Recipes

Vegan Iron Chef Dinner
Coffee-Date-Almond Spread
Makes ~2c

1/2 lb juicy medjool dates, cut in half and de-pitted
1-2c espresso, turkish coffee, or other full-flavored coffee
2-4c almonds (can sub walnuts or pistachios), toasted and chopped/crushed into small pieces.
1-2T honey
1-2T neutral oil
1t hulled cardamom pods
1/2t whole coriander seeds
pinch fennel or anise

 In saute pan just large enough to hold the dates, heat the oil over medium heat.  When oil is hot, add the cardamom pods and coriander seeds, followed in about 10 seconds by the fennel/anise.  After another 15 seconds, add the honey.  Stir this mixture, and then add the dates, face down.

Saute for 30 seconds to a minute, and then add some of the coffee -- enough to cover the bottom of the whole pan.  Continue to add coffee as necessary/desire and let it boil with the dates.  After about five minutes, they should be quite soft.  Break them up with a spoon or transfer to a blender/food processor.  The consistency should be that of a paste, perhaps slightly on the liquidy side.

Once the dates are blended, incorporate the nuts.  Serve with an earthy bread.

Makes a nice pitcher

.75L White cuban rum
1c fresh lime juice, or more to taste
1.5c simple syrup (1:1 sugar to water)
a handful of fresh mint
lots of fresh pea tendrils -- 2 cups perhaps
soda water
ice

Muddle the mint, tendrils, and lime (ie, lightly bruise the leaves in the liquid), and then put into a pitcher.  Add the rum and simple syrup.  Taste and adjust, recognizing that ice and soda water will be added.  When adjusted to your liking, add ice and soda water, stir, and taste once again.  Adjust if necessary.


1 can artichoke hearts, drained rinsed and squeezed dryish
1c cooked chickpeas*, preferably from scratch
1/4c tahini
1/4c fresh lemon juice
1-2 cloves garlic, grated pressed or finely minced
1/4t ground cumin
salt to taste
chickpea stock, chicken/vegetable stock, or water as necessary for thinning
olive oil

Blend the artichoke hearts and chickpeas until as smooth** as you can get.  Add the tahini, lemon, garlic, cumin, and salt and process again until smooth.  Add stock in small increments until you get a good consistency.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  If serving, drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil.  Otherwise, blend some oil in to the hummus itself.

*cooking dried chickpeas is more involved than opening a can, but has a lot of benefits.  They taste better and non-tinny, they are more tender, you can flavor them with things such as onions/carrots/celery while cooking, and you are left with a flavorful stock you can use.   Make a big batch and freeze the extras; those are as easy as a can.

**To get really smooth hummus, you have to remove the fibrous skins of the chickpeas.  The difference is quite noticeable.  This can be done by hand (not worth it unless a special occasion) or by passing them through a food mill.  Or perhaps using a really high power blender and a lot of oil.

Tahini
Pomegranate molasses (aka concentrated pomegranate juice)

Mix the two until you get a taste you like.  I used about half and half, which is very tangy and strong, but worked since it was paired with other stuff and was more of an accent.


Baby artichokes, prepped (google it if you don't know how)
Lots of frying oil
Salt

Heat enough oil to completely submerge the artichokes to 220F.  While the oil is heating, make sure that you have dried the artichokes as best you can to minimize splatter.  Add the artichokes, making sure not to crowd, and blanch for ~8-10 minutes or until a sharp knife penetrates the heart.  Remove to paper towel or wire rack and let cool.

Heat enough oil to completely submerge the artichokes to 350F.  Add the artichokes and cook for ~1 minute.  They should be crispy on the outside.  Remove and drain, serve immediately.

Jasmine tea
Miso paste
Scallions, slivered
Dried nori, ripped into about one-inch squares
Tofu (preferably soft/silken), cut into half-inch dice
Mushrooms
Cellophane noodles
salt & pepper to taste
Bring a pot of water to boil, remove from heat, and steep a lot of jasmine tea in there for about 10 minutes or until it is very fragrant.  Remove the leaves.

Return to a boil and add the white parts of the scallions, mushrooms, miso paste and some pepper.  Stir until the miso is incorporated, and then taste.  If the flavor is still weak and it needs salt, add more miso.  If the miso flavor is strong but the general flavor is still a little bland, add some salt (and possibly more pepper).  After cooking for another 5-10 minutes, add the seaweed, tofu, and green parts of the scallions.  Cook another 5 minutes, taste and adjust seasoning.  Remove from heat and add cellophane noodles.  Soup is ready when noodles are soft, ~3-5 minutes.

