Guatemala: Rice and Beans (and a Volcano hike!)

One of the best meals C and I had in Guatemala was also one of the cheapest meals we had. It was late on a Tuesday night after we hiked Volcán Pacaya. We struggled to find an open restaurant that we could agree on, so we ended up at the same restaurant we'd eaten at the night before, the Rainbow Cafe. Our meal, Tomato Tarragon Soup for me and Rice and Beans for C, rang up as a whopping 22 Quetzals or roughly $2.85 USD. It was cheaper, more filling, and much more delicious than the sandwiches we ordered the previous night. It might have been an extra delicious meal because of all of the extra calories we burned on our volcano hike (minus the calories we added back by eating volcano-roasted marshmallows).

Volcán Pacaya is an active volcano just south of Guatemala City. When I say it's an active volcano, I'm not pulling your leg. Twelve days after our climb, it erupted, closing the park and airport in Guatemala City. While at first take, it seemed unfortunate that we didn't see any lava, we were extremely thankful that we didn't. We are grateful that we didn't have the same bad experience that family friends of mine had a few years back. They family was forced to run (literally) down the volcano as it erupted. I heard that story after we got back. Thankfully none of them were seriously injured. We learned that maybe volcano hikes aren't the greatest idea. Consider yourself warned!

View on the way up

Ascending into the clouds

Clouds parted briefly so that we could see the "Peak"

Marshmallows roasted in a vent

Back to the food! The Tomato Tarragon Soup was warm and hearty, very appropriate for the chilly February night. My only complaint was that there wasn't nearly enough bread to savor it slowly! The Rice and Beans were simple. The rice was seasoned with a little bit of salt and the black beans were seasoned with garlic. What made it tip the scales was the small bowl of sour cream that they served alongside it. There was something absolutely perfect about the combination of rice, beans, sour cream and hot sauce (which we added from a jar on the table).

Objective
Create a rice and beans dish comparable to the one at Rainbow Cafe in Antigua, Guatemala using dried black beans to capture the right texture of bean.

Materials
0.5 pounds dried black beans
2 cloves garlic, minced
0.5 small onion,chopped
salt and pepper
3 cups rice, cooked
Chipotle Salsa, to serve
sour cream (full-fat), to serve
coarse salt, to serve
cilantro, to garnish

Methods
1. Sort and rinse the black beans under cold water. Add to a large saucepan and cover with 5-6 inches of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. There are two choices to finish preparing the beans (a) overnight or (b) same day. To prepare the beans the same day, cover the pot and let the beans soak for one hour. Drain, rinse, and cover with fresh water. Bring to a boil with the garlic and onion. Boil the beans until they are soft (1.5-2 hours). Once the beans begin to soften, season with salt and pepper. To soak overnight, rinse the boiled beans under cold water until cool. Place in a large storage container, cover with water and let soak overnight. Then, drain, rinse, cover with fresh water and boil as stated before.
2. Once the beans are soft, drain the liquid.
3. To serve, put a scoop of rice in the bottom of a bowl. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Add a scoop of beans on top of the rice. Add a dollop of salsa and a dollop of sour cream. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve.

Results
Delicious! Seriously, it's the spicy salsa plus creamy sour cream combination that takes it from beans-and-rice-rice-and-beans to a delicious meal. The beans have texture, setting them apart from canned beans.

Discussion
There's really nothing more to say about the dish other than that you should make this next time you're craving comfort food (warm and hearty but healthy). So, instead, let's talk about beans. I tried preparing dried black beans once before. It went so terribly that I used the rest of the bag for pie weights instead of food. So why didn't I just use canned beans for this recipe? Texture and technique. The texture of canned beans is a little mushier than what I wanted (after all, black beans are a star player in this dish). So, why do I care about the technique? The technique is a good life skill. What if there is an aluminum shortage and we run out of cans? Just kidding. Seriously though, what happens if I get plopped down in an area where everyone uses dried beans so the grocery store doesn't carry canned beans? Do I really want to learn the technique out of necessity? No, I want to be prepared for that day because I suspect that it'll be coming soon (in 74 days to be exact).

