Farro with Collard and Beans

It's good to be back with my first proper recipe in quite a long time and from my new home in Charlotte. I'm thankful that the universe of ingredients available to me has greatly expanded compared to what it was in Vermillion. The variety of vegetables, both Chinese and otherwise, have been of particular interest. Being able to regularly cook with pea tips has been a wonderful thing. I have also recently started experimenting with collard greens, which had never been an option for me before. This simple and hearty dish is one of those serendipitous creations that sort of leapt fully-formed from my brain onto the plate (see also mushroom and chicken pasta, chicken with bell peppers).

Collard greens are famously a staple of the American south, where they are typically simmered for a long time in a broth flavored with ham. Although I've eaten them on occasion, I had not had the opportunity to cook them until moving to Charlotte. Similar to kale (which is of the same species, biologically), they have firm stems that are best separated off and cooked a little longer than the leaves. The other key ingredient here is the farro. I have always liked farro, and it has entered our rotation in the last few years. It's a good changeup from the usual rice and pasta. By the time the farro is cooked, the collards will be tender, making this a great one pot meal.

With how our schedules have worked out this year, I have had less time to make complex meals during the week. As such, I've been looking for meals that I can make in large quantities and then freeze the leftovers. The farro and beans works well for this purpose. Some other good choices for freezing have been pulled pork, chicken cassoulet, and char siu.

Upgrade: Chicken Cassoulet

Bonne fête! No Free Lunch is back for another Bastille Day, albeit a touch late. After a few months off, I think it's appropriate to return with a dish that's personally important to me. I started making my chicken cassoulet shortly after Ariel and I moved in together about a decade ago. It quickly became a staple meal, to the point were we just call it "beans." This is not meant to be a traditional Occitan cassoulet, but it does adhere to the rustic spirit of the dish and is authentic to the way I like to cook. It takes humble ingredients and puts them together into a very satisfying meal. I thought this was a great time to update the recipe to how I make it now.

I've made a few small but important changes to my previous recipe. It turns out that stews like this freeze exceptionally well and are great to pull out for a quick dinner later. As such, I've scaled it up, but a bigger pan is needed. Although precision is not really needed for something like this, I've also weighed out the vegetables for more clarity as there is a lot of variance in the size of onions and carrots. For the chicken, I now recommend bone-in pieces as there is flavor to be had in the bones. I usually pull the meat off the bones after cooking and return it to the stew to serve. This makes it easier to portion out and easier to eat, especially if you have to hold a baby. If you like the presentation with whole chicken pieces, skip that step. 

Many great dishes balance richness and acidity, which I now get done with a little butter and sherry vinegar at the end. This should be done to taste - you can always add vinegar but can't take it away. I no longer recommend my old method of cooking the stew with a lemon as it can add bitterness. My last change is in the beans. The cooking orthodoxy (which I once followed) says to always drain and rinse canned beans. I think this arose from older generations who thought of canned food as a little unclean. For me, this changed from making Kenji's white bean soup, where he notes that there is flavor to be had in the bean liquid. If making a bean salad, I would still rinse, but in a stew, leave it in. I drain two of the cans to make room for some chickens stock, but don't bother with rinsing. I served with a little parsley for color and some crunchy baguette toasts.

Chickpeas with Roasted Red Peppers

Although I typically feature main dishes on the blog, it's equally important to have easy side dishes in the cooking repertoire. This is especially true now, when access to fresh vegetables is more limited. This chickpea dish is perfect for this purpose. Most of the ingredients are pantry staples, and the bell pepper keeps relatively well in the refrigerator. It can also be left simmering more or less indefinitely while a more labor-intensive dish is prepared. In this case, I made fried calamari. 

This recipe is loosely based on a chickpea dish Dad used to make for his Spanish wine class. The original had Spanish chorizo, which is somewhat hard to come by in these parts. I converted it into a completely vegetarian dish by replacing the chorizo with a roasted bell pepper. Roasting a pepper is easy to do directly on a gas stove, but a grill or broiler work fine, too. 

