Basic Anasazi Beans

People I work with -- chiefly those who have gotten married within the last 10 years -- have fancy, lightweight silver-and-black crockpots, and they are nice. But I am attached to this one. I don't remember whether Lawson or I picked it up, but it came from the Goodwill. It weighs about 20 pounds.

I don't make too many things in the crockpot, but I find it essential for beans.

I have soaked a lot of beans. As a vegetarian I ate beans all the time, and I still make them regularly. Most recipes call for 12-24 hours of soaking, but I no longer think soaking is necessary. It doesn't reduce gassiness all that much (and besides, farts are funny). And it seems like flavor and nutrients are being soaked away and discarded. So I don't soak beans.

Mom, I think my recipe is mostly based on yours. And like you, I think Anasazi beans are the best of the red beans. I've only ever used Anasazi beans from Adobe Milling in Dove Creek, Colorado, near my old hometown of Durango. Unfortunately, I think they're are hard to find outside of the Four Corners states. Pinto beans are just fine, but they lack a certain sweetness.

These beans take about 20 hours. The night before you want to eat them, put the following in a crockpot:

- 1 16-oz package dry beans, rinsed
- water -- about half a crockpot full to start

Cook on low overnight. The next morning add:

- 2 to 3 cloves garlic, smushed and peeled
- 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano, or several stems fresh
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon plain chile powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste

Add some water if you like -- I like fairly soupy beans. Cook on low until dinner.

It's hours until dinner, but the house already smells faintly of beans. We're going to eat them with chiles rellenos, fresh tomatoes, and tortillas.

Baked Cod Greek Style

I was scornful of Mark Bittman’s list of essential equipment which you posted on May 11th—however, he pointed me towards one tool for which I’m grateful. He suggested that the heat-resistant rubber spatula can replace the classic wooden spoon, and I’ve been using one, and it’s very satisfactory. I had a couple with removable wooden handles (for putting in the dishwasher), but just this week I bought a dishwasher-safe one.

Baked Cod Greek Style.

Cooking spray
1 pound fresh cod fillets

Place cod fillets in a baking dish coated with cooking spray. Season with salt and pepper.

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 green pepper, cut in strips
1 onion, cut in strips lengthwise
3 cloves garlic, chopped

Heat olive oil in a skillet and sauté green pepper, onion, and garlic until limp.

1 16-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
12 pitted black olives
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Add tomatoes, oregano, bay leaf, olives, fish sauce, and pepper flakes to skillet. Cook and stir for five minutes. Pour sauce over cod fillets in baking dish.

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Sprinkle feta cheese over all. Bake at 400º for 20 to 30 minutes, or until fish is cooked through.

Convection Baking Out of Doors

I bought a little convection oven at J. C. Penney for $70. I want to try baking outside during the hot summer months, now that we have an outdoor countertop with a convenient outlet. Also, my indoor oven is very small and I can never fit in the corn pudding and extra stuffing at Thanksgiving dinner.

Here is my first loaf of bread. It baked in 25 minutes at 400 degrees, rather than my usual time of 30 to 35 minutes.

Essential Kitchen Implements

My friend Kerry pointed out this story about the bare minimum equipment needed for a kitchen. You would think a list of basic kitchen items would be uncontentious, but no: I disagree with at least a third of these suggestions. He has things on that list that Lawson and I, with our merged and overflowing kitchen, don't have. Tell me how a salad spinner is essential. And a mandoline? Minimalist? My knife skills suck, too, but come on.

An instant-read thermometer would have been nice when I was learning to cook, but I didn't have one until last year, and we only use it for barbecue (and, lately, for measuring the temperature of the compost heap).

The more I think about it, every cook's minimal list would likely be quite different -- not just a sharp knife and a saucepan, as you might expect. Cookbooks with lists of "essential" equipment always contain some truly puzzling items, right? My theory: unless you grow up insanely privileged, you probably first cook on your own under somewhat financially distressed conditions, and what you do and don't have during that time shapes what you consider essential. I cannot imagine dealing with the plastic cutting board recommended in the article, but I could happily do without a food processor, a skimmer, or a slotted spoon. Oddly, I have never owned a slotted spoon. But I've always owned a big heavy chunk of wood on which to chop.

I guess I should balance that rant out with a picture and a recipe. Here are chard stems:


And here is my favorite way to cook chard:

Saute in 2 tablespoons olive oil:

- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- one small dried red chile (de arbol, Thai, whatever), deseeded

Turn heat to medium high and add:

-1 big bunch chard, washed, stems separated and cut into 1/2" pieces

(Add the stems first, then the leaves a few minutes later. Chard stems are soooo tasty and should not be thrown away unless they are horrendously tough.)

Saute for a few minutes until stems are soft and leaves are wilty. Remove from heat and sprinkle with:

- 2 or so ounces feta (think of it as seasoning, not topping -- this is in lieu of salt)

I like it best after about fifteen minutes, just above room temperature.

I leave for the beach tomorrow. I will cook some good food there and post about it.