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Nov. 22nd, 2021 07:18 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
madbakerThis week's Resolution Recipe: Pinto Bean Soup with Chochoyotes.
1 lb dried pinto beans (I used a mix of King City Pinks and Santa Maria Pinquitos)
salt
3 Tbsp veg oil
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced (Ha! I used... more. Actually 1 head)
1-2 Tbsp minced jalapeno chile (I used the last of our Hatch chile)
1 tsp ancho chile powder
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes
1 lb prepared masa (the original has a long thing to make from scratch with masa harina, but we just get prepared masa from our local tortilla shop)
4 cups chicken stock (I used house-made)
1 cup cilantro, plus some for garnish
1 Tbsp lime juice, plus wedges for serving
cubed avocado for serving
queso fresco for serving
Soak beans overnight. The next day, heat the oven to 250. Pour off the water and transfer the beans to a Dutch oven. Add fresh cold water to cover by 2". Bring the beans to a boil over high heat, then cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook for 1 hour, then uncover and sample five beans; if they're tender, remove the pot from the oven and generously season with salt. If the beans are not tender, cover and continue cooking, checking every 20 minutes. Transfer the beans and their liquid to a large bowl. Let the pot cool slightly, then wipe clean.
Heat the oil in the Dutch oven over medium. Add the onion, garlic, and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, about 6 minutes until the onion begins to brown. Add the jalapenos and chile powder and cook for 2 minutes more. Add the tomatoes and juice and puree with an immersion blender. Return the Dutch oven to medium-high heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the puree thickens and darkens in color and begins to stick to the bottom of the pot. Remove from the heat.
Roll the masa dough into small balls, each the size of a large marble, then flatten each slightly. With the tip of a finger, make a small dimple in each dumpling (this will help it cook through). In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a vigorous simmer. Add the dumplings and adjust the heat so the stock is gently simmering; if the stock boils too vigorously, they can break apart. The dumplings will sink, then float to the surface. Once they float, cook for 1 minute longer. Transfer the dumplings with a slotted spoon to a plate.
Pour the chicken stock into the Dutch oven with the tomato mixture and stir to mix. Sieve out the beans and to the mixture. Puree until smooth, adding bean liquid as necessary. Season to taste with salt (it will likely need a lot) and stir in the cilantro, the chochoyotes [dumplings], and the lime juice. Heat over low until the dumplings are warmed through.
Ladle into bowls and top each withavocado, queso fresco, and cilantro, with lime wedges alongside.
What worked: It was okay.
What didn't: It wasn't exciting. Even though the beans were tender, the pureed fragments had some tooth to them. The wife called it "gritty." That's not the right word, but that gives a sense of it. (It was much less present the next day, eating leftovers for lunch.) We would have preferred leaving the beans whole.
Will I make it again? Doubtful. Third week in a row that was a meh swing-and-miss, so I will have to pick a likely winner for the next week. (Although I did think this one would be one such.)
1 lb dried pinto beans (I used a mix of King City Pinks and Santa Maria Pinquitos)
salt
3 Tbsp veg oil
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced (Ha! I used... more. Actually 1 head)
1-2 Tbsp minced jalapeno chile (I used the last of our Hatch chile)
1 tsp ancho chile powder
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes
1 lb prepared masa (the original has a long thing to make from scratch with masa harina, but we just get prepared masa from our local tortilla shop)
4 cups chicken stock (I used house-made)
1 cup cilantro, plus some for garnish
1 Tbsp lime juice, plus wedges for serving
queso fresco for serving
Soak beans overnight. The next day, heat the oven to 250. Pour off the water and transfer the beans to a Dutch oven. Add fresh cold water to cover by 2". Bring the beans to a boil over high heat, then cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook for 1 hour, then uncover and sample five beans; if they're tender, remove the pot from the oven and generously season with salt. If the beans are not tender, cover and continue cooking, checking every 20 minutes. Transfer the beans and their liquid to a large bowl. Let the pot cool slightly, then wipe clean.
Heat the oil in the Dutch oven over medium. Add the onion, garlic, and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, about 6 minutes until the onion begins to brown. Add the jalapenos and chile powder and cook for 2 minutes more. Add the tomatoes and juice and puree with an immersion blender. Return the Dutch oven to medium-high heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the puree thickens and darkens in color and begins to stick to the bottom of the pot. Remove from the heat.
Roll the masa dough into small balls, each the size of a large marble, then flatten each slightly. With the tip of a finger, make a small dimple in each dumpling (this will help it cook through). In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a vigorous simmer. Add the dumplings and adjust the heat so the stock is gently simmering; if the stock boils too vigorously, they can break apart. The dumplings will sink, then float to the surface. Once they float, cook for 1 minute longer. Transfer the dumplings with a slotted spoon to a plate.
Pour the chicken stock into the Dutch oven with the tomato mixture and stir to mix. Sieve out the beans and to the mixture. Puree until smooth, adding bean liquid as necessary. Season to taste with salt (it will likely need a lot) and stir in the cilantro, the chochoyotes [dumplings], and the lime juice. Heat over low until the dumplings are warmed through.
Ladle into bowls and top each with
What worked: It was okay.
What didn't: It wasn't exciting. Even though the beans were tender, the pureed fragments had some tooth to them. The wife called it "gritty." That's not the right word, but that gives a sense of it. (It was much less present the next day, eating leftovers for lunch.) We would have preferred leaving the beans whole.
Will I make it again? Doubtful. Third week in a row that was a meh swing-and-miss, so I will have to pick a likely winner for the next week. (Although I did think this one would be one such.)