This was also a good opportunity to show my (relatively) new saucier. A saucier is similar to a saucepan, but with sloping sides. They are perfect for a dish where there is need for both a saute and simmer. The sloping sides make tossing easy, but there is still enough volume for liquid. When cooking tomatoes or other acidic foods for a long period of time, I've read a nonreactive pan is best. Stainless steel, lined copper, or enameled work best here. The pan I used has a three layer construction which sandwiches conductive aluminum with nonreactive stainless steel.

Steamed Spareribs with Fermented Black Beans (豉汁排骨)

Greetings, dear readers! It's good to be back. To my shame, it turns out this is only my third post this year. Unfortunately, with a very busy spring semester at IU, the blog suffered. I hope to make up for the deficiency this summer. Pei Mei's Chinese Cook Book is still full of fun, weird stuff I can't wait to try, modernize, and share with you. I've got some exciting stuff planned for the next few weeks, so stay tuned. 

We're starting off with something simple, but a true classic -- dim sum-style spare ribs. I'm a huge fan of dim sum (it's in my blood!) and my attempts to recreate traditional dim sum dishes will always be a big part of No Free Lunch. As far as dim sum goes, it doesn't get any easier than this. This recipe is my own, based on three others: Pei Mei, Chan's Classic Deem Sum, and The Woks of Life. The Chinese name, chizhi paigu (see jup pai gwut in Cantonese) translates to "fermented bean juice spareribs," pretty straightforward, for a change.

There are two notable ingredients to discuss. The first are the ribs themselves. American supermarkets typically don't have spareribs cut up in the way we need. In this case, I found them at an Asian grocery, but if you can find a butcher to cut them up for you, that works too. I have previously made these from a whole rack of spareribs. Cutting up the thick bones is not practical at home, so I used the big end of the rack for braising and cut up the small end (with its softer bones) for steaming. The other ingredient is douchi -- fermented black beans. These are pretty easy to find at Chinese stores. This ingredient has shown up once before, in my stir fried fish recipe. One final note: most recipes include minced hot peppers. I omitted them, but if you like your ribs spicy, put them in.

This recipe is per pound of ribs. I had about 2 1/2 pounds, and adjusted the marinade accordingly. 

Ingredients

• 1 lb. spare ribs, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 Tbs. light soy sauce
• 1 Tbs. fermented black beans, rinsed
• 1 Tbs. Shaoxing wine or sherry
• 1 green onion, chopped (white part only)
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 Tbs. cornstarch
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbs minced hot pepper (optional)

Instructions

To rinse the beans, mix with a little water in a bowl, then pour off the water through fingers or a strainer. Do this twice. Mix all ingredients in a large plastic bag or bowl. Add the ribs, and mix well. Marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours, one if you're in a hurry. Mix about halfway through.

Ready to steam

Prepare the wok for steaming. I use a steamer rack inside the wok, and fill the water to just below the rack. Get the water boiling. Place the rib mixture in a dish or bowl, and place on the rack. Cover and let steam until the ribs are cooked through.

Once the ribs start steaming, get some water boiling on the side. Check the ribs after every 10 minutes for temperature and water level. Add hot water as needed. If you are making a lot of ribs, such that there are multiple layers in the dish, mix them around for even cooking. Larger batches will take longer. Mine took about 30-40 minutes. Serve the ribs on their own or with rice.

Cheesy Polenta with Spinach and Beans

Most recipes on No Free Lunch fall into two categories: recipes I've tinkered with and perfected over a long time and recipes I've whipped up on the spot that happened to turn out well. This time, I have both. I have been making Alton Brown's polenta quite often for a few years, and it's always been a hit. I have experimented with the amounts of ingredients, and the recipe can be played with quite a bit. In fact, this time I completely forgot the butter, and it still turned out great. It's all a matter of taste.

Recently, I have been trying different ways to prepare beans, and today I came up with a quick and simple spinach and bean combination that goes very well with the polenta. My original plan was just to post the polenta, but the whole thing came together nicely, and I highly recommend giving it a try. That being said, the polenta on its own is great as a side for any dish. I suspect Sam's spaghetti sauce would be a terrific addition, as well.