Coconut milk
Sugar
Pomegranate molasses
Vanilla extract

Bring coconut milk to a low boil and add some sugar and some pomegranate.  Don't add too much at first, though, since you are going to reduce it significantly until it is the consistency of a thick syrup.  As it reduces, periodically taste and adjust seasoning, balancing out the tang of the pomegranate with the sweetness of the sugar.  Add a dash of vanilla whenever you feel.


Iron Chef Dinner
3 cups vodka
3 stalks rhubarb, chopped
a few pieces of meyer lemon rind
1/2c sugar

Combine all in a sterilized 1-qt mason jar.  Let sit at least 24 hours, shaking occasionally.  Serve well-chilled.


Makes enough for about 12 two-inch patties

1c shredded coconut, unsweetened
1/3c rice flour
1t salt
1t finely minced lime zest
1t ground coriander
1/2c coconut milk
1 egg (optional, helps bind)

Combine all the dry ingredients.  Add the coconut milk and mix together.  If using the egg, add that too.
To form into patties, roll into a ball in your hand and then firmly press it between your two palms.  The patty will hold but will be somewhat fragile.

Fry in lightly oiled saute pan 2-3 mins on each side until nicely browned.  They are a little dry, so make sure to serve with some sort of sauce.


Makes about 2-3 oz of a strong sauce

2c loosely packed cilantro
juice of 1.5 limes
1-2T olive oil
1T coconut milk
1/2t ground coriander
1/4t ground cumin
1/4t salt

Combine all in blender or food processor.  It is very strongly flavored, so depending on what you're using it for you might want to add more oil/coconut milk and/or some ground nuts to mellow it out some.

Makes ~1c

3oz lime juice
zest of 2 limes
1T rice vinegar
2T soy sauce
3T honey
3T sesame oil
2T canola oil
2 scallions, chopped
2T grated ginger
1.5 cloves garlic, grated
1t miso paste

Combine all in blender and adjust to taste.

Follow your favorite basic cupcake recipe with the following changes:
-slice 1-2 stalks lemongrass and steep it in the liquid until the flavor has been imparted (~1/2 hour), then strain
-add the zest of 3-4 limes to a batter that makes 24 cupcakes.


2 sticks butter, room temp
1 2/3c confectioner's sugar
1/4c milk
2T matcha powder
pinch salt
dash vanilla extract


Using an electric beater or a fork, beat butter til smooth.  Incorporate about a cup of the sugar, 1/3c at a time.  Then add the matcha, milk, salt, and vanilla.

From this point on, it's a matter of taste -- add more sugar/matcha/milk until you get the right combination of sweetness, green tea flavor, and consistency.

Indian Dinner
Chili-Garlic Naan
We used the Naan recipe from Where Flavor was Born by Andreas Viestad (which was surprisingly easy, even for we non-bakers), and then added this very simple, yet very tasty, chili-garlic paste prior to baking:

Makes enough for 1 large naan

1 head roasted garlic, mashed and chopped
3 thai chiles, finely minced
1/4t ground cumin
1/2t olive oil
salt to taste (I didn't add any, but I tend to use less salt than most)

Combine all.

Cucumber Raita
I can't comment on the authenticity of this, but it was pretty damn tasty to me.  Could also work as a base for tzatziki (substitute fresh dill for the fresh cilantro; add more garlic).  It's also nice for cutting the heat of the chili-garlic paste above.

Makes about 3 cups

2.5cups plain yogurt
1 large cucumber (~as big as those english ones that come pre-wrapped), peeled & quartered lengthwise
handful fresh mint leaves, chopped
handful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
juice of 1 lemon
s&p to taste

Cut the seeds out from the cucumber and reserve.  Chop half of the remaining cucumber into very small pieces -- not quite minced, but close to it -- and add to yogurt.  If it doesn't look like enough, chop the remainder of the cucumber and add it.

Take the reserved cucumber seeds, any unused cucumber, the herbs, garlic, and lemon juice and puree in a blender.  You may need to scrape down the sides a few times, but it should come out about the consistency of a tomatillo salsa (or what a pesto would look like if you used water instead of oil).  Add that to the yogurt and stir to combine.  Add s&p and adjust seasonings to your taste.

