Hoppin' John

 Every year, I google vegetarian hoppin' john recipes and every year I'm disappoint. Either it doesn't look like what I want, so I don't make it, or I try it and the flavor profile is too similar to the collards, or it's bland. This year's is the best I remember trying. Flavorful and paired nicely with the four pepper collards without duplicating the same flavor profile. I might not stick with it exactly, but it's a good base to start from.

Ingredients

• ~1/3 lb dried black eyed peas
• 1 onion
• 1 stalk celery
• ~1/2 a large poblano leftover from collards
• 1 orange bell pepper
• a few sprigs thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• salt 
• olive oil
  
• ~2/3 can of fire roasted tomatoes
• rice (I used brown jasmine because it's what I had on hand)
  

1. Soak beans beforehand. (I know, I know! I basically never do, but I did this time.)

2. Start rice cooker with rice.

3. Dice and saute the onion and celery in a tablespoon or so of olive oil in a dutch oven or similar pot.

4. While sauteing, dice the peppers. When the onion and celery have softened, add the peppers and saute a bit more.

5. When all the vegetables are soft, add the thyme, bay leaves, and salt. Stir a couple of times then add the black eyed peas (drained) and enough water to cover them comfortably.

6. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the peas are all but done.

7. Stir in the tomatoes and simmer a few minutes more.

8. Take off the heat. Stir peas mixture, including some of the broth, into the rice. May have some peas left over. That's fine. It makes a good soup, too.

Christmas Cassoulet Experiment

We didn't have anywhere to rush off to on Christmas Day this year, no family brunch to attend. This gave us more time to relax but presented a conundrum: what to have for Christmas dinner.

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I got off the waitlist for the Rancho Gordo bean club this fall. (I know, I know.) My first shipment came with Cassoulet beans. I only had a vague sense of what cassoulet was. I dutifully googled cassoulet recipes. 6 hours in the oven? Waaaaaaaaaaaaay more meat than I ever cook? I can use them in a vegetarian soup, thank you very much.

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I half jokingly, half seriously mentioned cassoulet while looking up recipes again. "What's that?" "A French casserole with duck, but we could use chicken, and sausage and ham hocks." "Okay." "Oh, and the beans I got." "Sure. Make a shopping list."

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After researching a dozen recipes, I tabulated the baking times and temps. Tried to balance slow cooked goodness and not running the oven all day long, deliciousness without too much fat. I followed Rancho Gordo and Serious Eats' recipes the most closely but was inspired by many others and my own instincts. Here's what I did. 

What I did

 

0.8 lb Rancho Gordo Cassoulet beans

0.5 lb  loose sausage

3 Chicken thighs with skin and bones

½ large onion, diced

1 carrot, diced

1.5 Bay leaf

2 sprigs of parsley

1 stalk celery, diced, + some celery greens

5ish cloves garlic, divided

~1 tsp dried thyme

2 sprigs rosemary

5 peppercorns

6 cloves

3 Tbsp tomato paste

 

1. Soak beans overnight in salted water.

2. Drain beans and add new water. Cook beans with herbs (parsley, celery greens, rosemary; dried thyme, peppercorns, cloves in a tea bag) and garlic. 18 minutes in instant pot. Natural release for 20 minutes. [Next time cook less or on stovetop. Did not hold shape.] Remove herbs.

3. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken thighs in a bit of canola oil on medium high. 10 minutes first side, skin side down. 5ish minutes the second side.

4. Remove chicken. Divide sausage into 6 patties. Brown sausage on both sides. Remove sausage. Drain most of extra fat.

5. Saute onion, carrot, and celery. Add garlic when mirepoix begins to soften.  Add tomato paste. Puree veggies with a bit of the bean liquid.

6. Layer ingredients in ovenproof dish. Put ⅓ of beans on bottom. Mix in some of the vegetable puree. Place the sausage patties on top. Add a thin layer of beans and vegetable puree. Place the chicken on top, skin side up. Add the remainder of the beans and vegetable puree. Add enough bean liquid to submerge the top layer of beans.

7. Bake for 1.5 hours at 325F. Break skin on top and stir it back into the top layer. Bake 40 minutes at  335F. Debate if ready. Break skin and stir back in. Bake 20 more minutes at 335F. Serve.

    

    We served with rolls and a kale-apple-carrot-pecan salad with a balsamic vinaigrette. It was good, and I'd make it again, yet I wouldn't seek it out or make it a must-do tradition. Part of the enjoyment was in the experiment itself.

Black bean hummus

For a few weeks in May each year, Runner and Stone makes a cheddar ramp spelt bread. I love it and try to seek it out each year. Perhaps, I'm a sucker for seasonal specials. Last year, I missed it. This year, I called ahead, found out it was only available on weekends, and prepaid for a loaf for Saturday.

After devouring the first couple of slices straight, I decided to make black bean hummus to go with the bread. The first time I remember regularly eating, or perhaps even trying, black bean hummus was when I interned in Boulder a decade ago. (I know.) Blue Moose of Boulder, a local brand, made a black bean and lime hummus which I ate with Udi's cheddar jalapeno bread from the farmer's market. A quintessential food from that summer.

Later, Queens Kickshaw became a favorite place to meet friends when I ventured to Astoria. Julia took me there first. Another time, I met Mabel for dinner only to find out that she and Matt had gotten married at City Hall that morning. (I insisted that we get carrot cake for dessert.) Kickshaw closed in 2017, yet I still periodically google their menu looking for the gouda grilled cheese. Black bean hummus, guava jam, pickled jalapeños, side green salad with jalapeño vinaigrette.

This time I didn't have gouda on hand. Instead, I created an open face sandwich by smearing cream cheese nearing expiration on the bread, followed by black bean hummus, topped with guava paste. Would make again.

I don't have an exact recipe for black bean hummus. I make it by feel each time. The below are the typical ingredients, though I suspect black beans are the only ingredient that I always include.

• Black beans, either canned or already cooked (can use a mixture of chickpeas and black beans. I typically use all black beans)
• Tahini
• Smoked paprika
• Cumin
• Pickled hot peppers
• Garlic
• Lime. Lots of lime. Add a bit of vinegar if you don't have enough lime.
• Olive oil and/or bean water
• Salt, if the beans weren't salted

Blend ingredients in a food processor until smooth.