Brazilian Feijoada – Happy (and hopefully very lucky) New Year!!

We’ve posted about this before, but there’s a great, southern tradition of eating beans and greens on New Year’s Day to ensure good fortune in the coming year. 

Apparently, by eating “poor” the first day of the year, you align certain cosmic forces in your favor, which results in prosperity and good luck the rest of the year. Sounds crazy, right? I know, you’re way too sophisticated to believe in such lame supernatural shenanigans. Hey wait a minute…don’t you watch all those ghost hunter shows on cable TV? Busted! Hey, did you hear that noise?

Anyway, whether you believe in this kind of culinary clairvoyance or not, this Brazilian feijoada is one of the world’s great stews. The traditional good luck bean is the black-eyed pea, but here we’re celebrating the delicious, and very nutritious, black bean.

I tried to be clear in the video that this is just my version, and not some attempt at true feijoada authenticity, whatever that is. As long as you have black beans, and LOTS of smoked, salted, dried, and/or cured meats, you are well on your way to some kind of feijoada-like awesomeness.

In case you’re wondering, all I did for the greens was boil some kale in salted water until tender, and then sauté briefly in olive oil and garlic. It pairs perfectly with the white rice and rich stew, and while I can’t guarantee a year’s worth of wealth and good luck, I can promise you a delicious bowl of food. Happy New Year to all of you, and as always, enjoy!

Ingredients for 6 portions:
1 pounds dry black beans, soaked overnight
2 quarts water, plus more as needed (add more whenever stew looks too dry)
1 bay leaf
2 smoked pork chops
12 oz linguica
8 oz Italian sausage
4 oz smoked bacon
3 oz dried beef
1 onion
6 cloves garlic
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
salt and pepper to taste
For the crumbs:
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp grated orange zest
2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley

Basic steps:
- Soak beans overnight, add to pot with bay leaf, beef jerky, and any bones
- Simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until beans are cooked, but very firm
- Add onion mixture and meats, and simmer for another hour, or until beans are very soft
- Add a splash of water at any point during the cooking if stew looks too dry
- Test and add salt near the end, depending on saltiness of meat

White Bean & Chicken Breast Chili – A Change of Pace, Change of Pace

I love a hearty beef chili as much as the next guy, but once in a while there’s nothing wrong with going over to the light side, and enjoying an equally comforting bowl of white bean and chicken chili. I’ve always used thighs for my chicken chili, which of course have more fat and flavor, but after a bunch of requests for a chicken breast version, I decided give it a go, and I was very happy with the results.

The key is to not overcook the chicken when you sear it. You want it slightly undercooked, maybe about 150 degrees F. internal temp, since it will cook all the way when we add it back in. You’ll notice when I slice mine, there’s a little bit of opaqueness to the flesh, which is what you want.

This is intended to be a relatively quick and simple weeknight meal, so I didn’t add much in the way of extras, but things like peppers, squash, and mushrooms are always welcomed additions. 

I know you’re probably missing those long, warm summer days right about now, but one of the great things about this season’s cold, wet weather is that it begs for recipes like this. I hope you pour yourself a beer, grab a chunk of bread, and dig into a bowl of this soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

2 tsp vegetable oil

2 or 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 1 1/4 lbs

salt and pepper to taste

1 large onion

4 cloves garlic

1 tbsp ancho chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp flour

about 3 cups chicken broth or stock, divided

1 tsp fine cornmeal
2 cans (15oz) white beans

cayenne to taste

1/4 tsp sugar or to taste

1/3 cup chopped green onions

sour cream and cilantro to garnish

Roasted Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili – A Super Food for a Super Cause

When ONE.org asked me to help raise awareness about their campaign to fight chronic malnutrition, using the humble sweet potato, I had one important question…if I agreed, would I get some kind of tote bag?

When I was informed there was no tote bag, I decided to check out their info anyway, and I’m very glad I did. While I was shocked to learn that millions of children die each year from malnutrition, it was heartening to learn what a huge difference this delicious “super-food” could make.

