I had a filet which was done perfectly which isn't always the case there. In a stark contrast to my meal last night I opted for a simple meal tonight, rice and beans and salad. Recipes below.
Before I go there though, I would like to try to answer some of the reader email that's been piling up.
"Curious" asks if Rachel Ray and Bobby Flay were thrown into a vat of boiling olive oil ("EVOO" as perky Rachel likes to say) who would die first?
Who cares!
I'm kidding of course. I have nothing but the highest regard for Bobby Flay. And Rachel, why she's "delish!"
So that takes care of this week's mail.
Entree: black beans and rice
Drain two cans of black beans and reserve the liquid. Sweat a diced onion in olive oil. Add some tomato paste and let it cook. Then throw in a couple cloves of garlic minced. Add a diced red pepper. I also threw in a four ounce can of chilis.
I meant to get diced but got whole chilis instead. I drained the can and reserved the liquid. I diced the chilis and threw them in with the peppers. These were mild chilis, not particularly spicy.
Once the peppers and chilis had softened up I added a large can of diced tomatoes. At this point I added two packets of Sazón by Goya. ( Sazón is Spanish for "season"). Sazón is just a mix of Spanish seasonings. It is a little salty so I tend to cut back on the salt I add to this dish.
I also add the juice of a lime and maybe two tablespoons of roughly chopped cilantro.
For the rice, I used the reserved liquid from the black beans and the chilis as the base, adding water to get to the right quantity based on the amount of rice I'm making.
After the tomatoes have cooked I throw in the drained beans. By draining them, in combination with the tomatoes, the complexion of the dish is ruddy and much less murky than if you throw in the two cans of beans and their liquid.
And then I throw in my secret ingredient, a couple tablespoons of Chipotle Tabasco. Not hot but it definitely gives depth to the black beans. And then I squeeze in another lime right before serving.
Salad: Wedge again. Yeah. I'm in a salad rut. The problem is I can't stand tomatoes out of season. I think I'm going to try a fennel and celery root salad again.
So this dinner was a huge success...except, nobody in the family likes my "black-beany" rice. They have beseeched me to make just plain rice. Fine.
I'm gravitating back to my twangy music after my brief foray into the Hammond B3. I listened to an Elvis Costello bootleg concert from Evanston Illinois in 1989. "I know it don't thrill you. I hope it don't kill you. Welcome to the working week."
And there you have it.
Be well and stay in touch.