Creamy Roasted Asparagus Soup (without the cream)

Love it or hate it, it's asparagus season! Asparagus reminds me of my childhood and of Easter. Our family celebrates Easter at my maternal grandma's house. Grandma Betty serves scalloped ham and potatoes, crescent rolls or dinner rolls, asparagus (white when she can find it), and a huge bowl of fruit salad adorned with whole strawberries and slices of kiwi. For dessert, she used to serve a chocolate cake with whipped cream frosting but more recently has started serving pie. In honor of my grandma (today is not only Easter but also her birthday), I'll share a recipe for that one food I always hated to see on her Easter table: asparagus!

Before we proceed, a fun fact about me is that I can't stand foods that, for whatever reason, remind me that I've eaten them once I'm done eating them. Examples include garlic, corn, kidney beans, Chipotle's regrettably delicious hot salsa, and last but not least, asparagus. People get uncomfortable talking about asparagus-pee, but it's serious and it caused me to abstain from eating asparagus for a long time. However, C's two favorite vegetables are asparagus and Brussels sprouts, so I've had to get past my aversion to asparagus.

Thankfully, I no longer have to hold my breath in the bathroom. For those of you who, like me, were blessed with the ability to smell asparagus-pee, I'm going to let you in on my little sciencey-secret, Dilution. Dilution, dilution, dilution! The more water you drink, the more you dilute your urine. The lower the concentration of the volatile compounds, the harder it is to smell. Also, I've noted that the tip with the buds is the culprit. If I just eat the shoot, I have no problems. Now, I challenge you to eat enough asparagus this spring to test my theory and report back so that I can expand my data set from an 'n' of one.

With a bunch of asparagus in the fridge and red potatoes that were starting to turn, I decided to make soup. One of the links I gave you in my VegOut! Challenge post was for Kathryn Hill's Rutabaga Chipotle Soup (I made it as stated, but with 2 oz. cream cheese instead of 2 cups of cream). That recipe was my inspiration for this soup: an asparagus soup that's creamy from a starchy tuber instead of fatty cream!

Objective
Make a creamy asparagus soup without cream.

Materials
1/2 lb. asparagus, washed and trimmed (or use a full pound)
olive oil
1 tbsp. butter (or olive oil)
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 small red potatoes, peeled and diced
4 cups vegetable broth
1/4 tsp. cumin
salt and pepper

Garlic toasts, to serve (optional):
baguette
large clove of garlic

Methods
1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Lay the asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 8-10 minutes or until the asparagus shoots begin to soften. When the asparagus is done cooking, cut off the top inch and set aside. Cut the remaining shoots into one inch-long pieces to add to the broth.
2. Meanwhile, in a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft. Stir in the garlic and cook a few minutes longer. Add the potatoes, asparagus shoots, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil and simmer until the potatoes are soft.
3. Ladle most of the broth into the jar of a blender. Add half of the potato chunks, onion, and asparagus. Puree until smooth. Pour back into the pot. Stir in the asparagus tops. Stir in the cumin and season to taste with salt and pepper. If you feel like it's missing something, try adding a pinch of garlic powder. Keep warm while you prepare the garlic toasts.
4. To prepare the garlic toasts, turn the oven to broil. Slice the baguette into 1/2" thick rounds. On a broiler safe sheet, toast the baguettes. Slice of clove of garlic in half and rub each toast with the cut edge. Serve warm with the soup.

Results
Incredibly creamy or maybe better described as velvety.  Tastes like asparagus with a hint of garlic.

Discussion and Future Directions
This isn't a spectacular recipe for wowing guests. Rather, this is a recipe for warming up on a cold spring day. It's a way to savor spring's bounty on those miserably cold days that in your heart you know to expect but nevertheless hope won't ever come. If you want to make it spectacular, stir in an ounce or two of cream cheese before you puree the soup. That will make it richer.