A quick note on the cornmeal: I find that coarsely ground cornmeal is essential. I always use Goya, which can be found at international grocery stores. I have tried it with regular cornmeal, and it came out rather like paste.

Ingredients

Polenta

• 3/4 cups diced onion (about 2 small onions or 1 large onion)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 1 cup coarse ground cornmeal
• 4 Tbs grated Parmesan
• 2 Tbs butter (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Olive oil

Spinach and Beans

• 3/4 cups diced onion (about 2 small onions or 1 large onion)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Large bunch of spinach, about 1 lb
• 1 can of beans, drained and rinsed (I used red beans)
• Dash of oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Olive oil

Instructions

Polenta

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a dutch oven, heat olive oil on medium heat, enough to cover the bottom. Cook onions until softened. Add garlic and cook a few more minutes. 

Pour chicken stock into the pan and turn heat to high. Once the mixture boils, slowly add the cornmeal while whisking vigorously. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes. Stir every 10 minutes. 

Ready to bake

Remove the pan from the oven and add the cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste, and butter if desired. Make sure to taste the polenta as you go. Brown's recipe calls for 3 Tbs of butter. I usually cut this down, and it is fine without any, as well. 

Out of the oven

Spinach and Beans

The spinach and beans can be started about halfway through the baking time. Heat some oil in a large saucepan on medium high. Cook onion and garlic as before. Season with salt and pepper. 

Add spinach a handful at a time. Stir in and let each handful wilt a bit before adding the next. Once all the spinach is in, add the beans. Add oregano and season to taste. Stir together and cook for a few more minutes. Turn the heat to low to hold until the polenta is done.

Indy's Pittsburgh Cassoulet

I got this recipe from my friend, Harrison "Indy" Turner, who came to visit nearly three years ago. Right before leaving, he handed me a tiny piece of paper with the recipe on it. I stuffed the paper into my coat pocket, where it sat until last March, when I suddenly remembered its existence and rediscovered it. In true Indy style, the recipe is deliciously vague, with such gems as "<1 pound of hot dogs" and "large can o' baked beans." As such, I've done some interpretation, as well as elevating the technique (slightly) beyond "mix ingredients in dish; bake 40-45 min at 350° F."

I do not know whether the recipe is an old family secret or Indy's own concoction; both seem rather plausible. In any case, the use of chopped hot dogs certainly appeals to my Midwestern sensibilities. We regularly added them to boxed mac and cheese or ramen for a quick meal when I was a kid. The basic formula of a bean and sausage casserole is also quite close to my heart as a big fan of cassoulet. It is this resemblance that led me to dub this dish "Pittsburgh Cassoulet." The original recipe did not specify what type of mustard. Since hot dogs are featured, I went with yellow mustard. Going along with the theme, both the ketchup and mustard were Heinz.

The original recipe

Ingredients

• 6 hot dogs, sliced into discs
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 lb canned baked beans (2 standard sized cans)
• 10 oz canned pineapple chunks, drained (1/2 standard can)
• 1 Tbs brown sugar
• 1 Tbs ketchup
• 2 tsp yellow mustard (or more to taste)
• Olive oil
• Black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° F. In a dutch oven or heavy saute pan, cook the hot dogs and onion with a splash of olive oil until hot dogs are lightly browned and onions are softened. 

Add the beans, pineapple, brown sugar, ketchup, and mustard. Mix well and transfer to the oven. 

Bake for 45 minutes. Add black pepper to taste.

Diced Swai with Fermented Black Beans (豉汁魚球)

In the last year or two, I have cooked and eaten a lot of swai. Swai is a type of catfish, native to southeast Asia, with a slightly softer texture than American catfish. The best part (other than the name, of course), is that it typically sells for around $3.99 per pound. Generally, swai is found frozen in fillets. Swai is a versatile fish, and takes well to being cooked on its own as whole fillets, or as part of another dish. Given how often I eat it, it's about time it made it into the blog!