Curried Deviled Eggplant
(full recipe coming soon)
12 hardboiled eggs
12 thai, indian, or baby eggplant

Coconut Soup
This dish comes together quite quickly and has almost no prep work.  It can be served same day, but is better the second day after letting it sit and meld for a while. 
3 cans coconut milk (~40oz)
2-3c milk
2c shredded unsweetened coconut
3-4T butter (or neutral oil)
1t cloves
1t nutmeg
1t cinnamon
1/8t ground fenugreek
2t fennel seeds, crushed or ground
1/2t ground black pepper
pistachios, toasted and ground
fresh turmeric, ground
fresh cilantro, chopped

Melt butter over medium-low heat.  Add coconut and stir until it becomes a fragrant nutty brown.  Add the spice mixture and stir for another 10-15 seconds.  Pour in the coconut milk and milk and bring to a low simmer.  Do not boil.  Keep simmering to let the flavors deepen.

Blend, serve, and top with turmeric, pistachios, and cilantro.  These add a lot to the flavor and texture, so consider them part of the soup and do not leave them out.

Coriander-Chickpea Pancakes
The idea for this came in a flash, and we decided to use yogurt pancakes as the base.  We used the recipe for sour cream pancakes from the Hadassah Jewish Holiday Cookbook, making the following substitutions (which should work for whatever pancake recipe you use):
-yogurt for sour cream
-2:1 chickpea flour (aka gram flour, besan) to regular flour
-add a generous amount of ground coriander and cumin.  We used about 1/2T coriander and 1t cumin for a batter made of about 6c.  It could have even benefited from more.

Then, proceed with recipe as directed.  The one thing to note when cooking is that the chickpea flour reacts a little differently, so although the telltale bubbles on top may appear, they also may not, and neither signifies readiness for flippage.  Your best bet is to look at the sides and see how well they have firmed up, and also peek under the bottom.  It should be firm and nicely browned.

These are great on their own and pair perfectly with the tamarind-date syrup below.
 
Tamarind-Date Syrup
Note that these amounts are pretty approximate, but should be a good base.  Its all to taste anyway...

2oz tamarind concentrate
~10oz hot water
1/2c dates, chopped
1T honey
3T brown sugar
2t minced/grated fresh ginger
3/4t ground cumin
1/2t ground coriander
1/2t ground cardamom
1/2t fennel seed, crushed/ground 
salt (optional) 
Add some hot water to the tamarind concentrate and mix until incorporated.  Then add the rest of the water.  Put all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Cook for 3-5 minutes.  Let cool a bit, and then transfer to a blender and puree until smooth.  Taste and adjust for consistency (add water or boil down) and sourness-sweetness ratio (add sugar/honey or add concentrate).

Fenugreek Home Fries
(full recipe coming soon)
3 lbs potatoes, boiled til fork-soft & peeled
1 bunch fresh fenugreek (leaves only)

Ginger Ketchup
(full recipe coming soon)
Cardamom Ice Cream
(full recipe coming soon)
Caramel Peanuts
2c brown sugar
1-1.5c unsalted peanuts, toasted & chopped if you wish

Add sugar to saucepan over medium heat.  Stir constantly until the whole mixture is melted and caramely.  Add the peanuts and stir until they are thoroughly coated.  It will be quite sticky.  Remove to a separate place to cool (greased wax paper would be ideal).

Garam Masala Blondies
These were really really good. Really.  We used the blondie recipe from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian as our base (any blondie/cookie recipe should do), adding a generous amount of garam masala and a dash of almond extract to the butter/sugar mixture.  Since we actually ran out of premixed garam masala, we added a mixture of the following to substitute:

2 parts ground cloves
2 parts ground cinnamon
2 parts ground cumin
1 part ground cardamom
1 part ground black pepper
pinch ground cayenne or other hot chili pepper

After you've filled out the whole batter, give it a quick taste and the garam masala should come through.  If not, add more.  Proceed with baking as usual.

Italian Dinner
I think this was probably my favorite dish that we made. Originally we were going to do a rosemary-grape focaccia, but after realizing that without a mixer it would be quite difficult, we settled on the idea of crostini and a rosemary grape jam. It ended up being quite simple, is open for lots of variation, and even without using any fruit pectin it achieved the perfect consistency.