I like my soups a little chunkier so that there is some texture. Feel free to puree the whole soup if you prefer smooth cream soups. If you're going to puree it, feel free to add all of the asparagus to the pot at the beginning (or save just a few tips for garnish). Now, be sure to drink a full glass of water (a tall glass, not a short one) with your soup. See if my dilution method worked, and report back!

Coleslaw, Two Ways

I just told you about my experience taking the VegOut! Challenge to eat 30 vegetables in 30 days. Did you find it a little annoying that I didn't share any recipes for all those vegetables? I did. Sure, I gave you links to a few good ones, but that's not the same. I felt a little guilty telling you how great of an experience it was to eat 30 vegetables without giving you suggestions for eating 30 vegetables on your own! My food blog has started to morph into a dessert or baking blog, so my new goal is to post more recipes for main dishes and sides. Bring on the veges!

I'll start by sharing recipes for cabbage and fennel which I made into coleslaw, two ways. At the end of our 30 vegetables challenge, we had red, green, and Chinese cabbage in the fridge plus a giant jar of sauerkraut. I figured coleslaw would be the easiest way to use cabbage. Both of the recipes that I'm about to share make a reasonable amount that could easily serve 6-8 people. For a larger crowd (it's almost BBQ season), scale up. You won't mind having leftovers.

The first slaw is coleslaw with fennel. Fennel is an anise-flavored bulb-like stem supporting bushy leaves and tiny yellow flowers. Fennel seed is commonly used in Middle-Eastern and Asian cooking. You've probably bitten down into a fennel seed while eating sausage pizza. I thinly sliced the bulb-like stem and added it to my shredded cabbage and onion. The bulb provides a crunch and a sweet, licorice-like flavor. I left fennel seeds out of the dressing (I've never liked the texture), but feel free to add them for additional flavor.

Coleslaw with Fennel
(adapted from Simply in Season)
1/4 green cabbage, shredded
1/4 red cabbage, shredded
1/2 fennel bulb, thinly sliced, pieces of core removed
1/2 white onion, chopped
4 carrots, shredded

Dressing:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. cilantro
1/2 tbsp. dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. fennel seed (optional)
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Directions: Whisk together the dressing and pour over the salad. Toss to mix. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

The second slaw is a family favorite. It's calls for a boiling oil-and-vinegar dressing that was originally poured over just two ingredients: green cabbage and onion. I added red cabbage and carrots for color and added nutrition (bring on the antioxidants and vitamin-A precursors!). My grandma got this recipe from Cam Hubanks at the Avenue Bar in Madison, Wisconsin, one of our family's favorite spots to go for a Friday fish fry.  

Oil-and-Vinegar Coleslaw
(Adapted from Cam's Coleslaw)
1 small green cabbage, shredded
1 small red cabbage, shredded
1/2 onion, finely sliced
2 carrots, shredded

1/2 cup sugar
1 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. celery seed
1  tbsp. sugar

Directions: Sprinkle 1/2 cup sugar over the cabbage and vegetables. Set aside. Combine vinegar, oil and spices in a saucepan. Heat until boiling. Pour over the cabbage. Stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate. Keeps well. Please note that if you use red cabbage, the color will bleed.

The Avenue Bar no longer serves Cam's oil-and-vinegar coleslaw. Instead, they serve a traditional creamy, celery seedy coleslaw that's also very good.  Regrettably, I don't have that recipe to share with you. Instead, you'll have to try these two non-traditional versions. Enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

After I graduated from college, I moved to Crested Butte, Colorado where I spent the summer doing field research on bumblebees. At the end of July, both of my roommates were preparing to head home because they were finished with their research. That week, a family of bears started breaking into cabins looking for food. I was terrified that my roommates were leaving and I was gong to be spending the next few weeks by myself in the cabin. Jamie, who'd been living in our cabin every summer for the past 8 years, told me that the tares in the screen of our "patio" door were from a bear trying to get into our fridge. I believed her because she had no reason to lie about it and because it looked a lot like slashes made by a bear paw. I thought that surely I was going to have a late night run-in with a bear! (Thankfully, I didn't.)