Today, I'm also featuring yet another Chinese fermented bean product. Adding to the fermented tofu, bean sauce, ground bean sauce, and hot bean paste already in the fridge are "fermented black beans." Also known as douchi (豆豉), these fermented soybeans are quite salty, and have a distinct and funky pungency that distinguishes them from the laundry list of fermented beans.

This dish is another find out of Pei Mei's Chinese Cook Book. The Chinese name translates to something like "fermented bean sauce fish balls." It's quick, easy, and pretty tasty. The only thing to watch out for here is the salt level. Because the fermented beans add a lot of salt on their own, I recommend leaving the salt out of the sauce and adjusting later. I suspect every brand of fermented beans has a different amount of salt, so this is up to you.

Ingredients

• 2 swai fillets (approx. 14 oz)
• 1 Tbs minced garlic
• 1 Tbs minced ginger
• 2-3 Tbs chopped green onions
• 1 1/2 Tbs fermented black beans
• 1 Tbs chopped red chili peppers (optional)

Marinade

• 1 Tbs Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt

Sauce

• 3 Tbs chicken stock
• 1 tsp Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp salt (to taste, see instructions below)

Instructions

Lightly score the fish on one side with a sharp knife in a crosshatch pattern. This is easier to do on the softer side of the fish. Be careful not to cut too deep. (This is Pei Mei's first step. I believe this is to let the fish pick up more sauce later on.) Cut the fish into small pieces, about 1 square inch each. In a bowl, toss the fish pieces with the marinade ingredients, and set aside for 30 minutes. The marinade will be pretty minimal, really just enough to coat the fish.

While the fish is resting, prepare the garlic, green onion, ginger, and red pepper (if desired). Mix the sauce in a bowl, making sure to integrate the cornstarch. Be careful with the salt here. The ingredient list above has preserved the original recipe's recommendation, but I found the dish too salty. My recommendation is leaving it out at this stage, and tasting later on. The rest of the recipe will go very quickly, and you want to have everything ready to go.

On high heat, coat the wok with oil and quickly stir fry the fish, for about one minute. If you want, you can also deep fry the fish, as in the original recipe. I chose to avoid this hassle, but it's up to you. Set the fish aside when done.

Add more oil, then throw in the garlic, ginger, green onion, and pepper (if using). Toss for a few seconds, then add the fermented beans and prepared sauce. Add the fish, and stir together for about one minute, allowing the sauce to reduce and coat the fish.

I served the fish with rice and bok choy. While probably not traditional, I actually think this dish could benefit from a small splash of lemon juice to brighten it up.

Easy Chicken Cassoulet

It's that time of year again, folks, and of course, I mean it's Bastille Day. Is there any better way to celebrate than by storming our hunger? Non. This dish is essentially a simplified and easy-to-make version of cassoulet, with inexpensive and relatively easily found ingredients. Along with some variants, it has become one of the most common and favorite meals in our house, where it is simply known as "beans." 

The basic formula lends itself to variation, substitutions, and experimentation for many bean-based dishes; the recipe here is really just a suggestion. Swapping the mustard for some garam masala and coconut milk puts an Asian spin on the dish, for example. Different meats (duck, of course, among others) or different types of beans can work well, too. If changing the bean type, you should be careful to stick with beans that hold their shape well after a long cooking time. Any type of kidney bean, as well as chickpeas fit the bill nicely.

Ingredients

• 4 chicken thighs, skin removed
• 1 large onion, diced
• 5 carrots, peeled and diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 smoked sausage or kielbasa, sliced
• 1/2 tbs butter
• Olive oil
• 2 cans white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can butter beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 3 tbs Dijon mustard
• 1/2 large lemon
• 1 sprig fresh parsley, removed from stem
• 1 bay leaf
• Herbes de Provence
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Flour or Wondra for thickening

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat a bit of olive oil on medium-high heat. Rub both sides of the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Brown the chicken on both sides, then remove from the pot and set aside. Add butter and more olive oil as needed. Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and sausage. Cook the mixture until the vegetables become soft. Salt and pepper to your preference.

