.....rice

A good friend gave me this recipe a while back and I swear
it's the best Mexican rice I've ever tasted. It takes a little
effort but it's oh, so worth it. This is the only rice recipe
I use...

3 tomatoes
1 tbsp chicken bullion or chicken flavored base
1 garlic clove
1 tsp salt
1 cup water
1/2 cup veggie or canola oil
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 onion, chopped

Combine tomatoes, chicken base, garlic, and salt in a blender
and blend until smooth. Add the water and blend well. Heat the
oil in a medium sauce pan to medium heat and add rice, and cook
until it begins to brown...2-3 min Add the pepper and onion and
cook an additional 3 min. Add tomato mixture to the rice and cook
2-3 more minutes. Add 2 cups hot water, stir, cover, and reduce
heat and simmer for 10 min. Reduce heat to low and cook an
additional 10 min until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.

Beans

A comfort food known the world over, and a mainstay in the texmex
kitchen. Rarely will you find a meal in a texmex restaurant that
doesn’t have beans as a side. Refried most often, but often one
has the choice between refried, “ charro “ ( or cowboy beans),
or even black beans. If you’ve spent much time in various parts
of Mexico you may be aware that there is a kind of “ bean belt”
that runs about the latitude of Mexico city. To the north you
find mostly pintos while traveling south and in the Yucatan,
black beans are the type most commonly served. We’ll provide
you with several recipes for each, tried, tested and delicious.
The beautiful thing about beans is they are very easy to prepare
and a nutritional powerhouse. Combined with corn or flour tortillas,
they provide the amino acids and protein to sustain life. Let’s
start with refried:

TO SOAK OR NOT TO SOAK

Now we’re going to dispel a few myths about beans. We were all
raised to believe that they need to be soaked. Although they
do need to rehydrate slowly, soaking is not required. I say if
you have the insight to soak them overnight, do so. It’s very
important to rinse the beans thoroughly. Place them in a colander
and rinse them for at least a minute or two. And although the beans
we get nowadays are clean compared to what they were say 20 years
ago, it’s also a good idea to put them on a cookie sheet and pick
through them and toss any rocks or stones you may find. After you
rinse them, soak them in the pan you’ll be cooking them in. This
is because we aren’t going to toss the soaking liquid, dispelling
another myth that the soaking water causes the gaseous qualities.
It’s been proven that so little of the sugars that cause the gas
leach out, all you’re doing is throwing away flavor enhancing broth.
Remember, use lots of water for the soaking- the depth of the water
should equal the depth of the beans to allow for expansion while
soaking.

OK, we’ve soaked our beans overnight and are ready to start cooking.
Check to make sure there is still plenty of water covering the beans,
there should be about an inch above the beans. You will need to maintain
adequate water while cooking so check your water level often. Put the
beans on the stove and bring to a boil. At this point there is no need
to add seasoning, we’ll do it after they’ve cooked a while. Just as the
beans begin to boil, reduce the heat to a simmer that just barely moves
the water. Set a lid “askew” to allow some steam to escape. Cook for 30
minutes and get ready to add seasoning. Here’s where we’re going to let
you in on an age old secret. The reason the beans at your favorite
restaurant taste as good as they do is solely because the have lard in
them. Sorry, it’s a fact. The good thing is that according to Rick Bayless,
the guru of Mexican cooking, lard has less than half the cholesterol and
about one third less saturated fat than butter! So use it, enjoy it, and
don’t feel guilty. My standard ratio using lard is one pound beans to two
tablespoons lard. This is a delicious and not too “dangerous” ratio. When
it comes to seasonings, I’ve found that pasilla chile powder works
wonderfully with beans. We carry about a half dozen different kinds of
powders and after much experimentation, I still go with pasilla. Fortunately
for you we have developed a seasoning blend that has pasilla as one of the
main ingredients. It can be used to season beans, taco meat, or even as a
meat rub. To check it out, click here. Add three tablespoons seasoning per
pound of beans, lard, and cook an additional thirty to forty five minutes.
OK, let’s say you didn’t have the insight to soak the beans overnight. No
problem but you’ll need to allow at least two hours and preferably two and
a half to produce soft, creamy results. Rinse the beans as before and bring
to a simmer. Put the top of your pan “askew” again and cook one and a half
hours. After that, add your seasonings and water if necessary. At this point
in both cases, check to make sure the beans are soft and creamy. If they are,
mash to your favorite consistency.