Anyway, to celebrate the end of our time living together, we donned the nicest clothes we had in our lopsided, dusty cabin and headed down the mountain for a nice dinner. Jamie and Rebecca were deciding which appetizer to order and suggested hummus. They were shocked to learn that I was 22 and had never tried hummus! The waiter placed the platter in middle of the table and my roommates looked at me, expectantly. I grabbed a slice of cucumber, dipped it in the hummus and took a bite. It was good, a little garlicy, but good! My roommates explained that there were other, less garlicky flavors of hummus that I might like better.

At the end of the summer, I moved back to Wisconsin to work for a year while I applied to graduate school. I started cooking and baking nonstop! One day, I decided to make homemade hummus. Following the suggestion of my roommates, I made roasted red pepper hummus. I have no idea where I got the recipe, but I've spent the past 3+ years optimizing it. I promised my mom this recipe years ago, but I don't think I ever sent it to her! Here it is, optimized to be flavorful with a slight kick. I often serve this hummus with crackers and veges but it's also delicious in a wrap with cucumber, tomato, spinach, kalamata olives, and feta cheese.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Materials
15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed
1 roasted red pepper (feel free to use one from a jar)*
2 tbsp. lemon juice (fresh-squeezed if you can)
2 tbsp. lime juice (fresh-squeezed if you can)
1 1/2 tbsp. tahini (sesame seed paste)
1 clove garlic
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1-2 tbsp. olive oil (or more)

Methods
1. As annoying as it is, slip the skins off of the garbanzo beans. Gently pinch each bean, and slide off the skin. If this is too tedious for you (I hear you), leave the skins on, but know that your hummus won't be as smooth as it could be (you'll still enjoy it, I promise).
2. Combine all of the ingredients except the olive oil in the blender. Pulse a few times to combine. With the food processor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Once the hummus is whirling and looks moist, stop adding olive oil.
3. Continue to pulse until smooth and well-bended.
4. Refrigerate and serve cold.

*Alternative: use 3-4 roasted piquillo peppers

Guatemala: Avocado "Grilled" Cheese

Our first afternoon in Guatemala was spent exploring the colonial town of Antigua. We walked along the cobblestone streets and admired the crumbling architecture. Formerly, Antigua was the capital of the colony of Guatemala. After a series of earthquakes destroyed much of the city, the capital was moved to what is now Guatemala City. Daily life in Antigua is marked by a juxtaposition of modern and as the name of the town suggests, antigua (old or ancient). Without a second glance, the people walk past beautifully crumbling old churches and buildings that were once central to every day life. Some of the ruins have been preserved as museums. Others have new functions or simply became empty, chained lots. Founded in 1543 as Santiago de los Caballeros and now called La Antigua in reference to formerly having been the capital, Antigua is a town with lot to tell.

What does Antigua have to tell? The first lunch we had in Guatemala was at a café across from Parque Central called Café Condesa. The building it occupies was once the house of a count. As the legend goes, the count walked in on his wife (the countess) with the butler. The house was undergoing renovations, so as a punishment, the count buried the butler in mortar and bricks. Many years and a few owners later, the house was undergoing further renovations. It is said that the construction crew found a body in one of the walls they tore down. That's just one of Antigua's many legends.

As I fretted over choosing a sandwich, I read about the legend of the count. Once I knew the history, I knew I had to choose La Condesa (The Countess): wheat bread with melted cheese, avocado, lettuce and tomato.

Objective
Recreate La Condesa sandwich from Café Condesa in Antigua, Guatemala.

Materials
2 slices whole wheat bread
2 slices cheese (Gouda & Swiss if you have them)
1/2 avocado
salt & pepper
tomato
lettuce
jalapeño hot sauce

Methods
1. Very lightly toast the bread. Place one piece on a broiler-safe pan. Top with the two slices of cheese. Broil until the cheese melts, just a few minutes. Do not let the bread burn.
2. Meanwhile, mash up your avocado with salt and pepper, to taste. (I used a mortar and pestle.)
3. Place a large leaf of lettuce on the second piece of toast. Slather the lettuce with the avocado. Top with sliced tomato and add the slice of toast with the melted cheese, cheese side down.
4. Slice the sandwich in half and serve with jalapeño hot sauce on the side. (If you're making this for yourself, you can just add the hot sauce while you mash the avocado because you know how much heat you can tolerate.)

