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You’re totally singing that song now, aren’t you?  I have been singing it ever since I put the pinto beans to soak and my curious son asked, “What are THOSE things, mom?”  “Pinto beans,” I said.  To which my son replied, “OH!  Beans!  Beans! The magical fruit!  The more you eat, the more you toot!”  All the while dancing around the room to this fun tune.  Nice.  The kid had to take after me his dad. lmao  Actually, I like to make the beans from scratch, because there is this little trick I do to aid in the digestion of these delicious little bites to avoid said tooting.  So far, this has turned out to be a pretty appetizing post, hasn’t it?  LMAO  Nothing whets the appetite like a good tooting conversation. 

 

Refried beans.  So good, and so good for you!  While they are not actually “refried,” (that’s a mistranslation for “refrito,” which actually refers to what you have sauteed, be it garlic and onions, a tomato mixture, whatever…) they’re just fried once.  Of course you *could* reheat them in a pan rather than the microwave, and then they’d be “refried.” lol  But anyway, I’m not posting to discuss semantics today…I’m posting because I want to share my recipe for these delicious beans!  And afterwards the yummy layered dip I made with them.

Ingredients:

2 pounds (1 kilo) dried pinto beans, washed, sorted and soaked overnight
2 tablespoons brown sugar (secret anti-toot ingredient!)
1/2 pound (200 grams) bacon, cut into bite sized bits (use a kitchen shears to save time)
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, minced
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 tablespoons chili powder

Preparation:

Drain beans of soaking liquid, and generously cover with water in a stock pot.
Add brown sugar (this is important to help aid the digestion of the beans and reduce flatulence normally associated with them).
Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low.
Cook about 1 hour or so, depending on the size and age of your beans–they’re done when the skin begins to break open.
Remove from heat and set aside.
Saute bacon in a pretty large pan until crispy.
Remove bacon to a paper towel and reserve, leaving drippings in the pan.
Saute garlic first, just until golden, then add onions and continue to saute until translucent.
Drain beans well, and add to the pan.
Season with salt, pepper and chili powder…maybe a little oregano if you really want to go wild.
Stir well, mashing a bit with either a potato masher or large fork.
Keep stirring and mashing for about 10-15 minutes, until thoroughly combined.
Adjust seasoning.

Remember that bacon you set aside? Now it’s time to use it. Let’s make a Tex-Mex Baked Dip with our beans and bacon:

Ingredients:

2 cups refried beans
1 cup guacamole
1 cup sour cream
1 cup grated cheese
1/2 pound (200 grams) bacon, fried to crispy
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
2 chili peppers, sliced
(you can also add tomato pieces, black olives, whatever floats your boat)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425ºF/200ºC.
Spread beans in a 9×9 square baking dish.
Top with guacamole, then sour cream (or Quark or yogurt).
Sprinkle cheese over the top, then sprinkle bacon, onions, and chilies (and whatever other ingredients you’re adding).
Bake about 20 minutes, or until heated through.
Serve with corn chips.

One of the foods I miss most living here in the Canary Islands is Mexican and Tex-Mex foods.  Sure, we have a couple of restaurants, but the food is nowhere near that which I’m used to having lived in the States.  While the Canaries are very diverse ethnically, there aren’t very many Mexican immigrants.  The majority of Spanish speaking immigrants are Cuban, Colombian, Argentinian and Venezuelan.  Basically, the demand for Mexican and Tex-Mex foods is very low, so ingredients are difficult to find or very expensive.  That’s beginning to change now, but still, the variety is minimal, so I have to make do with what’s available.  The other day I almost starting jumping up and down in the grocery when I stumbled upon corn tortillas.  Corn tortillas!  OMG!  Flour tortillas are fairly common, corn chips are fairly common, but the ever elusive corn tortilla is a rare treat.  I immediately bought them and planned an enchilada meal.  As luck would have it, I had 1 remaining can of tomatillo salsa (salsa verde) in the pantry, and pork roasts were on sale as well.  Good deal!  Enchiladas were in our future. *insert happy dancing here*

Ingredients:

1-2 lb (1/2-1 kilo) pork roast
Tex-Mex rub:

1/4 cup chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin

12 corn tortillas
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
2 tablespoons flour (or cornstarch for gf)
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 small can tomatillo salsa (salsa verde)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
3 cups grated cheese (I used Dutch Gouda, but Cheddar, Monterrey Jack or other cheese would work, too)
salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder to taste
sour cream and chopped cilantro to garnish

Preparation:

Combine rub ingredients in a bowl, and rub all over pork roast.
Place roast in a large zip-lock bag and then in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
Now put the roast in a baking dish, cover and bake at least 5 hours at 325ºF/160ºC (or until meat begins to fall apart when poked with a fork).
Drain most of the juice from baking dish, and using a potato masher, shred pork.
Keep warm in the oven.
Wrap corn tortillas in foil and place in oven to warm as well.
Make sauce:
Heat oil over medium heat, then whisk in flour (or cornstarch) to make a roux.
Cook at least one minute, stirring constantly.
Add broth and milk, whisking constantly to avoid lumps.
Cook over medium heat about 15 minutes, or until thickened.
Add tomatillo salsa, sour cream and cilantro.
Stir well and remove from heat.
Coat the bottom of a 9×13″ baking dish with a bit of the sauce.
Remove tortillas from oven, and fill with shredded pork and a bit of cheese, then roll up and place in baking dish.
Repeat with all tortillas.
Pour sauce over enchiladas, and sprinkle with cheese.
Bake in a 400ºF/200ºC oven about 20 minutes, or until bubbly.
Serve garnished with sour cream and chopped cilantro.

I only have a couple of pics done, and don’t have time to write the recipes yet, but here are a couple of tonights icky treats…the Baked Intestines are puff pastry filled with guacamole, then painted with beaten egg and a little food coloring for effect…the purple fingers are the same recipe I posted before, but purple instead of green…stay tuned for more!

Slow cooked, spicy shredded pork…..Prep for the meat only took about 3 minutes, if that, and after cooking, another minute to shred it.  The sauce is really simple too, and the addition of freshly chopped cilantro at the end just really livens it up.  I used the carnitas in burritos this time, but I think it would be great in tacos, empanadas, taquitos, pretty much anything, really.

Ingredients:

3 lb (1 1/2 kilos) pork loin roast
salt and pepper to taste
garlic powder (a generous amount)
1/4 cup chili powder
ground cayenne to taste
a sprinkle of oregano
1 large red onion, minced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jar tomatillo salsa (10 ounces)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 bunch chopped cilantro (about 2/3 cup after chopping)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 300ºF (150ºC).
Place roast in an oven proof dish with a cover.
Season roast with salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne and oregano.
Cover and bake for 5-6 hours, until shreds easily.
Drain off juice, reserving for the sauce.
Shred meat, cover and reserve.

Make sauce:

Sautee onion and garlic in a splash of oil just until tender.
Season with cumin and add tomatillo salsa.
Add about a cup and a half (or more) of the reserved meat drippings.
Simmer about 10 minutes, then toss in cilantro and adjust seasonings.
Pour over pork and toss to coat.
The pork may be a bit soupy, but the juice really gives great flavor…just use a slotted spoon to prepare burritos.

Wow.  I just made the best fajitas!  I have made them before, but this time they turned out really great…I used a new technique that I learned from BrianJ to sear the steaks, and then allow them to rest on a wooden cutting board.  Man.  That is the best trick ever for preparing a juicy, perfectly cooked steak.  My butcher actually cut the steaks too thin for fajitas, but I guess that’s what I get for not paying attention while she was slicing…they still turned out good though..I just quickly seared each side and allowed to rest.  The marinade is really simple, the whole meal only took about 45 minutes from start to finish (apart from marinating time).  Apart from the fajitas, I also made pico de gallo and guacamole.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds (3/4 kilo) steak (in 2 fillets)

For marinade:

juice from one lemon
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 serrano pepper (or jalapeño, or other pepper of choice), minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 bunch cilantro, chopped (to equal about 1/3 cup or more to taste)
cracked black pepper to taste

For fajitas:

1 red bell pepper, sliced julienne
1 green bell pepper, sliced julienne
1 larger red onion, sliced julienne
8 flour tortillas (for gluten free, substitute gluten free tortillas)
fajita fixings (grated cheese, pico de gallo, guacamole, lettuce)

Preparation:

Prepare marinade and coat steaks liberally on both sides.
Refrigerate and allow to marinate for at least 1 hour (more is even better).
Meanwhile, prepare the guacamole and the pico de gallo.
Heat a griddle or grill pan over moderately high heat, and sear the steak (depending on thickness, about 3 minutes per side for medium rare).
Remove steak to wooden cutting board and allow to rest 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, toss vegetables in the pan with the steak juices, just until tender/crisp.
Slice steaks very thinly and assemble fajitas.

Summery chopped veggies mixed with herbs and just a hint of spice to jazz up any Southwestern type meal.

Ingredients:

4 ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 small onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 green pepper, minced
about 1/4 cup minced cilantro
juice of 1/2 lemon
a splash of extra virgin olive oil
cracked black pepper to taste
ground cumin to taste

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients and allow to sit 15-30 minutes for flavors to blend.