Another really great way to do dry beans is to put them in a crock pot before
bedtime. ( rinsed of course ) Cover with lots of water so they can rehydrate,
and put the setting on low. ( I would at least double the depth of the beans
with water) Add your seasonings and wake up to perfect beans ready to mash to
your favorite consistency or turn to frijoles a la charra.

Just for your information, a pound of beans is nearly 3 cups. Once cooked,
that makes double or 6 cups. I usually only make a cup of beans (dry) because
as a side dish, it will feed 4-6. You can do the math with the ingredients,
only one tablespoon of seasoning is needed and obviously less fresh ingredients
go into the “charra” beans.

.....Frijoles “a la charra”

Prepare your beans as with refried. No lard is needed because we’ll use
bacon drippings instead. These beans are usually left whole or only
slightly smashed to thicken the broth. You’ll need a few fresh ingredients
for this one. They include tomatoes, onion, jalapenos ( please don’t use
pickled, the fresh ones add a distinct flavor ), garlic, fresh cilantro,
and bacon. You’ll notice these are the same ingredients in pico de gallo,
minus the bacon of course. If you’re planning on including pico in your
menu, just use it. If not, the recipe follows. If you are planning on using
pico, cook half pound bacon cut into one inch pieces in a large skillet
(about 6-7 slices )until done but not crispy. Add one and a half cups pico
de gallo to the skillet ( per pound of beans ) and cook for one minute. Add
to the cooked beans and simmer an additional thirty minutes. Be prepared-
these will be the best beans you’ve ever tasted, I promise.

If you’re not planning on preparing pico de gallo for your meal, here’s what
you’ll need for one pound of beans.

6-8 Roma tomatoes
1 medium onion
2-5 fresh jalapenos ( depending on how hot you want it )
3-4 cloves fresh garlic ( pressed or smashed )
1 bunch of cilantro ( chopped, obviously )
Finely chop the veggies and follow the directions above.

Another great way to prepare basically the same recipe is “borracho”
style, or drunken beans. Just substitute a bottle of dark beer for
part of the cooking water.

Keep in mind, any of the following added to a pot of beans will make them
heavenly. Smoked ham hock, (I just discovered boneless hamhocks! )
sausage of nearly any kind, smoked ham, bacon, or even salt pork.

****Texmex tip: Add water or chicken stock to make a delicious bean
soup, just add liquid to the desired consistency. Serve with warmed
flour or corn tortillas.

.....Black beans (turtle beans)

Like we said before, black beans are the bean of choice in southern
Mexico and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. They are harder
and will need to be cooked a little longer than pintos so plan accordingly.
The following is a basic recipe that is delicious.
What you’ll need:

1 pound black beans
1 medium to large onion
3-4 large garlic cloves smashed or pressed
2 tablespoons Tuldys bean seasoning
1/3 cup ketchup or salsa
1 tablespoon oregano or thyme
Salt ( start with 1 tablespoon and add to your liking )
2 tablespoons lard or bacon grease
Prepare the beans as in the previous recipes.
Add all remaining ingredients and simmer for about an hour

.....Black bean filling for burritos

This is actually our recipe for black bean and corn dip mix but it
makes a great vegetarian burrito or tamale filling!
What you’ll need:
1 package Tuldys instant salsa mix
1 14.5 oz. can of black beans
1 14.5 oz. can of whole kernel corn
1 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1 small can of chopped green chiles
8 oz. Grated cheese, I use Monterey Jack
Combine the first 5 ingredients in a bowl and microwave or a sauce
pan and heat throughout. You may need to add a little water because
when the salsa dehydrates, it really sucks up the liquid. Let stand
for 15 minutes for thorough rehydration. Heat burrito size flour
tortillas on a hot nonstick surface, flipping once. Add filling and
cheese to tortilla and enjoy! This is one of those meals that can be
prepared super quick and with no effort at all!

****Texmex tip: Anytime you cook beans and they start to stick on the
bottom, that means they’re burning. Don’t scrape the bottom, burned beans
taste awful. Just move the part that’s not sticking to another pot and
continue to simmer. Watch that water level!
* Please send us your favorite bean recipes!