Results
Yum! Warm and creamy with a little bit of a kick.

Discussion and Future Directions
While it will never taste quite right because I'm not in Guatemala, and sometimes the experience and company make the meal, this is a very good imitation. Though Café Condesa does not serve the sandwich with hot sauce, they should! Luckily for me, C ordered huevos rancheros which was served with a side of jalapeño hot sauce. We liked the hot sauce so much that we bought a bottle and brought it back to the USA. Knowing that we have a limited supply, my next goal is to recreate La Condesa's jalapeño hot sauce. Be sure to use jalapeño hot sauce (picante) and not jalapeño salsa!

Supplementary Materials

Zucchini and Egg Breakfast Tacos

Let's talk about farmers' markets. Growing up in Madison, Wisconsin, I grew up with the notion that Saturday mornings are for the farmers' market. The capitol square bustles with pedestrians, bicyclists, children in strollers, a kid being carried on dad's shoulders, adults pulling wagons full of flowers and produce, dogs happy to be amidst so much activity, The Raging Grannies peace activists, an Andean musical group, someone passing around a petition for something they care about, Tom Ryan playing his piccolo, [fill in your favorite Madisonians]. The capitol steps and lawn seat people resting from the flow to enjoy spicy cheese bread, pastries, fresh fruit and vegetables, a bag of fresh, squeaky cheese curds, beef jerky, or some form of honey. In between bites and conversation, they are people-watching to take in this Madison ritual. Across the sidewalk, the perimeter of the capitol square is lined with tents and tables where friendly locals sell their goods. Every block has at least one cheese maker offering samples and no one can resist a squeaky cheese curd that was made at 4:00 that very morning. This is just what you do on Saturday morning in Madison.

Yesterday, C took me to the Urban Harvest Farmers Market in Houston. He was excited to take me because he knows how much I love the one in Madison. The problem is, I've never been to another farmers' market that captures the energy of the one in Madison, let alone the size. Mercado Hidalgo in Guanajuato, MX is a two story building full of vendors seven days a week. It is a beautiful market, but has an overpowering meaty smell from the carniceria and the unfortunate upper story of vendors selling trinkets (rosaries, bags, GTO-labeled anything you can imagine). I walked through Mercado Embajadores everyday on my way to the University of Guanajuato. The fruit smelled amazing, but I was kind of freaked out by all of the clothing and DVD stands. The Historic Soulard Farmers' Market in St. Louis showed great promise until I saw pineapples for sale. It is a great place to buy cheap wholesale produce that will probably go bad within 48 hours, but takes more searching if you want local or organic produce. The Urban Harvest Farmers Market in Houston is like a very small version of the Dane County Farmer's Market. I appreciate that the vendors are local and diverse. There are vendors for vegetables, goat cheese, meats, soaps, plants (mostly vegetables and an out-of-place orchid stand), chocolate, macaroons, coffee, at least 3 breakfast stands, rescue dogs, etc. What it's missing: size, location, Madisonians, and good Wisconsin cheddar.

Nevertheless, we picked up a few things. I don't imagine that Madisonians are able to get strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and tree-ripe peaches before Memorial Day! (There are some perks to living in Texas!) Anyway, the market made me homesick and hungry. With that combination, we were edging on a hangry Abby. As we walked back to the car, we were considering going out for Indian breakfast, but as soon as I said "breakfast tacos," I knew C was sold. We made a quick stop at H.E.B. to get the things we couldn't find at the farmers' market (they didn't even have cilantro). When we got home, I made vegetarian breakfast tacos with zucchini. C was skeptical about my use of zucchini. He whipped up huevos rancheros for himself, but I think he was pleasantly surprised by how satisfying my tacos were! They were spicy and the texture was great (I used a tool for cutting the vegetables into perfect little cubes--larger cubes for onion and green pepper and smaller cubes for the zucchini).

