September 19, 2006

Well, a lower back injury has sidelined my cooking since shortly after the fettucine meal but yesterday I finally felt good enough to actually think about what to make for dinner. Circumstance postponed the meal until tonight and here it is:



Spicy Black Beans served with Scrambled Eggs, Chorizo, and Salsa

Why "under pressure"?

Because I used my pressure cooker to make the beans. It took all of TWELVE minutes! How cool is that?

So here's the recipe...

1/2 lb. black beans
1 T. bacon fat
1/2 cup onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1/2 tsp. Mexican oregano
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
2 1/2 cups chicken broth

Pick over beans, removing any shrivelled or damaged ones. Place remainder in a large pot, cover with three inches of water, and let soak for at least 4 hours. The beans can soak overnight if needed.

After soaking, drain and rinse the beans. Set aside.

Melt bacon fat in pressure cooker over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft and translucent. Stir in jalapeno and garlic cloves; cook for another minute or so. Add oregano and pepper, stir, and then add chicken broth.

Close pressure cooker and heat until it comes up to pressure. Regulate heat to maintain pressure. Cook for 12 minutes.

Remove from heat and let the pot cool. DO NOT OPEN IT!

Once the pressure has been released (check by flicking the release valve), remove the lid. Check the beans for doneness. If still too firm, cook uncovered over medium-high heat.

To serve, top with scrambled eggs, cooked chorizo, salsa, avocado slices, and plain yogurt (or crema, if you have some).

Total pointage (including avocado and chorizo and all the fattening stuff): 13 points