Black Bean Soup

Recipe: Black Bean Soup
Page: 62
Date Cooked: March 26, 2011

Black bean soup is one of those incredibly rich and hearty soups. To be honest, I don't eat it often and rarely make it. So I was kind of excited to see what Jonathan Waxman had in store. Though this recipe calls for ham hock, Jonathan Waxman makes note that it can be removed to make this a vegetarian recipe, while not compromising the flavor.

Ingredients: Dried black beans, red onion, jalapeno chile, garlic, olive oil, ham hock, bay leaves, spicy store-bought salsa, cilantro, pepper, salt, lime, sour cream, and chives

Of course since the recipe called for dried black beans, the first step was to soak them overnight. The next day it was on to mincing the onions and jalapeno chile; also separating the garlic head into whole peeled cloves.

From Left to Right
1.Beans soaking 2.Minced onions 3.Cloves of garlic

Olive oil was heated in a saucepan. The onions, garlic, and ham hock were added to the pan until the ham hock was browned and onions light gold.

Onions, garlic, and ham hock being cooked

Next, the beans, bay leaves, jalapeno, salsa, cilantro stems, and black pepper were all added to the pot. Finally after adding some water, the soup was placed to simmer for almost 2 hours.

Black bean about ready to simmer

After the said time, the soup was removed from the heat and the bay leaves and ham hock were fished out. The meat was removed from the bone and diced. The soup was seasoned with additional salt and pepper and the ham meat was added back.

Diced ham meat

The soup was reheated and ladled into bowls and topped with sour cream. Mined onions, chives, and cilantro were sprinkled on top. Finally, the soup was finished off with a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Black Bean Soup

I think when you have a number of complimentary flavors and ingredients and you have the opportunity to cook them all together for a long period of time - it's just hard to go wrong. I really enjoyed the soup. It was definitely rich and without a doubt hearty - especially with the pieces of ham mixed in. Of course the garnishes (sour cream, onion, cilantro, and chives) added the freshness and lightness to the soup, which was well needed. Also, it is a hassle free soup. The most time consuming portion is the time it takes to soak the beans. Looks like another soup recipe success.

Enjoy! 

Guacamole and Fresh Chips

Recipe: Guacamole and Fresh Chips
Page: 19
Date Cooked: March 24, 2011

In the foreword of Jonathan Waxman's "A Great American Cook," Bobby Flay describes how the first thing Jonathan Waxman asked him to "cook" was a bowl of guacamole.

Jonathan showed me how attention paid to each ingredient could make all the difference in the world. He explained how to mash the ripe avocados with a fork and fold in the aromatic ingredients such as chiles and onion so that the guacamole would have contrasting textures. He taught me to chop the cilantro coarsely to accentuate its freshness. He showed me that just a kiss of fresh lime brings all the flavors together. That was also the first time I fried my own corn tortillas to make chips. Jonathan told me that peanut oil would make them crisp and light. Jonathan's favorite snack might be mine now, too.

Ingredients: Peanut oil, corn tortillas, sea salt, sweet onion, jalapeno chile, searrano chile, cilantro, salt, avocados, lemon, and lime

First step was to make the fresh chips. The corn tortillas were cut into eighths and fried in hot peanut oil until golden brown. Once cooked, they were removed with a slotted spoon and immediately sprinkled with sea salt.

Corn tortillas being fried

And now on to the guacamole. The minced onions, chiles, cilantro, and some salt were placed in a food processor and pureed until almost liquid. Out of curiosity, I tried some of this mixture and it was good and of course had a bit of kick - which I like.

Onion-cilantro mixture

Next, the avocados were mashed with a fork. The onion-cilantro mixture was then folded in. Finally the fresh lemon and lime juice were added to the guacamole. Everything was mixed well and additional salt was added. Finally, it was ready to serve and eat.

Guacamole and Fresh Chips

I could not stop eating this. It was the best guacamole I have ever had. And the chips were delicious. The best part of course is that it didn't take a whole lot of time to prepare. I got to thinking later, how it was such a good idea to have in your back pocket - a definite upgrade from store bought guacamole and chips. All in all, it may be one of new favorite snacks!

Enjoy!

Crispy Chicken and Goat Cheese Burritos

Recipe: Crispy Chicken and Goat Cheese Burritos
Page: 48
Date Cooked: March 17, 2011

I made these "burritos" and immediately my thought was that they weren't really burritos. Nothing about it felt like a burrito. Then of course when I began to write this entry, I noticed this little tid bit that Jonathan Waxman inserted in the intro for this recipe.

"These aren't really burritos. I don't know precisely what qualifies a burrito as a burrito, but the tortillas are corn rather than flour, and there aren't any beans involved here. The truth is they really are more like flautas or crispy tacos, but I like the term 'burrito,' and it has stuck."

Ingredients: Chicken legs, chili powder, salt, black pepper, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, jalapeno chiles, onion, garlic, olive oil, lemon, lime, scallions, unsalted butter, goat cheese, cilantro, and corn tortillas

Unfortunately, my grocery store did not have whole chicken legs - but since a chicken leg is simply the chicken thigh + chicken drumstick, I improvised. The chicken was sprinkled with the chili powder, salt, and pepper and placed in the oven to roast until the meat was cooked through and the skin was crispy. Once the chicken cooled - the meat was shredded and the skin thinly sliced.

1.Raw chicken sprinkled with chili powder, salt, and pepper 2. Roasted chicken 3. Shredded chicken

The bell peppers and chiles were prepared using the "blacken and blister" technique, this is now what I call it. I had used this exact method in two previous recipes (Warm Lobster Tacos with Guacamole and Pork Shoulder with Mole Sauce). Once chopped, the peppers and chili were mixed with the chicken.

1. The peppers and chili 2. Peppers and chili blackened and blistered 3. After being peeled - they were chopped

The onion and garlic were minced and were cooked with olive oil just until the onions became tender. Next, the chicken, chiles, and peppers were added to the onion mixture. Finally some water was added to the skillet and cooked until the water has just evaporated.

Left: Onion and garlic mixture
Right: Onion mixture along with chicken, peppers, and chili

Once the water had evaporated, the lemon juice was added to the chicken. The mixture was transferred to a bowl and I then added the goat cheese. Once everything was mixed well, the minced scallions, cilantro, and lime juice were also added.

Chicken and goat cheese mixture

Finally, it was time to put the burritos together. The tortillas were placed on a flat surface and the chicken mixture was placed in the center of the tortilla. The two sides were folded over and then the top and bottom of the tortilla were also folded to wrap the mixture.

Chicken mixture on the corn tortilla

Finally a baking sheet was brushed with melted butter and the burritos were placed on the sheet seam side down. They were baked for about 20 minutes until each side was crispy. Finally, the burritos were topped with guacamole. Jonathan Waxman suggests using the guacamole from another recipe, but since I hadn't gotten there yet, I used store bough guacamole.

Crispy Chicken and Goat Cheese Burritos

I really liked the "burritos." I sampled the chicken and goat cheese mixture on its own and it was delicious. I would even recommend using the chicken mixture as some sort of dip. The cilantro also added a great freshness to the whole mixture, making it feel very light.

But I have to completely agree with the intro about this really not feeling like a burrito. Moreover, I think using flour tortillas would have been better. Flour tortillas are just a little more subtle and you would then be able to really appreciate the flavors of the filling. Nonetheless, it was fun finding out how well these flavors meshed.

Enjoy!