Dominican Beans

This Latin American bean recipe from Gourmet is one of the tastiest bean dishes that I know of. It's easy, but you need to simmer it for a while.

It's great with rice, or you can just have it by itself with some salad on the side. Add some shredded cheese on the side too, although I'm not sure that's how Dominicans would have it:)

Because it takes some time to prepare, you might want to double the recipe and freeze the leftovers for later use.

Enjoy:)

DOMINICAN BEANS

Ingredients:
2 (14- to 15-oz) cans pink or pinto beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups water
1 (2-oz) bunch cilantro (without roots)
1 large onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
1 Cubanelle or Italian frying pepper (not spicy; 4 oz), halved lengthwise, stem and seeds discarded
2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Special equipment: cotton kitchen string

Directions:
Purée half of beans in food processor with 1 cup water until smooth.

Tie cilantro into a tight bundle with string.

Cook onion and garlic in olive oil in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened but not brown, about 8 minutes. Add tomato paste, vinegar, and 1 cup water, then bring to a boil and cook, stirring, 2 minutes.

Add puréed and whole beans, Cubanelle pepper halves, cilantro, bay leaves, salt, oregano, pepper, and remaining 2 cups water, then simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 1 1/2 hours (mixture will reduce and thicken). Remove and discard Cubanelle pepper halves, cilantro, and bay leaves, then serve.

Makes 4 (main course) or 8 (side dish) servings.

Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich

This recipe is not the regular Philly recipe, it is upgraded by Emeril and it is gooood:)

If you want to make it a little bit more sophisticated add some mushrooms to the vegetables. Next time I'm going to add some red wine to the veggies too, I think it will compliment it.

Emeril has even given the method to cut the steak thinly, and it works wonderfully. I don't have an electric knife but a regular knife worked just as well.

PHILLY CHEESE STEAK

Ingredients:
1 pound shell, sirloin, or rib steak, well trimmed and boneless
About 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Vidalia or other sweet onion, halved and thinly sliced
Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper
4 to 6 Italian frying peppers, halved and stemmed, seeds discarded
4 soft hero breads or hoagie rolls, halved lengthwise
Balsamic vinegar
1/4 pound imported fontina or sharp, aged provolone, thinly sliced

Directions:
Slice the beef on an electric meat slicer, or use the following method: with plastic wrap, tightly roll the steak into a torpedo or log shape. Put the beef in the freezer for 30 to 45 minutes to firm it until tight but not frozen. Remove the plastic wrap and, working quickly; use an electric knife to slice the beef into paper-thin slices, almost shaving the beef. If this does not produce very thin results, cut the beef into the thinnest slices possible and flatten, using a meat pounder. Once all the beef has been cut, refrigerate until the remaining ingredients are ready.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy-bottomed saute pan set over low heat. Put in the onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook until nicely softened and lightly caramelized but not browned, about 20 minutes. Transfer the onions to a bowl and set aside. Add the pepper halves to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and fry until soft and tender, about 12 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the onions. Keep the onions and peppers covered and warm.

In a clean, heavy-bottomed saute pan, heat the remaining oil over medium heat. Add the beef in batches and lightly brown, seasoning with salt and pepper as you cook, adding more oil if necessary.

Pull out a little of the doughy insides of each loaf, then drizzle lightly with the oil, a splash of vinegar, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Put 1/4 of the beef inside each roll, top with onions and peppers, and finish with several slices of cheese. Cover with the top half of the bread. Wrap snugly in sandwich wrapping paper, slice diagonally in half, and serve.

Makes 4 sandwiches

Caramelized Shallots AND Caramelized Shallot and Sage Mashed Potatoes

I'm going to add two recipes today. I watched Barefoot Contessa prepare caramelized shallots and I had to try them out. I'm glad I did.

Perfect side dish to meats, potatoes, chicken, fish or anything else you can think of. The recipe actually works great with onions too. I've found this wonderful and easy side dish where you can use these wonderful shallots, so I'm going to add that recipe below.

I do slice the shallots which speeds up the cooking time, and makes them easier to eat. But it does depend on the size of the shallots.

CARAMELIZED SHALLOTS

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
2 pounds fresh shallots, peeled, with roots intact
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons good red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a 12-inch ovenproof saute pan, add the shallots and sugar, and toss to coat. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the shallots start to brown. Add the vinegar, salt, and pepper and toss well.