Apparently we didn't curb my hanger quickly enough, because I was still out-of-sorts after breakfast. C decided to give me a gift he was saving for Memorial Day (our date-day this month): a cutting board the shape of Wisconsin with a heart cut-out for Madison. He said that he knew I missed Wisconsin, so maybe it would help. I can't wait to use it as a cheese board for our next batch of homemade cheese!

Zucchini and Egg Vegetarian Breakfast Tacos
Makes 4-6 tacos

Materials
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1/2 small zucchini, diced (up to 1/2 cup)
1/2 small green pepper, diced (up to 1/2 cup)
cumin, to taste
cayenne, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste
4 eggs, lightly beaten
Tortillas (your favorite kind)
1/2 cup refried black beans, heated through
Greek yogurt, to garnish
Shredded cheese, to garnish
Cilantro, to garnish

Methods
1. To prepare the vegetables: Heat 1/2 tbsp. olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions. Cook for 2-3 minutes until they just begin to soften. Add the zucchini and green pepper. Cook until the vegetables are soft. Season with cumin, cayenne, black, pepper, and salt, to taste. Remove vegetables from the pan to a bowl.
2.  To prepare the eggs: Heat the remaining 1/2 tbsp. of oil in the same skillet. Add the lightly beaten eggs to the pan. Stir occasionally until the eggs are cooked through. Remove from heat.
3. Assemble the tacos: Slather a tortilla with refried black beans. Add about a quarter cup each of the scrambled eggs and vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Dollop with greek yogurt, sprinkle with cilantro. Serve immediately.

Chili Cook-Off Vegetarian Chili

Guess what? I moved to Texas! I finished my master's degree in St. Louis and headed south. My experiments are starting to pick up at my new job and I'm jumping into life as a "Wisconsinite Displaced in Texas." The cheese and brat selections in Houston are far superior to those in St. Louis, many of the traffic lights are shorter, and I left town 2 days before a snowstorm that was the first of many. I walked in the surf on the Gulf of Mexico, saw my first rodeo, and went in the pool on Easter Sunday! With that and more in mind, I'd say that the move was a great idea.

Oh yeah, there's also a boy in Texas. For the past few months, that boy and I have been talking about hosting a chili cook-off. His work schedule is kinda crazy (he's a pediatric intern), so we had to schedule it during a month when he got weekends off (a rarity). Coincidentally, I moved to Texas during just such a month. Planning a chili cook-off over Easter weekend might not have been the best idea. We aren't religious, but it turns out a lot of our friends are. Even so, we ended up with 8 chili entries (3 vegetarian, 5 meat) and a number of "fixin's" and desserts. Entries included an okra, bean and Sriracha chili, a barley and bean chili, a bell pepper and bean chili, traditional Texan beef chili, tomatillo beef chili, chicken chili, ground turkey chili, and, believe it or not, a venison chili! Overall, our chili cook-off was a success and we had a lot of fun.

To prepare for the cook-off, we went to the grocery store and bought every type of dried chile available (including but not limited to ancho, New Mexico, morita, mulato, chipotle, arbol, guajillo, pasilla, Japanese, and pequin). I knew I wanted to make a vegetarian chili to be sure that there was at least 1 vegetarian option available. I started off by reading The Food Lab: How to Make The Best Chili Ever on Serious Eats. Kenji provides an excellent discussion of chili--from flavor, to texture, to ingredients, and beyond. The article links to Serious Eats' Best Vegetarian Bean Chili recipe, which I used as the starting point for my chile. At first, I wanted to use as many chiles and peppers as possible (we had serranos, jalapenos, manzana, red/orange/yellow bell, poblano, and a really long green one). I decided to limit the peppers to bell peppers because I thought they would hold their crisp texture better than the others (poblanos tend to get mushy and I wasn't sure about any of the others). I wanted to use a bunch of different types of beans to add character. I decided to add lime for acidity and cinnamon for sweetness because the flavor of the chiles didn't come out right away upon taking a spoonful. In the end, I stirred in some corn for color and texture. I'm proud to report that my recipe tied for best vegetarian chili.