Makes not as much as you'll want (about 3/4-1c)

18oz seedless grapes, halved
2T sugar (or more to taste -- depends on the acidity of the grapes and other ingredients)
2oz lemon juice
2oz dry red wine
2t minced raisins (can use more if you want)
3-4 sprigs rosemary
2T olive oil
1/2t salt or to taste

Heat olive oil in medium saucepan over medium-low heat and add whole sprigs of rosemary. Meanwhile, cut grapes in half.

After sauteing rosemary for ~5 minutes, add raisins and saute another minute or so.

Add grapes & sugar and stir. Turn the heat to medium-high. Add lemon juice, wine, and salt and bring the whole mixture to a boil.

Continue to boil, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has noticeably reduced and the mixture is somewhat thick. The grapes should be broken up somewhat (feel free to help them along) and it should be a little viscous, although still runny. Taste the liquid and adjust seasonings. When ready, remove from heat and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight. It will thicken and flavors will intensify upon cooling.


This was a relatively basic vinaigrette but turned out well enough that it was worth jotting down. I happen to like my vinaigrettes strong, so I tend to use a 1:1 ratio of vinegar to olive oil, but most people prefer anywhere from 1:1.5-1:3.

Makes 1 1/4 cups

2oz sherry vinegar
2oz reduced balsamic vinegar (unless using very high quality vinegar, bring about double this amount to a boil until it has reduced. it improves the flavor.)
1oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
5oz olive oil
1t minced garlic
1t minced chives
1/2t fennel seed, crushed
3/4t dried dill
pinch sugar
pinch salt
3 grinds of a pepper mill


I'm not really sure how much the lemons imparted to the filling, but it was attractive. The filling could be used on its own or in other items, however (eg, tomatoes, peppers, etc).

8oz dried cannellini (white beans)
10 oz fresh crimini mushrooms (or any), sliced
a few dried porcini, reconstituted and minced
1 onion, diced
1 head roasted garlic (or more, up to 2 heads), mashed.
~2-4T Shaoxing cooking wine (or dry sherry or dry white wine)
~3T fresh squeezed lemon juice
~2T dried thyme
~2T dried oregano
1/2bunch fresh basil (or another herb), chopped
s&p to taste

Soak and cook beans according to whatever method you prefer, until soft but not mushy. This can be done in advance.

Heat some olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat and add the onions and criminis. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes or until starting to soften. Add the porcini and the garlic, and a generous amount of salt and pepper. After about a minute, add the thyme and oregano and stir to coat. After another 30 seconds or so, add the wine. When the wine has nearly boiled down, add the beans and stir to mix. Add the lemon juice and more salt and pepper. When the lemon juice has boiled down and there is little to no liquid left, taste and adjust the seasonings. Finally, remove from heat and stir in the fresh basil. Eat as is or proceed with another recipe.


This dish was basically a failure. It ended up being alright, but mishaps along the way prevented it from being what it could have been. We were hoping for dense, herby, cheesy cakes with a light, crunchy, spicy coating. But after making the risotto mixture, it simply wouldn't form neat balls/cakes. It spread. We tried to fix it by thickening it with a little flour, but it just seemed to absorb the flour like a black hole (black holes are responsible for multiple flour shortages in history). Eventually a lot of bread crumbs held them together enough to be formed into patties and baked & drizzled with the infused oil (rather than sauteed in it). We still don't really know what was wrong with the recipe or our method, so we're not gonna pass it on. But we stand by the idea and encourage you to try it, cause it could/should be great and not particularly hard.


This is more effort than it's worth unless you're crazy (like us). But it is delicious. If you have the necessary equipment (a pasta machine and a ravioli mold), you probably have or can find a basic pasta recipe. For the filling, mix equal parts chopped beets and good quality ricotta (or goat cheese), add a touch of lemon, salt and pepper, and use that to fill the molds. They're good enough to be eaten on their own or tossed with a little olive oil, but the earthy, slightly bitter chard pesto goes really well. Incidentally, if you don't feel like making the pasta, the beet/ricotta mixture goes great on crackers or toast (and even better topped with some of the pesto).

It's great to make pestos out of not just basil. Leafy greens are flavorful, incredibly healthy, and a great way to expand your pesto boundaries. Kale can be substituted in this recipe, or rainbow chard, or even collard greens (least desirable of the three)...but I love to do it with swiss chard. It's based on something I ate on a farm in Italy this summer.

