I love how when he presents recipes, he always offers an alternative. He may suggest a vegetarian option or an updated version of a traditional and rustic dish. He also discusses regional foods and totally gives the reader/home cook the permission to take any dish and make it their own. (Sound familiar?) Yes, he is my hero and the one who played a part in giving me confidence in the kitchen.
One of my all time favorite recipes of his is Mexican Beans with Chorizo and Greens. Rick's version is made with chorizo, a very flavorful loose Mexican sausage. I still cook the chorizo like before, but now I cook it on the side for the meat eaters of the family to use as a garnish.
I modified the recipe to make it my own vegetarian version. My sweet husband, an inherent meat eater, happens to be fully satisfied with a nice plate of these beans, He barely uses any of the chorizo and is still content.
Before I give you the recipe, I will tell you a secret. I bought some kale last Monday and it was still sitting in my fridge! I know, it's a shame. It was fairly wilted, even lost a bit of that dark green color. But it wasn't slimy and was still edible, so I used it in this dish, and it worked out perfectly. I use this method in a lot of my cooking - if the food is a little limp but not out right spoiled, I use it in a dish so as not to let it go to waste.
Beans and Greens, Mexican Style
1/2 pound dry pinto beans (can use black beans but I prefer pintos. One of my girlfriends prefers black), cooked.
1 T olive oil, water if you are oil free
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch kale - washed, stemmed, and torn into bite sized pieces or other green such as chard
1 T finely chopped chipotle in adobo sauce, more or less to taste. 1 T is not too hot, not too mild
1 t salt
for garnish: sliced avocado, finely chopped diced onions, and cilantro
Cook your beans. I love love love my pressure cooker so I use that. (I do the quick soak method given on the bean package, let sit for an hour then cook for 10 minutes once pressure is on). I also cook the whole pound of beans and use half now, set aside the other half for later in the week. Beans also freeze well, so you can do that if you don't think you'll eat them in a few days.
In a heavy bottomed pan, add your tablespoon of olive oil (or a layer of water) along with onions. Cook over medium heat till onions become translucent, add garlic and cook till it is fragrant. Ladle in your beans. You don't have to be exact if you cooked the whole pound of beans. Just throw in what you think is half of that, or all if you only cooked half the pound. Add chipotle and salt, give it a good stir to combine and taste the liquid, adjusting to taste if necessary. Add your greens, bring mixture to a simmer, and cook for 10-15 minutes till greens* are tender.
While you are cooking down the greens, slice your avocado, dice onions, and chop cilantro. Heat up some corn tortillas and wrap in a towel or keep in a tortilla warmer.
To serve, ladle your beans and greens into a bowl and top with your garnishes. Serve with tortillas.
*Melanie notes - my favorite greens in the world to use in this dish is Swiss Chard or Rainbow Chard (the red looks pretty in the dish). I've used collards and mustard greens as well, all with good results. Collards and kale take a little longer to cook. Chard - all you have to do is cook down till it wilts, usually no more than 5 minutes. Mustard greens are in between. If you garden and have an abundance of any of the above, just use what you have and adjust your cooking time accordingly. I actually grew extra chard this year for this particular meal!
Enjoy!
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