Next, add the chicken back in, along with the beans and chicken stock. Squeeze the juice from the lemon into the pot, then stir in mustard, parsley, Herbes de Provence (a few good shakes), and bay leaf. Finally, add the thickening agent. If using Wondra, a few generous shakes is sufficient; if using flour, mix with water first. Stir thoroughly. I have also had some success with, in addition to the lemon juice, putting a piece of lemon rind in the pot before baking. I used the rind from a quarter of the lemon here. 

Ready to reduce

Put the pot in the oven and bake for about 1 hour. It is recommended to stir a few times and taste during baking. If the dish is not thickened to your liking after 1 hour of baking, you can remove the chicken and then reduce the liquid on the stovetop on high heat. I generally do this for at least 5 minutes. At the end, you should always be sure to taste and add salt or pepper if needed.

Bacon White Beans

Many of the dishes I post here are premeditated and (usually) well thought through. Making just a few posts a week doesn't give a great idea of how I eat every day. Rice and beans is a very typical lunch for me. Easy and quick to make, and beans are good for you! You can use whatever kind of beans you like. This version is a little elevated using bacon and carrots. I like carrots, and I'm discovering you can add them to just about anything. I tried a few other new things with this one, creating a simple sauce with a little chicken stock and tomato. The end result is simple and hearty, but very tasty.

Ingredients

• 3 strips thick cut bacon
• 1/2 small onion
• 2 carrots
• 1 can cannellini beans
• 1/4 cup crushed tomato
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 cup water
• Salt and pepper
• Chopped parsley

Instructions

Cut the bacon into 1 cm wide strips. The easiest way to do this is with a good pair of kitchen shears. Spread out the bacon into a pan and cook on medium heat until the bacon is lightly crisped and the fat is rendered out. Stir and turn frequently so it doesn't burn. Remove the bacon from the pan, but reserve the fat in the pan.

Dice the onion and carrots. Turn the heat up a little and add onion and carrot. Saute until softened and nicely browned. Drain and rinse beans, then add to pan. Add crushed tomato, water, and chicken stock. Cook to heat beans and reduce the sauce. Add bacon back in. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook until sauce is thickened and sticks to the beans. 

You can make this a full meal deal by pouring it over rice and topping with chopped flat-leaf parsley.

Black Bean and Egg Tostadas

Eggs are an all-day food. Don't let anyone tell you differently. This meal was partially inspired by a visit last year to Chicago's fantastic Frontera Grill, where I ate corn masa cakes with egg, chicken, and chorizo with black beans and queso fresco. I've adapted this idea into tostadas. There are two keys to making great tostadas. First, you need to make sure the tortillas get crunchy, enough to be able to easily break them with a fork or with your teeth. No one wants a tough, rubbery tortilla. The second is to make sure everything stays hot to the moment it hits the plate.

Ingredients

• 3 corn tortillas
• 1/3 small onion, diced
• 1 cup canned black beans, mostly drained
• 3 eggs
• Black pepper, salt, garlic powder to taste
• Queso fresco
• Vegetable oil
• Butter

Instructions

Since this dish has three components that need to be prepared, set the oven on warm to start out. Pour a shallow layer of oil into a large frying pan, and heat on medium-high to high heat. You need the oil very hot, but not to the point where it starts to pop. Fry the tortillas on each side until they are crispy. Do not undercook the tortillas, or they will be tough instead of crunchy. This has been the downfall of many Chopped contestants. It is normal for the tortillas to puff up while cooking. Set the tortillas on a plate in the oven to keep warm.

Empty out most, but not all of the oil. Keep just enough to saute the onion. Cook until softened, then add beans. When I say "mostly drain" the beans, I mean keep a little of the juice from the can to add some moisture to the beans. Use a potato masher to smash up the beans. They don't have to be perfectly smooth; in fact, you probably want to retain some texture. Heat for a few minutes, and mix in salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Set the beans in the oven to keep warm, as well.

Grease up a non-stick frying pan with butter, and crack the eggs into the pan. Cover and cook until the whites become fully firm. To assemble the tostadas, spread the bean-onion mixture over each tortilla. Top with an egg, and crumble queso fresco all over it.