1 large bunch chard
1/4c olive oil, plus more if needed
handful walnuts
1/2c grated parmesan
2T lemon juice
1 clove garlic
s&p to taste

Start by processing the chard...you may need to do it gradually, like a handful at a time through the processor, then add more, because chard leaves are so big even when chopped or ripped.

Once the chard is broken down, add the rest of the ingredients and process. (Many pesto recipes will tell you that you must pour in the oil as the mixture is going around the processor, but that's not necessary. if you want to, though, do it.)

1/4 cup of olive oil is a conservative estimate...you'll probably need more but basically don't measure it, just pour it in until it's the consistency that you want. Ideally it should be a little chunky. And don't forget to salt it!

Nutella is tasty, but it's also milk chocolate and it has some yucky stuff on the ingredient list. This is quite simple and easy to make, and is good on its own or in other stuff (like a panini).

Makes quite a bit (1.75 lbs to be approximately exact)

~1lb dark chocolate, roughly chopped
~3/4lb hazelnuts, toasted and processed/ground as finely as possible
1/2t vanilla extract

Either set up a double boiler or put a medium-saucepan on over low heat. Add chocolate and melt, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Add the hazelnuts and incorporate. Add vanilla. Try to contain yourself.

This is really a deceiving name for the drink because we don't add any milk to it, which is actually key: milk just dilutes the flavor. You'll want more or less coffee/amaretto depending on how thick (Jared's preference) or thin (Luke's preference) you like your shake, but the process is the same: use a high quality ice cream (vanilla from costcos or trader joes will do the trick nearly as well as a good locally homemade) and a strong flavored liquid, and blend til you achieve the desired consistency. When using liquor, it's especially important to keep the ingredients well chilled beforehand because the alcohol speeds up the melting process.

Makes about 3.5 cups

3cups vanilla ice cream (or a flavor mix of your choosing -- we had 2 of vanilla and 1 of burnt caramel, both from Toscanini's)
1c espresso, chilled (we actually used strained turkish coffee, but anything strong will do)
1oz amaretto, chilled

Add to blender and let it go til smooth, occasionally scraping down the side if you need to.


Mexican Dinner
As much as we loved the Middle Eastern dinner, the Mexican was in some ways even better. Every dish turned out (almost) exactly as we planned! This time around we tried to keep an idea of what we've done so we could pass on the recipes and talk about some of what went on behind the scenes. Here's what we've got....
This is from an old Texan recipe my mother had lying around, and it was really fantastic. We made a ton and had no problem finishing the whole batch. Since we were making a large amount, we used a mix of wines, but really anything dry and drinkable will do. Here, the recipe is pared down for two bottles (you'll be too mad at yourself if you make just one). The real key is to let it mix together for the whole two days.

Makes 16 6oz servings

2 bottles dry red wine
1/2c sugar
2c orange juice (preferably fresh-squeezed)
2c pineapple juice
1c orange liqueur
2 oranges, thinly sliced
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 lime, thinly sliced
2 apples, thinly sliced

Mix all at least 2 days.


Salsas
The combination of sweet, juicy pineapple and spicy habanero works great in this quick & simple salsa. It is good on its own with tortilla chips, but also pairs especially well with seafood.

2.5 cups diced fresh pineapple
half a red onion, finely diced
a big handful of chopped cilantro
1-2 habaneros, very finely minced

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Be careful of the habanero…don’t touch any part of your body after chopping them until you’ve washed your hands. 1 will give the salsa a healthy kick…2 will start reaching that burning mouth zone. They are incredibly incredibly spicy so…you know…use them judiciously.

This basic tomato salsa is a nice accompaniment to eggs, potatoes, roast pork, guacamole...The toasted dried chiles provide for a deep flavor and lingering heat.

30ish dried chiles de arbol
2-4 cloves garlic
~2-3T Neutral vegetable oil
One can (28oz) of diced or crushed or milled or whatever tomatoes, doesn’t matter cause they’re getting blended anyway
salt to taste

Reconstitute the dried chiles by soaking them in a container filled with hot water and covered, until softened (~15-20 mins).
Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat and add the chiles and whole garlic cloves, 5-10 minutes.
Add the chiles, garlic, and tomatoes to a blender and let it go. It won’t be too spicy…at first…but then the slow burn will hit you.

