wall (the best places always seem to be of the hole in the wall variety) taco place Chip's--pronounced cheeps in Spanish--which were a better version of Tim's.) In the intervening 12 years, I have yet to encounter a torta that is even in the same ballpark as Watsy's. They. Just. Don't. Compare.

called--of all things--Watsy Taco. For months my friends and I were regulars, and we always ordered the same thing: a chicken torta with cheese. (For a perfect pairing, consume with a green bag of jalapeño

To make a torta, it is best to have a very special type of soft, wide bread called a telera. I randomly encountered teleras in a Wilsonville Albertson's recently, and couldn't pass them up. For my first attempt at making tortas, I did not hope to achieve the apogee of the Watsy Torta. But the nice thing about a torta is that it will be still be delicious, even if you are not in Mexico City.

 Tortas

~Print Recipe~

• Telera rolls, cut in half and toasted-1 per person
• Refried black beans prepared, or homemade: diced onions, minced garlic, broth
• Chicken, or meat of your choice 
• Cheese
• Grilled onions
• Avocado slices
• Salsa
• Sour cream
• Cilantro
• Pickled jalapeños
• Other toppings of your choice (tomato, grilled peppers, etc)
• Spices, to taste

1.  Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add cumin, chipotle, chile powder, paprika, salt and pepper, etc. to taste. Add diced onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Add black beans and a couple tablespoons of broth. Mash the beans together.
2. Toast telera in a toaster oven or broiler. Cover one side with cheese, so it melts. 
3. Spread sour cream on one side and refried beans on the other. Build the sandwich by layering the meat, onions, avocado and other ingredients. Drizzle with salsa and top with telera.

*Vegan* Cocoa-Coconut Chili

Personally, I am not a fan of chili. At all. It always seems to be over cooked or over stirred or over oily or too beanie or something. But part of what I love about cooking is tackling the obstacles of foods you don't love. This chili recipe has helped me over my anti-chili hurdle in a beautiful way. The mix of ingredients creates a very balanced yet decidedly different chili. The coconut milk and cocoa balances the beans in the recipe, and the hot sauce adds the perfect amount of kick. The icing on the cake was cooking the chili in my slow cooker, and having it come out perfectly. Not over cooked or mushy or anything. I love the fact you can look at your bowl and identify every single ingredient, and relish in its simplicity. Plus, did I mention the cocoa? How can you resist...

*no vegans were harmed in the making of this chili.

What's in it

1 14oz can light coconut milk (unsweetened)

2 tsp hot sauce

1 tsp agave nectar

1 tsp sea salt

fresh ground black pepper to taste

2 Tbl mild chili powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp allspice

3 Tbl Dutch process cocoa powder (or regular if that is what you have)

2 28oz cans diced tomatoes

1 14oz can black beans, rinsed

1 14oz can kidney beans, rinsed

1 14oz can pinto beans, rinsed

1 14oz can canellini (white) beans, rinsed

1 14oz can corn, drained

1 or 2 carrots diced (size them the same as your beans)

1 onion diced (size them the same as your beans)

1 1/2 C celery diced (size them the same as your beans)

1/2 C diced bell peppers - optional (size them the same as your beans)

How it's made

Grab your large slow-cooker. Whisk together first 9 ingredients in slow cooker until blended (coconut milk through cocoa powder). Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until combined. Turn your slow-cooker on low for 8 hours. Go away (to work, school...) and come home to delicious chili. If you have time or inclination, buy a box of corn bread mix from TJ's and make it up, or make some honey cornbread from scratch. Enjoy chili for dinner, then lunch the next day, then freeze the rest for another day. Or just invite over all your friends!

Persian Kidney Beans

I first made these years ago for an Iranian themed book club meeting. I had no idea how they would turn out and I had 15 people coming over, so I really hoped it would be good. The great thing about this dish is that it is simple and inexpensive to make. And it will serve a ton of people. The flavor combination is maybe a little different, but to me onions, garlic, cumin, jalapeno and citrus is redolent of Mexican cooking. The cinnamon is really what gives it a more exotic touch.