Objective
Make a tasty vegetarian chili for the Chili Cook-off using dried chiles as the base of the flavor.

Materials

2 chiles New Mexico

2 chiles de arbol

2 chiles mullato

2 chiles pasilla

2 chiles guajillo

1 chile morita

1 1/2 tbsp. cumin

1 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. salt

2 limes

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 bell peppers (1 each: red, orange, yellow), chopped

28 oz. Kidney beans

28 oz. Black beans

14 oz. Great Northern White beans

14 oz. Black eyed peas

28 oz. crushed tomatoes
14 oz. diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups frozen corn

1 tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Methods
1. Prepare the chile paste: cut the stems off of the chiles and remove the seeds. Place them in a dry skillet and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Add enough water to the skillet to cover the chiles (don't worry if they start to float). Bring the water to a boil, then remove the skillet from the heat and sit 15 minutes. 

2. Move the chiles to a blender with 1/2-1 cup of the chile water. Add 1 1/2 tbsp. cumin, 1 tsp. oregano, 1/2 tsp. ginger, and the juice of 2 limes. Blend to form a thick paste, adding more chile water if necessary.

3. In a large pot, heat 1 tbsp. olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook about 3 minutes. Add the minced garlic and chopped bell peppers. Continue to heat and stir until the onions and peppers have softened. Add the chile paste, beans, tomato, corn, soy sauce, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. Stir the chili to mix the ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

4. After the chili has simmered, taste the chili for flavor. As necessary, add more salt, cumin, cayenne, cinnamon, ginger, oregano, and lime juice. Continue simmering until and adjusting the spices until you reach a flavor that you like. Beware that the longer the chili simmers, the intensity of the flavors will dissipate.

Results
Yum! Without meat, it's tricky to get chili with texture that isn't just mush. Using a variety of beans and adding corn helped a lot. The flavor is good. It's sweet with a little bit of spicy. After sitting in the fridge over night, the heat was lost and the chili became very mild.

Discussion
The biggest thing this chili lacks is something to chew. I don't like tofu or fake meat, so maybe the texture I should add is crunchy. Just a little something to give the teeth some resistance. Maybe sprinkling the top of each bowl with crushed tortilla chips would work. The other thing I'd like to taste is more heat. Most of the other chili makers used Sriracha. I know that I'm in the huge minority these days, but I've never purchased or used the stuff. I wouldn't have thought to add hot sauce because I wanted my heat to be authentic from the chiles I added. I ended up relying a lot on the cayenne for heat and the peppers for flavor depth. Hot sauce might be the key!

My usual chili recipe is a turkey and black bean chili with chipotle salsa. I've made it with and without meat, and either way, the flavor is hard to beat (the brand of the chipotle salsa is the key). For the chili cook-off, I was determined to use chiles and not chili powder. I'm glad that I did because it was a learning experience. It took a lot more tasting and adding spices than I'm used to, but in the end, I liked my product enough that I was glad I didn't use my usual recipe.

Celery Root and Butternut Squash Gratin

Objective
To make a recipe using celery root. Over the holidays, I had dinner at Brasserie V in Madison, Wisconsin. The chef rotates the sides, soups, cheese platters, desserts and aioli for their incredible frites, so you will always be able to try something different. My server had described a celery root slaw to me, but instead brought a vegetable side that he thought they'd run out of. I enjoyed the side but was a little disappointed that I didn't get to try celery root (also known as celeriac). My two big goals for 2012 are to say "yes" more often and to try new things. When I saw celery root at the grocery store, it reminded me of mandrakes from Harry Potter (see fig. 1). I decided I had to buy it and figured I'd find a recipe when I got home. I decided to try celery root and butternut squash gratin. Adapted from CHOW.

