Jan asked for this dish in the morning, as a result, I was not able to pre-soak my beans overnight. This left me with the “quick soak” method—bring a pot of water and beans to a boil and then let them rest for an hour off the heat. My variation to this method is that I make a rich ham broth and then soak the beans in this flavorful, salty liquid.
Karl’s Guinness Ham and Beans
Filed under Beans, California Fusion, Main Dishes, Pork, Stews
While I like slow cooked chili with tender chunks of beef, I sometimes just want a quick meal for a weekday. While I have been known to simply use a brand name chili, sometimes I like to go just a step further. This may take a few more minutes than simply opening a can, but the flavor is worth the effort.
Karl’s Weekday Quick Beef Chili
Filed under Beans, Beef, Main Dishes
Adapted from an Eating Well recipe
I am making a Spanish tapas dinner for this Sunday. Knowing my family as I do, I knew that I needed one or two hors d’oeuvre tapas—that I could make well ahead—to keep them in check while I finished the other tapas. While some tapas have a fairly set ingredients list—like Tortilla Española—others allow for more creativity. Roasting chickpeas into crunchy “nuts” lends themselves to creative variations.
Karl’s Tapas
Garbanzos Picantes Asados
Roasted Spicy Chickpeas
Filed under Beans, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian
Everyone has their own ideas about chili. A wide variety of dishes fall under the general heading of “chili.” Some think this dish should be only beef slow cooked in chili sauce. Others use a wide variety of meats—chicken, pork, turkey—in their chili. Still others say that it should include beans as well. Vegetarians get rid of the meat all together and still call it “chili.”
Karl’s Quick Beef Chili with Beans
Filed under Beans, Beef, California Fusion, Main Dishes, Sauces and Spices, Stews
Before I left home for the first time, I sat down with my mother’s recipe box and wrote down my favorite dishes. I had a hankering for chili this week end. I dug out my mother’s recipe and I was amazed to find that her “chili” did not actually include any chili! Continue reading
Filed under Beans, Beef, Main Dishes, Stews
I am making a Goan Dinner this Sunday. For those of my diners that are avoiding simple carbs, like rice, I wanted to provide a more complex carbohydrate option. I looked at several recipes, but many of them seemed more generally Indian, rather than Goan. I freely adapted from one of the Goan recipes to create my own.
Karl’s Goan Urad Dal
Filed under Beans, Side Dishes, Starches, Vegan, Vegetarian
Jan has asked me to make a chili for a potluck with her new half-brother. The last time I made chili, I made a pot with beans and it was pretty hood, but I knew I could do better. Instead of ground beef I would use beef chuck and some rib meat. Last time, I also used canned broth as my braising liquid, this time I would braise pieces of marinated beef—to tenderness—and then use the braising liquid to re-hydrate and cook the beans.
Karl’s Chili California con Carne Suprimo
Filed under Beans, Beef, California Fusion, Main Dishes, Stews
Jan, my wife, is an anthropologist at SJSU. When she can, she arranges for her students to do “real world” projects for their assignments. This semester, she will be and her students will be part of a team, organized by NUMU Los Gatos, interviewing relocated American Indians who live in the South Bay—having moved to the city from various reservations in the 1950s, ‘60s, and 70s—if they are not recorded now their stories will soon be lost to history.
Karl’s Ham and Beans for a Crowd
Filed under Beans, Main Dishes, Pork
I wanted to do something a little different with my refried beans. Sunday’s Parade Magazine had an article on ways to make your beans a little different. Adding chocolate seemed like a perfectly Mexican thing to do, but I have never seen a refried bean recipe that included it.
Karl’s Refried Beans Azteca
Filed under Beans, Side Dishes, Starches, Vegan, Vegetarian
I am doing a Cal-Mex barbecue for labor day and I decided to make beans to go with my tri-tip. Moro Beans are a Mexican heirloom varietal. When Jan and I went to Napa, she bought me a package of these beans from Rancho Gordo. They describe Moro beans as a cross between pinto and black beans. They say that these beans are flavorful enough to stand on their own with few additional flavors. I decided to take them at their word and keep it simple.
Karl’s Moro Beans
Filed under Beans, Holidays, Side Dishes, Starches
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Miriam
Jabberwocky Stew 