It all worked out fine that night, but for some reason I hadn't come back to this recipe. Then, flipping through one my new cookbooks, Mollie Katzen's Vegetable Heaven, I found this recipe again. I compared it to the one I'd made earlier from Allrecipes.com and they are strikingly similar. Here is my own conglomeration of the two. Plus the addition of cilantro, because we had some, it goes well with the flavors and spices in the dish and it seems like fresh herbs always take a dish to the next level.

Persian Kidney Beans
~PRINT RECIPE~

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 3-5 gloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups orange juice (to taste)
• Juice from 1 lime
• 1 can tomato paste
• 4 cans kidney beans, rinsed
  
• 1 jalapeno, diced
• 1/2 each lime and orange zest (optional. Zest before juicing!)
  
• Red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
• Black pepper to taste (optional)
• Torn fresh cilantro leaves (optional)
• Pita bread

1. Heat the oil in a deep sauce pan or Dutch oven. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the garlic, salt, cumin and cinnamon. Saute for 5 more minutes.
2. Stir in the orange and lime juice. Add the tomato paste and stir until well combined. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.
3. Add the beans, the jalapeno, the citrus zest and red pepper flakes. Stir often and cook for 20 more minutes over low heat.
4. Taste and adjust seasonings, then serve hot topped with more zest, red pepper flakes and fresh cilantro and pita bread to the side.

*Despite the jalapeno and red pepper flakes, this dish is not particularly spicy.

Spicy Black Beans with Soyrizo and Chipotle Cream

When I was growing up, my mom always used to make black beans from scratch. She'd let the dry beans soak over night and then cook them for what seemed to me like all of the next day. Her version always included sauteed onions and garlic and lots and lots of cumin. They were extremely flavorful and I liked them a lot. But, when I went to make black beans as an adult, I thought, "Why spend two days making black beans when I can just open a can of them?" Cans of black beans are inexpensive and easy to doctor up. But, they are not the same as homemade, as canned-and-processed anything rarely is.

I finally decided I should try to make my own from scratch, so I bought some dried black turtle beans from the bulk bin at the supermarket. They languished in my cupboard for months on end. Then I found a black bean recipe in Bon Appetit that really intrigued me. It had me at spicy, chorizo* and chipotle cream.

And it is as good as it sounds.

Beans

• 1 1/2 cups dried black beans
• 2 peeled onions; 1 halved, 1 chopped
  
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6-7 ounces (or more to taste) Soyrizo
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro, plus additional for garnish
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons minced, seeded jalapeno chile
• 1/2 (or more to taste) ground cumin

1. Place beans in a large saucepan. Add enough water to cover by two inches. Let beans soak overnight.
2. Drain beans. Return to saucepan. Add onion halves, bay leaf and oregano. Add enough cold water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered until beans are very tender, stirring occasionally--1 1/2 to 2 hours, depending on age of beans.
   
3. Drain beans, reserving cooking liquid. Discard onion halves and bay leaf.
   
4. Heat oil in a heavy, large, deep nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add soyrizo, breaking it up with a soon, and cook until lightly browned. Using a slotted spoon, transfer soyrizo to a small bowl.
5. Add chopped onion to drippings in skillet (adding olive oil as necessary) and cook until soft and golden grown--about 10 minutes, stirring often. Add 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, garlic, jalapeno and cumin. Stir 1 minute.
   
6. Add beans, 3/4 cup (or more as needed) cooking liquid and soyrizo to onion mixture. Stir to distribute evenly. Simmer over medium-low heat until heated and flavors are blended--3 to 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Chipotle Cream

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 1/4 teaspoons chipotle-flavored hot pepper sauce**
• 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

1. Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl to blend. Season to taste with salt.
   