To help spread the word, I offer up this colorful, and very tasty, roasted sweet potato and black bean chili. I really enjoyed this 100% vegetarian version, and the extra step of roasting the potatoes not only concentrated the sweet, earthy flavors, but gave the starchy chunks a marvelously meaty texture.

Anyway, I’m going to sign off so I can go add “Helped Bono fight childhood malnutrition” to my resume, but I sincerely hope you take a minute and check out One.org for more information about this sweet potato campaign, as well as sign the nutrition petition. Thank you, and as always, enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 lbs orange-fleshed sweet potatoes

1/2 tsp ground chipotle pepper, or to taste

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp olive oil, divided

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 jalapeno, sliced

1 tbsp cumin

2 or 3 tbsp Ancho chili powder, or other chili powders, or to taste

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1 can (28-oz) diced or crushed tomatoes

1 cup water, more as needed
1 tbsp corn meal

1 tsp salt, or to taste

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp unsweetened cocoa

2 cans (15-oz) black beans, drained, rinsed

cayenne to taste

sour cream and cilantro to garnish

Bacon & Cranberry Bean Ragout and Public Apology to Mr. Bean

During this video, which features a rustic and deeply satisfying bacon and cranberry bean ragout, I make a joke about the great British actor Rowan Atkinson’s appearance at the Olympics. Based on all the thoughtful, politely worded comments I’m getting on YouTube, apparently I’m the only one in the world who’s not a huge Mr. Bean fan.

Based on the response, I’m clearly missing something. While I find Mr. Bean more creepy than comedic, I’ve been told to ignore the movies he did for American theaters (…”Ha! It’s funny ‘cause he fell down!”), and instead check out some of his brilliant work on British television. Well, that’s not going to happen anytime soon. I still haven’t finished catching up on all the Benny Hills.  

Anyway, as usual, I’ll assume I’m wrong and Mr. Bean really is comedy gold. My sincerest apologies to Mr. Rowan Atkinson – not so much for my harmless one-liner, but for him possibly finding out about the slight, and having to read this lame excuse for a pork and beans post.

Oh yeah, the bacon and cranberry bean ragout! It was super tasty, and as I stated in the clip, would make a stellar side dish to pretty much anything coming off your late summer grill. I hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 side dish portions:
1 cup shelled cranberry beans

1/4 cup minced shallots

4 or 5 slices of bacon

1 tsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 cups chicken broth, or as needed

2 tsp chopped rosemary

2 tsp lemon zest

2 tbsp lemon juice

cayenne to taste

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp hot chilies

1 tbsp fresh herb like Italian parsley, chervil, oregano, etc.

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

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

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

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 voilà, 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

Black Eyed Peas with Pork and Greens – Good Luck with This!

I love the New Year's day tradition of eating beans and greens to bring luck and prosperity. This video was posted a few years back, and features black-eyed peas, and not one, but three kinds of pork. How can that not bring good fortune?

This is a very old tradition, and I don't mean colonial America old, I mean really, really old. There are records of black-eyed peas being eaten for good luck on New Year's Day all the way back to ancient Babylonia. It must have worked, because look at all the good fortune that has befallen the middle east since then. Okay, maybe that's not the best example.

This video recipe is my variation on something called "Hoppin' John," which is black-eyed peas, rice, and pork stewed together, usually served with some kind of greens and cornbread. Speaking of which, I highly suggest clicking on my cornbread recipe video and doing this thing right.

I want to wish you all a Happy New Year! May your 2011 be filled with much happiness, and lots of new adventures. Stay safe, party hard, and as always, enjoy!



Ingredients:
1 pound black-eyed peas, soaked overnight
3 strips bacon, sliced in 1/2-inch pieces
1 pound pork neck bones
6 oz smoked ham, diced
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrot
3 cloves chopped garlic
6 cups water
1 (10-oz can) diced tomato with green chilis
1 tsp salt
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
cayenne to taste
1 tsp dried thyme
1 large bunch kale, leaves torn
cooked rice