International Night

Well, we were all over the map with this one. It was another chilly night here in the desert, so a big pot of beans was in order. Borracho beans, to be exact. A nice warm piece of Irish Soda Bread complemented the beans nicely, and we rounded out the meal with a hearty Cobb salad.

Enjoy.

Menu:
Drunken (Borracho) Beans
Irish Soda Bread
Cobb Salad with Oven-Dried Tomatoes and Creamy Peppercorn Blue Cheese Dressing


Borracho Beans

The Rancho Gordo Cookbook



4 cups cooked pinto beans, in their broth
1 bottle lager
2 slices high-quality bacon, diced
1/2 medium yellow or white onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3-4 serrano chiles, seeded if desired, and chopped
1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Lime wedges for serving

1. In a stockpot over medium heat, warm the beans and their broth. Add the beer and simmer to cook off some of the beer, about 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a small, heavy skillet over medium heat, saute the bacon until the fat is nearly rendered and the bacon is brown, about 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
3. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat in the pot. Add the onion, garlic, and chiles, and saute over medium heat until soft and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute until wilted and soft, about 10 minutes. Stir in the cooked bacon.
4. Add the mushroom mixture to the beans, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the flavors are blended, about 10 minutes.

Serve the beans with warm tortillas and lime wedges.





Irish Soda Bread
adapted from Baking With Julia


Hmm. This is a terrible picture; it looked much browner and more homey in real life.

serves 2

1 c flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 plus 1/8 tsp salt
1/2 c buttermilk

1. Preheat the oven to 375F
2. Combine all ingredients to form a soft dough. Knead for 1 minute.
3. Form into a round loaf and bake for 25 minutes, or until browned.
4. Cut into individual servings.


Cobb Salad
adapted from Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc At Home



serves 1

2 c romaine lettuce, chopped
2 T red onion, diced
1 hard-boiled egg, sliced
1 bacon slice, crumbled
4 oven-dried tomato halves, diced (see recipe below)
1/4 of an avocado, diced
2 T Creamy Peppercorn Blue Cheese dressing (see recipe below)

1. Combine all ingredients, sprinkle with fresh ground black pepper, and serve.


Creamy Peppercorn Blue Cheese Dressing
adapted from Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc At Home



makes 3/4 cup

1/4 tsp black peppercorns, coarsely ground
2 T honey
2 T rice vinegar
2 T lowfat plain yogurt, preferably Greek
2 T lowfat mayonnaise or aioli
3 T buttermilk
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 T crumbled blue cheese

1. In a small saucepan, heat the peppercorns, honey and vinegar to boiling. Simmer until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together the yogurt, mayonnaise, and buttermilk. Stir in the warm honey mixture.
3. Stir in the garlic powder and blue cheese. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.


Oven-Dried Tomatoes
adapted from Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc At Home



These are really good and easy, provided you think far enough ahead to account for cooking time. But even if you don't (like, say, you also need to oven for something else cooked at a higher tenperature), you can set the tomatoes aside temporarily and continued cooking them as you have time. These are not the rubbery, chewy, leathery tomatoes you're likely to find in the dried fruit section of the store; these are juicy and very concentrated, a great addition to salads and pastas. I have made them both with and without oil, and both ways work great. Also, the original recipe calls for thyme; I have only had oregano on hand each time, so I think any herb would do.

12 Roma tomatoes
ice bath
1 T olive oil
salt and pepper
fresh thyme or oregano springs

1. Prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and topping it off with water. Set aside.
2. Core the tomatoes and score an X on the bottom of each one, extending the cut 2/3 of the way up the tomato.
3. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Drop the tomatoes in and cook just long enough for the skin to start pulling away, about 30 seconds.
4. Plunge the tomatoes into the ice bath.
5. Peel the skins and cut each tomato in half lengthwise.
6. Heat the oven to 200F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
7. Place the tomatoes, cut-side up, on the baking sheet. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and sprinkle the herbs over the tomatoes.
8. Bake for 5-7 hours, or until shriveled. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.