* I like the taste of Mexican chorizo, but not the fact that it's made of ground up cow salivary glands (really!) and who knows what else. Soyrizo (available at Trader Joe's) is an excellent substitute, very delicious and more healthful. (Once opened, use the package within a day or two, or it will dry out.) This recipe (without the sour cream) will also be vegan with this substitution.
** I bought a small can of chipotle chiles awhile ago--once I opened the can, I transferred the chiles and their sauce to a resealable container that I stash in the back of my fridge. Whenever I need chipotle flavoring (usually recipes only call for small amounts), I have it readily available.

Taco Salad

Tonight we're having taco salad "take 2".  We made it last night as well, and there is something so satisfying about eating taco salad.  Maybe it's because I grew up eating it often.  The best part is not having to be confined to a tortilla to get all the goods mixed together, as you are with a taco or burrito.  It's not the fanciest recipe on the block but it's what's for dinner tonight, so here we go.  When serving this salad, we leave all the ingredients separate, just like when we serve tacos, so everyone can make theirs to order.

What's in it

One head of lettuce (romaine) rinsed, dried and chopped

Green onions, sliced

Cheese, grated - use a mixture of what you are craving, such as jack, cheddar or pepper jack

Sour cream

Tomatoes, chopped

Avocado, cubed

Can of corn, drained

Can of sliced olives, drained

Can of beans, rinsed and heated (I prefer black)

Ground beef or chopped chicken

Taco seasoning or packet (I got the spicy taco seasoning by McCormick)

Tortilla chips

Salsa

Catalina salad dressing

How it's made

Prepare the meat with the taco seasoning packet as directed on the back of the seasoning package.  Prepare the rest of the ingredients.  Set the table with each ingredient in it's own bowl, to have a 'make your own' set up.  I combine the onion and lettuce, and the corn and olives.  You can use any dressing you like - a salsa, Catalina, or that weird creamy mixture that's red and white mixed together and I'm blanking on the name right now.

An alternative to using tortilla chips is frying up a whole tortilla to serve as the base of the salad.

Dennis' *Famous* Baked Beans

In the spirit of Super Bowl Sunday...these are a must.

Dennis (my step dad) has spent years perfecting this recipe, and as in all good ones, they are up in his head. Here's an attempt at transcribing it. To note - this recipe is ALWAYS requested by my cousins at family gatherings. We even have them on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

 Dennis' Famous Baked Beans

~Print Recipe~

What's in it:

2 cans baked beans (van kamps - short and fat)

5 slices bacon, chopped

1/2 onion minced

1 Tbl mustard

3 Tbl catsup

3 capfulls liquid smoke

3 Tbl molasses

1/2 C brown sugar

How it's made:

Preheat oven to 325.

Saute bacon and onions until onions are clear and bacon is cooked. Mix this in with all the other ingredients. Bake in a large casserole dish (or so) for one hour. Let it cool a bit before serving.

Crock Pot No Brainer Bean Soup

This morning I woke up two hours before I had to go to work, rode my bike to the farmer's market and TJ's, rode back, threw this together in the crock pot, and was on my way.  Fabulous! The best is getting home to a fully cooked meal.

Ingredients

1 package dried 17 bean mix (from TJ's)

celery chopped

carrot chopped

1 onion chopped and sauteed in butter

sausage links sliced

mushrooms chopped

1 box veggie stock

spices (salt, pepper, caraway, bay leaf, oregano...)

The way it's done

Disclaimer: depending on the size of your crock pot, you will want to adjust ingredient size.  I had to use only half a package of beans for mine, since it's so small.

You'll have to soak the beans in water overnight.  They soak up a lot of water, so be sure to have enough water covering them (2 inches). 

In the morning, put all the ingredients in the crock pot, and add water to fill enough liquid.  Put the crock pot on low, go to work, and come home to a warm and delicious meal!  I just ate mine with baguette and butter.

I'll probably make a second batch tomorrow with the rest of my ingredients, then freeze it for later.  Feel free to add or subtract variety of ingredients.