Place the saute pan in the oven and roast for 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of the shallots, until they are tender. Season, to taste, sprinkle with parsley, and serve hot.

Here is a recipe from Bon Appetit that updates mashed potatoes. The shallots and sage add a nice sweetness to the potatoes and make a wonderful side dish.

This recipe also has a section where you caramelize the shallots which takes a shorter time to prepare, but I would use the recipe above.

If you like rosemary, substitute with the sage, but I would try the sage first:)

Just a great side dish that doesn't require many changes. Enjoy....

CARAMELIZED SHALLOT AND SAGE MASHED POTATOES

Ingredients:
2 pounds Yukon Gold or russet potatoes (unpeeled)
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced shallots
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
Salt

Directions:
Place potatoes in large saucepan; cover with cold water. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until tender, about 20 to 40 minutes. Drain well; cool slightly. Peel and mash potatoes; place in large saucepan. Over medium heat, dry out potatoes for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, heat milk in small saucepan until warm. Stir butter into potatoes. Add warm milk and stir until completely absorbed. Season with salt.

Heat oil in heavy medium skillet over high heat. Add shallots; sauté until tender, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; stir until shallots are golden, about 5 minutes longer. Add fresh sage, white balsamic vinegar, and sugar; stir until caramelized, about 2 minutes. Stir shallot-sage mixture into potatoes. Season with salt.

Makes 6 servings.

Imam Bayildi - The Imam Fainted

This is probably the most delicious eggplant recipe that I know of. It's an authentic Turkish recipe, and according to the story it was prepared for the head Imam who fainted after he saw how much olive oil was used to prepare this dish. I don't know how true the story is but I think it is the best and worth fainting for:)

It's very very easy to make although the cooking time is long. To me it's definitely worth it. Because the preparation time is not long at all. It takes me about 5-10 minutes of preparation time and then I simmer it for about an hour. All I have to do is to remember to set my timer and check the water level around 30 -35 minutes after it starts simmering.

Although the recipe has instructions for the eggplant to be fried, I don't; just to make it a little bit more healthy and it really doesn't lose that much from the taste. Actually I think it really is better. Use the Japanese type long eggplant, not the round ones. And choose meatier ones, not very tiny ones.

And I don't salt the eggplant because they are not really that bitter as they used to be. So using them right away hasn't been a problem for me. Maybe I'm being lazy, so go ahead and prepare as you wish.

And this is a dish that gets better over time. So if you can have it stay around for a day it will taste much better. Enjoy...

IMAM BAYILDI - THE IMAM FAINTED:)

Ingredients:
4 small eggplant (about 1 1/ 2 pounds)
Salt
10 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 medium-size onions, cut lengthwise and thinly sliced
6 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 pound ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
3 medium sized green peppers, not hot, you can use green bell peppers
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup water

Directions:
Peel off strips of the eggplant skin at 1-inch intervals to make a stripped effect. Cut off the stem portion, then cut each eggplant in half lengthwise. Make a deep lengthwise slit along the flesh side of the eggplant, making sure you don't puncture the skin. Salt the flesh and set aside, flesh side down, on some paper towels for 30 minutes to leach the eggplant of its bitter juices. Dry with paper towels.

In a large skillet, heat 1/ 4 cup of the olive oil over high heat and once it's smoking, fry the eggplant, flesh side down, until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Remove from the skillet to drain on some paper towels.

In the same skillet you cooked the eggplant, add the remaining oil and heat over medium-high heat, then cook the onion and garlic until soft and yellow, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently so the garlic doesn't burn. Transfer the onions to a medium-size bowl and mix well with the tomatoes, green peppers, parsley, dill, sugar, salt to taste, and a few tablespoons of the cooking oil.

Arrange the eggplant halves in a large skillet or casserole with the slit side up. Gently open the slit so that they can accommodate as much of the stuffing as possible. Season the eggplant with salt, then stuff each one so that the stuffing fills the slits and is spread to cover all the flesh. Sprinkle the lemon juice over the eggplant. Pour any remaining sauce or juices, along with the water, into the skillet, cover, and cook over low heat until the eggplant is soft, about 50 minutes, adding water to the skillet if it is getting too dry. Let the eggplants cool in the skillet and serve whole at room temperature.

Makes 4 servings