(serves two adults and two children)
The first few times I made this recipe, the burritos came out pretty misshapen. Eventually, I got the hang of rolling,them—but not like they do at my favorite taqueria on Mission in San Francisco.
4 large (ten-inch) flour tortillas
1 can chipotles in adobo sauce
2 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
2 15.5-oz cans black beans
1 pint grape (or cherry) tomatoes
1 lime
1 bunch cilantro
kosher salt
sharp cheddar cheese
baby spinach
sour cream
1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Wrap the tortillas in aluminum foil and warm in the oven.
2. Puree the chipotles in adobo sauce. Reserving about 1 tablespoon, freeze the remainder for future use.
3. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over a medium flame. Add the cumin and the reserved chipotle puree. Saute briefly. Add the beans and bring to a simmer. then reduce the heat to low.
4. Halve the grape tomatoes and place them in a small bowl. (If using cherry tomatoes, quarter them.) Squeeze one-half of the lime over the tomatoes. Pick the leaves from the cilantro stems and coarsely chop them. Add half of the cilantro to the tomatoes along with a pinch of salt. Toss to combine.
5. Grate about 1 cup of the cheese. Squeeze the remaining lime half over the beans. Add the grated cheese and remaining cilantro. Stir until all of the cheese melts.
6. Remove the tortillas from the oven. Working with one at a time, spoon some beans onto the bottom third of the tortillas, leaving a margin at the bottom. Top the beans with some tomatoes, baby spinach, and a few dabs of sour cream. Fold the bottom edge of the tortilla over the filling. Fold over both side edges. Finally, roll up the burrito.
TIPS
• Chipotles, which are smoked jalapeño peppers, go well with almost any Latin bean dish. Because a full can nearly always contains much more than I need, and because I probably won't be needing more for a little while, I puree and freeze the extra. That way, I can easily chip off a tablespoon or so as I need it.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Pasta with Fresh Clams
(serves two adults and two children)
The quality of this dish depends entirely on the quality of the clams. That’s why I usually make it only when I’m on Cape Cod, where my family vacations in August. If there isn’t a good fish store near you, and all you can get are mangy supermarket clams, you’ve got two choices: Either mail-order the real deal from my friends, Pat and Barbara Woodbury, at woodburyclams.com; or use canned clams to make the lesser but still tasty Spaghetti with Clam Sauce recipe posted elsewhere on this blog. Ordering from Pat and Barbara is a treat, of course, but well worth the cost for a special occasion.
36 littleneck clams (see note below)
2 oz pancetta (or bacon)
6 cloves garlic
1 bunch parsley
1 lb dried pasta (spaghetti or linguine)
¼ c olive oil
1½ c dry white wine
3 Tbs unsalted butter
red pepper flakes, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1. Wash and dry the clams. Dice the pancetta. Coarsely chop the garlic and parsley.
2. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until just barely done. Drain and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven (or a large skillet fitted with a lid), heat the olive oil over a medium-low flame. After a few minutes, add the clams and raise the flame to medium-high. Cover and cook until the first clams open, which means they are done. Transfer the opened clams to a bowl tented with aluminum foil Add the white wine and butter. Continue cooking the remaining clams, covered, until they open, removing them from the pan as they do.
4. When all the clams have been removed, add the garlic, parsley, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Simmer the sauce for a minute or two, then add the drained pasta. Toss the pasta to coat and continue cooking for another 2–3 minute so that the pasta can absorb the sauce.
5. Serve the pasta topped with the reserved clams and freshly grated parmesan cheese.
A NOTE ABOUT CLAMS
The most commonly available hardshell clams are littlenecks, cherrystones, and quahogs. They’re all the same species; the only difference is size. Of these, littlenecks are the smallest and most tender. These are the ones that you want, though cherrystones will do in a pinch (use half as many). Under no circumstances should you use quahogs, which are chowder clams.
TIPS
• Monitor the clams closely because they become very chewy when overcooked. I lift the lid every minute or two to check for newly opened clams.
• I use a full teaspoon of red pepper flakes because I like my clam sauce to have some kick to it.
• Don’t skimp on the wine or the parmesan because poor grades will ruin the delicate flavor of the clams. I never cook with a wine that I wouldn’t drink with dinner, and I always use imported Parmigiano-Reggiano. Even if you have to pay $16 a pound for the cheese, the couple of ounces you need will only set you back $2.
The quality of this dish depends entirely on the quality of the clams. That’s why I usually make it only when I’m on Cape Cod, where my family vacations in August. If there isn’t a good fish store near you, and all you can get are mangy supermarket clams, you’ve got two choices: Either mail-order the real deal from my friends, Pat and Barbara Woodbury, at woodburyclams.com; or use canned clams to make the lesser but still tasty Spaghetti with Clam Sauce recipe posted elsewhere on this blog. Ordering from Pat and Barbara is a treat, of course, but well worth the cost for a special occasion.
36 littleneck clams (see note below)
2 oz pancetta (or bacon)
6 cloves garlic
1 bunch parsley
1 lb dried pasta (spaghetti or linguine)
¼ c olive oil
1½ c dry white wine
3 Tbs unsalted butter
red pepper flakes, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1. Wash and dry the clams. Dice the pancetta. Coarsely chop the garlic and parsley.
2. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until just barely done. Drain and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven (or a large skillet fitted with a lid), heat the olive oil over a medium-low flame. After a few minutes, add the clams and raise the flame to medium-high. Cover and cook until the first clams open, which means they are done. Transfer the opened clams to a bowl tented with aluminum foil Add the white wine and butter. Continue cooking the remaining clams, covered, until they open, removing them from the pan as they do.
4. When all the clams have been removed, add the garlic, parsley, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Simmer the sauce for a minute or two, then add the drained pasta. Toss the pasta to coat and continue cooking for another 2–3 minute so that the pasta can absorb the sauce.
5. Serve the pasta topped with the reserved clams and freshly grated parmesan cheese.
A NOTE ABOUT CLAMS
The most commonly available hardshell clams are littlenecks, cherrystones, and quahogs. They’re all the same species; the only difference is size. Of these, littlenecks are the smallest and most tender. These are the ones that you want, though cherrystones will do in a pinch (use half as many). Under no circumstances should you use quahogs, which are chowder clams.
TIPS
• Monitor the clams closely because they become very chewy when overcooked. I lift the lid every minute or two to check for newly opened clams.
• I use a full teaspoon of red pepper flakes because I like my clam sauce to have some kick to it.
• Don’t skimp on the wine or the parmesan because poor grades will ruin the delicate flavor of the clams. I never cook with a wine that I wouldn’t drink with dinner, and I always use imported Parmigiano-Reggiano. Even if you have to pay $16 a pound for the cheese, the couple of ounces you need will only set you back $2.
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