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Monthly Archives: February 2014
Baby Lima Bean and Chorizo Casserole
ok – I’ll admit this one seems a bit weird. It came about years ago and has evolved into its current and *most delicious* incarnation. I think of this as a spicy white-bean-dip-you-can-eat-for-supper. And, it’s pretty perfect for these really cold nights. We will get back to salads and lighter fare once the weather warms up past freezing!
To begin, sort and rinse 1lb of baby lima beans. Soak for 6 hours (or overnight). 
Drain. Place beans into a sauce pan and cover with water. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and allow to cook until tender, about 2 hours. You can cook the beans a day or two before you put this together, if you prefer. Once the beans are tender, add 1tsp. Celtic or Himalayan pink salt. Please use good salt – that white, bleached stuff has been stripped of micronutrients and is nothing but trouble!
When you are ready to assemble, sauté your veggies. I used: 
1 Poblano pepper, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 sweet red pepper, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
Place the chopped aromatics into a large skillet on medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp of fat (going with the pork theme, I used bacon drippings). Cook til tender, about 5-7 minutes. Slide the veggies to one side of the pan and add 1lb chorizo. 
Brown and break up the chorizo, mixing with veggies as you go. 
By now, the baby lima beans are tender and mushable. I like them to be about the texture of refried beans. One thing that’s helpful is to cook them in just enough water to do the job – then, you don’t have to drain and the starchy liquid left in the beans helps to pull it all together. It’s going to work, either way!
Once the meat is done (no pink remaining), add the baby lima beans to the skillet. If your beans are wet and soupy, drain them first. Be sure to reserve some of the starchy cooking liquid in case you need to add a little liquid back.
Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Dig out your favorite casserole pan (9×13 or a round one deep enough to hold everything). Add the cooked beans to the skillet and stir well. Taste it and correct any seasoning issues. Now, carefully pour the chorizo/bean/veggie mixture into the casserole pan, adding in a handful of grated cheddar cheese. 
If it seems too wet, bake uncovered. If you feel like the moisture level is right, cover with foil.
Bake for 30 minutes or until it’s all bubbly and the eaters start to assemble. Serve with a big chopped salad and lots of fresh toppings and tortilla chips for scooping. We had:
diced avocado
finely diced red pepper
finely chopped red onion
sour cream
and I WISH I’d had some cilantro – would’ve been even better!
Seriously GOOD eating.
Spinach Salad
Often, in this life, it’s all about the simple things. Spinach salad is one of those lovely, simple things. There are a zillion different versions out there, but this basic one can get you started.
2 cups washed baby spinach
8-10 bite-sized mozzarella balls
2 Tbsp. pomegranate arils
drizzle of olive oil
drizzle of balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper to taste
I found these in the grocery store and was thrilled to find arils without the work! Try them. You can eat the whole thing AND they’re completely delicious.
Yes… we eat salads, too!
Jaeger Schnitzel
Pronounced “Yeager” (like Chuck Yeager), Jaeger Schnitzel is a hearty and deliciously decadent meal. It was a birthday request from my honey and I was happy to make one of his all-time favorites. He ordered Jaeger Schnitzel many years ago in German restaurant and was blown away. This is my take on that experience with apologies in advance to any deviations from authentic German recipes.
1 lb venison cutlets (pork, beef, chicken or turkey are all acceptable substitutes)
2/3 cup all purpose flour, in a bowl seasoned with: 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 1 teaspoon Chipotle chili powder
Stir the seasonings into the flour and lightly coat each piece of venison. 
I will mention this is not “breading”, just a light coating of seasoned flour that sticks to the natural moisture in the cutlets. Heat up a medium skillet and add 3 Tbsp. fat.
I used Spectrum shortening. 
It’s organic and performs nicely in high heat. You can find this at most health food stores and larger grocery stores. Once the pan is hot, gently place the cutlets in the pan being careful to avoid crowding. 
Once you’ve got the meat going, prepare your veggies for the mushroom sauce: 
5 baby portabella mushrooms
1/2 red onion
2 sticks celery
1/2 poblano pepper
3 cloves garlic
In a food processor, finely mince all the veggies, scraping down the sides as needed. It should look about like this when the veggies are ready to go.
I ♥♥♥ a soffritto! It allows me to sneak in lots of extra veggies!
Back to the browning cutlets ~ cook the meat in batches, adding additional fat if needed. Usually 3-5 minutes on the first side then 2-3 minutes on the second side. You’ll know when it’s done. Then, place the meat in a 200 degree oven on a baking sheet to hold warm while you make the sauce.
Use the same skillet in which you cooked the cutlets, removing any really dark or burned bits. Spoon your soffritto veggies into the pan and begin stirring. The moisture from the soffritto will begin “pull up” the crazy flavor from the pan. This is a good thing. Cook and stir the soffritto for 5-7 minutes, scraping up the deliciousness from the bottom of the pan. I added a little more fat here to loosen things up. 
It’s also around this time you will need to start the rice. I like organic basmati. Place 1 cup rice in a pan and turn on the heat to medium high.
Give the rice a swirl of olive oil. 
Let the rice heat up and stir it to coat each grain with the oil.
Once it begins to smell slightly toasted but *BEFORE* the rice begins to brown, add 2 cups of beef broth. 
Place the lid on pan, reduce the heat to simmer and let it go for about 20 minutes… plenty of time to finish the sauce.
And, back to the soffritto! Add about 1.5 Tbsp. of tomato paste. 
Stir the tomato paste to incorporate. It will need a couple of minutes to come together just so. Then, you add the rest of the seasoned flour (left0ver from coating the cutlets).
Let it cook for 2-3 minutes. It’s going to become thick and gloopy. Don’t worry!
You just want to cook the flour and it’s all going great! 
Now, add about 2 cups of beef broth. Stir and stir and stir. Mash out any lumps. I keep my heat medium low and it’s really forgiving here.
If you are cooking too hot and fast, panic can set in. Just be mellow, keep stirring and it will come together. In a few minutes, it will all get friendly and you have tomato-spiked mushroom gravy! To this, add a big handful of chopped parsley. 
Plate it up and go to town! Ich liebe es!