Monday, August 9, 2010
Meatless Monday!
So in an effort to revive my blog and to honor Meatless Monday, here is my contribution.
I had a craving for something tasty, with no meat. So I figured what is the easiest thing to make? RICE AND BEANS
Back in El Salvador beans can be pretty plain, you boil them, throw in a few cloves of garlic some salt, cook them through, and you’re done. Now, if you refried them that’s another story. But, yours truly, was not in the mood for refried beans. So I borrow some ideas from the Caribbean and came up with my own rice in beans. Most recipes call for either pork belly, raw ham bones, but I didn’t want to do that. Too much work and too many dead animals. So here goes my rendition. In a large pot place the desire amount of beans you want to cook and five times that amount you add water to the pot. There is an all wives tale that if you add salt to your beans in the beginning, they will take much longer to cook. Is it true? I don’t know but I am not about to find out and question my grandmother’s advice.
So there are the ingredients
1 cup of small red beans
5 cups of water
2 cups of squash cubed (you can use pumpkin but I rather work with squash)
4 cloves of garlic
1 med bunch of fresh cilantro
1 cup of veggie stock
½ red sweet pepper chopped
½ large onion chopped
2 tbs. of tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste
Place the beans in a large pot with water, cook at medium high heat. (By the way I don’t soak my beans, I really go old school on this) Cook the beans for about an hour and keep an eye on the liquid make sure you don’t dry them out, and add water as needed. Take you cilantro, garlic onion, red sweet pepper, veggie stock, tomato paste and puree in your blender. This will make a sofrito. When the beans are cooked half way add your sofrito and the cubed squash. Cook for another hour. At this point the squash may have “disintegrated” but this will make for a richer fuller bean stock. Serve over white rice
Well, was I just gonna eat rice and beans? No side dish? No... Well you can make a tomato red onion salad but I wanted something crunchy!!! So I figured tostones will go well with rice and beans. Tostones are fried green plantains seasoned with garlic. So here is my rendition to a great Caribbean favorite.
Tostones
2 Large Green Plantains
1 cup of peanut oil for frying
Salt, pepper to taste and garlic powder (not to be confused with Garlic Salt)
I will add and extra step and ingredient to this recipe. I was told that if you are to fry any vegetable soak it in water with corn starch before frying. To the best of my understanding this is a Chinese cooking technique.
Peel the plantains, slice them and soak them in water with corn starch, also you may season the water with the rest of the other ingredients.
Place the oil in a frying pan; make sure the oil is hot but not smoking. Lightly fry the plantain slices till slightly golden remove and work in batches.
While the plantains are still warm flatten them. You can use a tostonera*, or if you are courageous enough use your hands. Also, there is the Viking method, use a meat tenderizer. Return flattened slices to the skillet, and continue frying until golden brown. Drain on paper towels, and season with salt and garlic powder.
*Visit tostobueno.com to see the ultimate tostonera or simple google the word.
I had a craving for something tasty, with no meat. So I figured what is the easiest thing to make? RICE AND BEANS
Back in El Salvador beans can be pretty plain, you boil them, throw in a few cloves of garlic some salt, cook them through, and you’re done. Now, if you refried them that’s another story. But, yours truly, was not in the mood for refried beans. So I borrow some ideas from the Caribbean and came up with my own rice in beans. Most recipes call for either pork belly, raw ham bones, but I didn’t want to do that. Too much work and too many dead animals. So here goes my rendition. In a large pot place the desire amount of beans you want to cook and five times that amount you add water to the pot. There is an all wives tale that if you add salt to your beans in the beginning, they will take much longer to cook. Is it true? I don’t know but I am not about to find out and question my grandmother’s advice.
So there are the ingredients
1 cup of small red beans
5 cups of water
2 cups of squash cubed (you can use pumpkin but I rather work with squash)
4 cloves of garlic
1 med bunch of fresh cilantro
1 cup of veggie stock
½ red sweet pepper chopped
½ large onion chopped
2 tbs. of tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste
Place the beans in a large pot with water, cook at medium high heat. (By the way I don’t soak my beans, I really go old school on this) Cook the beans for about an hour and keep an eye on the liquid make sure you don’t dry them out, and add water as needed. Take you cilantro, garlic onion, red sweet pepper, veggie stock, tomato paste and puree in your blender. This will make a sofrito. When the beans are cooked half way add your sofrito and the cubed squash. Cook for another hour. At this point the squash may have “disintegrated” but this will make for a richer fuller bean stock. Serve over white rice
Well, was I just gonna eat rice and beans? No side dish? No... Well you can make a tomato red onion salad but I wanted something crunchy!!! So I figured tostones will go well with rice and beans. Tostones are fried green plantains seasoned with garlic. So here is my rendition to a great Caribbean favorite.
Tostones
2 Large Green Plantains
1 cup of peanut oil for frying
Salt, pepper to taste and garlic powder (not to be confused with Garlic Salt)
I will add and extra step and ingredient to this recipe. I was told that if you are to fry any vegetable soak it in water with corn starch before frying. To the best of my understanding this is a Chinese cooking technique.
Peel the plantains, slice them and soak them in water with corn starch, also you may season the water with the rest of the other ingredients.
Place the oil in a frying pan; make sure the oil is hot but not smoking. Lightly fry the plantain slices till slightly golden remove and work in batches.
While the plantains are still warm flatten them. You can use a tostonera*, or if you are courageous enough use your hands. Also, there is the Viking method, use a meat tenderizer. Return flattened slices to the skillet, and continue frying until golden brown. Drain on paper towels, and season with salt and garlic powder.
*Visit tostobueno.com to see the ultimate tostonera or simple google the word.
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