Culinary Adventures: BEANS

[highlyeccentric]

cookbook_challenge
background image by Joanna Lopez on Unsplash

*points up* This is a neat community, do recommend. I've signed myself up for 1-2 a month, and am giving myself leeway for 'things i haven't cooked since 2018' (especially if that's because I haven't gluten-free-ified them.

In the first of the 'not since 2018' endeavour, I made a variation on Jack Monroe's Peanut butter granola, with a mix of soy flakes, flaked buckwheat, amaranth, and puffed rice. I think next time I won't use the organic puffed rice for the peanut butter one - I have since found regular gluten free rice bubbles, which would go better with the smaller flakes of the other grains. I had the mix in the oven at 180 with muffins, which was a mistake - I think I remember finding that even with oats it worked better at 150, and the amaranth grains burn really easily. Having scraped off the top, though, it's not bad. And I have a couple of ice cream containers of the soy/buckwheat/amaranth mix stored away for further granola adventures.

New to me, from Smitten Kitchen Every Day: Variations on 'Bacony Beans With the Works' (I impulse bought another small roll of leg ham, you see; and see no point making tortilla chips when I could just make burrito/taco/things)


This recipe is: Tomato free, dairy free if you adjust toppings
This recipe could be: theoretically vegan if you leave out the ham, but I feel like there are better recipes for vegan beans out there. Done in the slow cooker, and frankly that would be smarter.
This recipe requires: time, faffing about with stove and oven, and multiple dishes



Proportions are basically guestimates - you can make a LOT or a little of this, and adjust your bean:ham ratio as you please.

For the beans:
Beans, some. I chose borlotti, and about 2/3 of a cup dried. I soaked them overnight (3hr on low in the slow cooker, then turned off over night. I should have left them on low overnight).
1 onion
Some garlic, minced
Paprika
Ground cumin
Ground coriander
Olive oil
Stock
Harissa paste, 1-2 tsp (SK calls for tomato paste and, separately, hot sauce)
Optionally, minced fresh chili or dried chili flakes (I was cooking for someone with a low spice tolerance)
Diced leg ham (SK calls for bacon, in which case fry the bacon first and remove before you add the onions; add back in as a crunchy topping later)

For salsa (SK has a simple tomato salsa, but I was cooking for someone tomato intolerant):
1 yellow capsicum
Half an onion, diced
A small handful of fresh basil
1-2 tbsp lime juice
1-2 tbsp olive oil
Minced chili or sambal oelek
About 6cm of cucumber

Other:
Soft tortillas
Toppings such as guacamole, cheese, sour cream or yoghurt, sweet chili or hot sauce. Rice, if you like hefty burritos.

1. Fry the onion and garlic until onion glistens. Add diced ham and fry for a further minute or two. Add spices and harissa paste.
2. Add beans and stock - about a cup per the equivalent of one can of beans, but your mileage may vary, be prepared to adjust. Bring to boil.
3. Tranfer to an ovenproof lidded pot. Cook until beans are soft, adding more stock or water if needed. SK estimates 30min for canned beans; I took 1.5 hours with dried and still had to microwave them at the last. Will use slow cooker next time.
4. Prepare the salsa: dice everything and mix it together.
5. Serve as burritos or tacos. Or nachos. Serve however you please, basically.