Peruvian Beans and Rice (Tacu Tacu)

Salsa Criolla
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon aji amarillo paste (or 1 teaspoon Tabasco or other pepper sauce)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Tacu Tacu
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 small red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon aji amarillo (chili) paste (or 2 teaspoons Tabasco or other pepper sauce)
2 cups cooked or canned canary (Peruano) beans, pinto beans, or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup cold (preferably day-old) cooked white rice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat leaf parsley leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 lime, cut into wedges

Make the salsa:
In a medium bowl, combine the onion with enough cold water to cover, and let sit for at least 10 minutes, then drain.  Toss with the cilantro, lime juice, chili paste/sauce, and salt.

Make the tacu tacu:
In a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil until shimmering.  Stir in the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, 5 to 6 minutes.  Stir in the salt and chili paste/sauce, and scrape the mixture into the bowl of a food processor.  Wipe out the skillet.

Add 1 cup of the beans to the food processor and puree briefly until mostly smooth but still chunky.  Scrape the mixture into a large bowl.  Add the remaining 1 cup beans (left whole), rice, parsley, and oregano to the bowl and stir to thoroughly combine.  Taste, and add more salt if needed.

Return the skillet to medium heat and pour in another 1 tablespoon oil.  Add the rice-and-bean mixture and use a spatula to spread it around evenly and lightly pack it down.  Cook until deeply browned on the bottom, about 7 minutes.  Remove from the heat, invert a plate (preferably with no rim) on top of the skillet, and carefully flip both over to land the bean-and-rice cake bottom-side up onto the plate.  Return the skillet to medium heat, pour in the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and slide the cake back into the skillet.  Cook for another 7 minutes, or until deeply browned on the other side, then invert the plate and flip the skillet over again to land the cake onto the plate.  If the cake cracks or breaks apart, just pat it back together.

Top with the salsa and serve with lime wedges.

Serves 2-4.

From the Washington Post, adapted from Cool Beans by Joe Yonan

Quick Puff Pastry (Rough Puff)

1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

10 tablespoons (140 grams) high-quality butter, cold

1/3 cup ice cold water

In a medium bowl, add the flour and salt.  Stir to mix.

Next, cube the butter and then add it to the bowl.  Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut the butter into the dough.  It will be very crumbly, and you're done when the butter is in uniform pieces all about the size of peas.

Next, make a well in the center of the dough and pour in all of the water.  Using a fork or wooden spoon, stir to combine the dough.

Lightly flour your work surface, and add the dough.  Pat it into a rough square.  You will still see chunks of butter and it will seem too dry, but do not add extra water.  The dough will come together with each roll.

Flour the rolling pin, and roll the dough out in front of you into a rectangle about 10"long.  No need to be too precise here.  Fold the bottom third of the dough over the middle of the dough.  Fold the upper third of the dough on top of the middle.  Rotate the dough one-quarter turn, and repeat.  Use additional flour as needed to prevent the dough from sticking.

Roll out, fold, and turn the dough at least 4 times and as much as 6 or 7 times.

When done, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour, or overnight (or dough may be frozen for later use).  Depending on how cold your refrigerator is, the dough may be ready to roll out straight from the fridge.  If it seems too hard, let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before using.

Makes 11 ounces/325 grams puff pastry, enough for one 10- to 12-inch tart.

From Dessert for Two blog and Chocolate and Zucchini blog

Spicy Peanut Noodles with Chili Garlic Oil

Chili Garlic Oil:

1/3 cup peanut oil or extra virgin olive oil

2 small shallots thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or smashed

1-2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Peanut Noodles:

12 ounces rice noodles or long cut pasta

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari

1-2 tablespoons Gochujang (Korean chili paste)

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup

1 inch fresh ginger, grated

2 bell peppers, thinly sliced

1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped, plus more for serving

Fresh cracked black pepper

Make the chili oil:

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the peanut oil, shallots, garlic, and chili flakes.  Cook, stirring occasionally until the garlic is fragrant and toasted, 8-10 minutes.  Remove from the heat, let cool, and carefully transfer the oil to a heat-proof bowl or glass jar.

