Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Those Coy Beans

Usually, when I make beans I throw a ham hock, a jalapeno, some garlic and onion, and maybe then stems from a bunch of cilantro into a pot with beans and water and let time do the rest of the work. A few hours later, they're done. Easy. So easy, in fact, that I have been absolutely blind to any other recipe for ages. "Uck," I'll think. "That looks like more work than it's probably worth." Then, I recieved Tacos, by Mark Miller, as a birthday present. In it, there is a recipe called Charro Beans with Blackened Tomatoes. When I first saw it, I thought, "What's a blackened tomato?". Looking more closely, I wondered, "Wheres the meat?" If you can't tell from other recipes, I am definitely one who is guiltly of planning my meals around protein. Period.

However, I live in Seattle, where dinner invitations are often accepted with codicils from those who specify food allergies ranging from dairy to strawberries but also often include food sensitivities (a food allergy that cannot be proven by immunological tests), the occasional vegetarian who still eats seafood and bacon, and my friends who don't eat pork that's overtly in a dish (aka bacon) but otherwise have a don't ask don't tell policy. So, when my friend Traci (who falls into the gluten sensitive category) agreed to come to dinner, I immediately thought of Tacos. Excepting flour tortillas, which often lands one in huge debates over whether flour or corn is better, much like people arguing over whether green or purple is a better color, tacos can be made easily without gluten. Even better, these beans can be made either as a taco all their own (giving one a flavorful vegetarian option) or as a side dish.

CHARRO BEANS WITH BLACKENED TOMATOES
as adapated from Tacos by Mark Miller

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. dried pinto beans, rinsed and picked over for rocks
3 whole cloves garlic
1 onion, halved
8 cups water
1/8 c. olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
2 jalapenos
1 lb. tomatoes
1 tbls. chipotlee puree (buy a can of chipotles in adobo and puree in food processor; the excess will last for up to 1 month in a container in refrigerator)
1 tbls. tomato paste
1 tsp. smoked salt* (optional)
1/2 tsp. dried mexican oregano
1/8 c  chopped fresh cilantro
16 - 5 1/2 corn tortillas

DIRECTIONS

1.  To cook the beans: in a large pot (at least 6 qt.), simmer the beans, 3 whole cloves of garlic, 1/2 of the onion and water over medium-low heat,  partially covered, for around 3 hours, or until the beans are almost falling apart. Add water as needed. After the beans are cooked, drain the bean liquid into a sauce pan and return the beans to the pot (turn heat off under beans). Reduce the bean liquid by half, around 10 minutes on high, and reserve.
2.  Place oven rack on the highest shelf. Set broiler to high. While the broiler is coming to temperature, remove any green stems from tomatoes. Then place tomatoes and jalapenos in a heavy, oven-proof pan (ideally, a cast iron skillet). Then, place pan into oven. Broil tomatoes and jalapenos for around 12 minutes on each side, so that both sides are black and blistered. Remove from oven and roughly chop.
3. Turn heat under beans to medium, and add chiles, tomatoes, tomato paste, chipotle puree, smoked salt, oregano, cilantro and thickened bean liquid.
4.  Then, cut the remaining 1/2 onion into a fine dice. In a skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat and saute the diced onion until it begins to caramelize, around 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Then, remove from heat and add the onion and garlic to the bean mixture.
5. Allow bean mixture to cook for 20 minutes. Then, serve or turn heat to low until ready to serve.
   To serve, I like to let people make their own tacos. So, I place the beans on the table, along side toasted tortillas (toast either in a skillet or over a gas flame) and salsa.

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