Fig. 1: Celery root or celeriac

Materials
Topping:
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon herbes de Provence
pinch dried thyme
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup milk
1 butternut squash, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and seeded
1 celery root, peeled and sliced in half
1 small onion, sliced thinly
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup gruyère cheese, shredded
salt and pepper

Materials
1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Grease an 8x8-inch baking dish.
2. Melt the butter in a medium sized frying pan. Add the onions and saute until translucent. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Mix the cream and milk in a large bowl. Add the sliced butternut squash and celery root. Mix to coat the vegetables with liquid.
3. Layer half of the squash and celery root in the bottom of the baking dish. Place half of the onions over the squash/celery root. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Repeat with the rest of the squash/celery root and onions. Pour any remaining cream/milk mixture over the vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and pepper then sprinkle the cheese on top.
4. In a medium bowl, mix together the ingredients for the topping. Sprinkle over the cheese.
5. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and the vegetables are soft. Let sit 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

Results
The dish tastes delicious! The celery root cooked more slowly than the butternut squash, so I left it in the oven closer to an hour.

Discussion and Future Directions
Celery root tastes like (wait for it..) celery! When I tried the celery root raw, I was concerned that the flavor would be overpowering in the gratin. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the dish. The herbs and spices complemented each other nicely and added a good flavor to the dish. I was skeptical of adding walnuts to the topping, but it added a nice element of complexity to the topping.

The only complaint I have is that the celery root is much harder than the butternut squash and took longer to cook. Next time, I would make the butternut squash slices thicker than the celery root slices. I cut these by hand, but a mandoline would be a great way to control the thickness of the slices. I have a mandoline, but without a dishwasher, I hate using it! 

I reduced the fat from the original recipe by halving the cream with milk (I used fat free skim milk). To reduce the fat even further, you could try whole milk and see how it turns out. You could certainly leave out the cheese. To change the flavor, you could substitute other root vegetables (but be sure to account for differences in the firmness of the different vegetables). This is a delicious way to make a meal around vegetables!

Supplementary Materials

Mexican Rice and Bean Salad

Objective
To make a Mexican-inspired side dish to go along with stuffed poblanos. As an undergraduate, I studied abroad in Guanajuato, Mexico. My first few nights in Mexico were rough. My stomach was doing somersaults and I could hardly eat. My Señora couldn't quite get the hang of "gluten-free." While my roommate ate delicious pastries for breakfast, I choked down eggs and mango, both of which I hated. I can best describe the smell of Guanajuato as a combination of exhaust, sewerage, and corn tortillas. The last piece is what made Mexico such a great place to be gluten-free. I ate a lot of corn and a lot of rice. Ever since, Mexican food has been a staple in my diet and I couldn't have been more excited when "Taqueria Guanajuato" opened in Madison, WI with pictures of Plaza de la Paz and other familiar places. I believe this is the first recipe I've noted on my blog as gluten free (though I went back and tagged a few others). From here on out, I hope to be better at remembering my friends who are gluten-free! Recipe adapted from  Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Mexican edition.

Hypothesis: This salad will be a little zippy with the onion and jalapeño but refreshing with the vinegar and lime juice.

Materials
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups frozen peas
1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons lime juice
2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Methods
1. Bring 2 cups of water, 1 cup of rice and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes or until the water is absorbed.
2. When the rice is fully cooked, move to a large mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to mix thoroughly. Eat as is or chill before serving.

Results
This salad looks beautiful! The flavor is light and not overpowering.

Discussion and Future Directions
This salad made a great side dish for a Mexican entree and also made a great salad for lunch. I actually preferred the salad closer to room temperature than cold. I think that chilled, it wasn't quite as flavorful (sort of like red wine--different temperatures effect the smell and taste of your food/wine. Aromatic compounds won't be as strong if the food is colder, and the vinegar may become more prominent). I used very conservative amounts of salt and pepper, so I encourage you to continue adding more to taste.

One thing that disappointed me was that the jalapeño flavor really gets lost in the dish and there is no "zip" or heat. I de-seeded and de-veined the jalapeños which dramatically decreased the heat of the peppers (biting into seeds wouldn't be good because the texture contrast with the soft foods would be kind of weird). If I were to make it again and want some heat, I would probably use serrano peppers instead of jalapeño peppers. This makes a lot of food and since it doesn't need to be kept warm, would make a great dish for a potluck!

Supplementary Materials