Make the peanut noodles:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Cook the noodles according to package directions.  Drain.

Combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, Gochujang, sesame oil, vinegar, honey, ginger, and 1/4 cup water in a food processor or blender.  Pulse until combined and smooth.  Pour the sauce over the hot noodles. Add the bell peppers, basil, a large pinch of pepper, and 2 tablespoons chili oil.  Toss to combine.

Divide the noodles among bowls and serve topped with additional chili oil and basil.  Noodles are delicious warm or cold.  

Serves 6.

From Half-Baked Harvest blog

Preserved Lemons

Lemons
Coarse salt
Coriander seeds, bay leaf, dried chili, cinnamon stick (as desired)

Scrub the lemons with a vegetable brush and dry them.

Cut off the little rounded bit at the stem end if there's a hard little piece of the stem attached.  From the other end of the lemon, make a large cut by slicing lengthwise downward, stopping about 1 inch from the bottom, then making another downward slice, so you've incised the lemon with an X shape.

Pack coarse salt into the lemon where you made the incisions.  Don't be skimpy with the salt; use about 1 tablespoon per lemon.

Put the salt-filled lemons in a clean, large glass jar with a tight-fitting lid.  Add a few coriander seeds, a bay leaf, a dried chili, and a cinnamon stick if you want (or any combination of these).

Press the lemons very firmly in the jar to get the juices flowing.  Cover and let stand overnight.

The next day, do the same, pressing the lemons down, encouraging them to release more juice as they start to soften.  Repeat for 2 to 3 days until the lemons are completely covered with liquid.  If your lemons aren't very juicy, add more freshly-squeezed lemon juice until they are submerged.

After one month, when the preserved lemons are soft, they are ready to use.  Store the lemons in the refrigerator, where they will keep for at least 6 months.  Rinse before using to remove excess salt.

To use: Remove the lemons from the liquid and rinse.  Split in half and scrape out the pulp.  Slice the lemon peels into thin strips or dice finely.  You may wish to press the pulp through a sieve to obtain the tasty juice, which can be used for flavoring as well.

From DavidLebovitz.com

Bean and Barley Salad with Preserved Lemon

1 cup dried Yellow Indian Woman beans from Rancho Gordo

1/2 onion, roughly chopped

1 cup barley (Trader Joe’s 10-Minute, or pearled, or hulled)

2 tablespoons finely chopped preserved lemon

1/3 cup chopped green onion, white and pale green parts

About 1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or arugula

Dressing:

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, smashed

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons harissa paste

Salt and freshly ground pepper

To cook beans:

Pick over dried beans and rinse thoroughly in cold water.  Place cleaned beans in a bowl of fresh cold water, cover, and soak for 2 to 6 hours; drain and rinse well.  Cover beans with 2" of water, add onion, and simmer 1 or more hours, until beans are tender.  Add 2 teaspoons salt about 15 minutes before end of cooking time.  Alternatively, cook soaked beans in Instant Pot for 8 minutes, add salt, and simmer for 15 more minutes.  Drain beans.

To cook barley:

Combine 1 cup barley and 3 cups water or stock in a saucepan.  Add a generous pinch of salt.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Keep an eye on the pot to make sure it doesn't boil over.  When barley has reached a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until barley is done.  For Trader Joe's 10-minute barley, check at 10 minutes.  For pearl barley, check at 25 minutes.  For hulled barley, check at 40 minutes.  Barley is done when it has tripled in volume and is soft yet chewy.  Add more water if pan becomes dry before barley has finished cooking; check every 5 minutes until desired chewiness is reached.  Drain barley.

Combine beans and barley in a bowl with preserved lemons, green onions, and parsley or arugula.

Combine the olive oil with smashed garlic to infuse.  Mix together lemon juice, harissa, and salt and pepper.  Slowly whisk in olive oil (garlic removed). 

Pour dressing over salad and toss.  Taste and adjust the seasonings.  Serve at room temperature.

Serves 4.

From Heirloom Beans by Steve Sando and Vanessa Barrington, with many changes (barley cooking instructions from thekitchn.com)