After getting a bunch of tomatillos in our farm share last fall, I created and tweaked this recipe and it is really a bright, refreshing salsa and a beautiful, vibrant green. Although I am generally pretty heavy-handed with spices (especially cumin!), in this case it just calls for a little bit. The tomatillo, cilantro, and lime should really shine through, with the rest of it just providing some coloration and depth to the flavor.

Makes 1.5-2c

~1lb (10ish medium) tomatillos, husked and rinsed
~1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/2-1 medium red onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic (I like to use a mix of roasted and raw, but just raw or just roasted is fine too)
1 hot pepper, minced, with seeds (obviously must be tailored depending on the kind and heat of the pepper -- in this case I used about 4/5 of a thai chile -- but it should not be a very spicy salsa, just enough heat to feel it)
juice of 1/2-1 lime
1T white vinegar
1T agave nectar, honey, or sugar, or to taste
1/4t ground cumin
1/4t ground coriander
salt to taste (~1t)

Cut tomatillos in half and place under broiler, skin side up, until skins begin to blacken in spots (~5-15 mins)
Add all ingredients and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.
Chill.


Presentation idea somewhat inspired by the blog luxirare…check it out it’ll blow your mind

10 avocados
about 20 8” corn tortillas, cut into thin strips and baked at 350 until golden brown
8-10 dried guajillo chiles, reconstituted, then toasted in olive oil with a clove of garlic (see chile de arbol recipe for directions on reconstitution and toasting)
1 cup crumbled queso fresco
one can (28 oz) diced tomatoes (or preferably fresh if in season)
salt
2 limes, cut into slices or thin wedges

Dredging mixture
2 cups pumpkin seeds, about a cup of tortilla strips set aside…and crushed
2t cumin
2t paprika
1/2t olive oil

Toss the pumpkin seeds with a touch of olive oil, just enough to barely coat them, and sprinkle/toss with the cumin and paprika. Toast at 350 for ~5-8 minutes, until nicely toasted and fragrant.

Crush/blend/chop the pumpkin seeds and mix with the crushed tortilla strips. There should be a mix of sizes ranging from flour to shirt buttons.

Add the chiles into a blender with half of the diced tomatoes and blend. Add into mixing bowl with rest of tomatoes, and add cheese. Salt.
Just before serving add in tortilla strips.

Hollow out half of each avocado so that all that remains is the green part (save the removed parts for guacamole or sandwiches). Stuff with the tortilla mixture and dredge the outside in the crushed pumpkin seed and tortilla mixture. Serve face-down with a lime wedge on the side (lime juice complements the dish nicely). Should be somewhere in between cold and room temperature.


I love beans. All kinds of beans, in every shape. But something about refried beans just really does it for me. In this recipe, I use a mostly Cuban-style black bean base, but then add some of my own spicing and mash it for the Mexican consistency. Although I make mine from dried beans, it can also be done with canned. Also, most refried bean recipes call for lard or some other fat, which does give it nice flavor and creaminess, but in this recipe I achieve that by adding back in some of the cooking liquid. You won't miss the fat :) Note, this recipe makes a lot, but it freezes well and doesn't take much extra effort...it's worth making a big batch (I'll often double even this).

Serves a lot.

4 cups dried black beans, soaked for at least 2 hours (or preferably overnight).
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, halved
3 chile peppers, minced (depends on the pepper and how hot you like it. You can also use dried peppers such as aleppo, paprika, or chipotle to add the heat)
3T ground cumin
1T ground coriander
1.5T oregano
2 bay leaves
2T Lizano (a Costa Rican savory bottled sauce, optional but a very nice addition)
4oz queso fresco
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
salt & pepper to taste

Dry toast the cumin, coriander, and oregano (and dry chile, if using) in a large pot for 10-30 seconds (until fragrant).
Add all ingredients except for the Lizano, queso, cilantro, and salt/pepper, and enough water to cover. Stir once to combine, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cover.
Cook for 1.5-2 hours, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender. Add water as necessary to keep the level just above the beans. (you can also add some salt toward the end; if you add it earlier it can toughen the beans)
Remove the garlic & bay leaves, and drain & reserve most of the liquid.
Mash or blend the beans until you get the desired consistency (I like a mix of puree and whole beans). Add liquid as necessary to thin out the mixture.
Add Lizano, salt & pepper, and adjust other seasonings as necessary.
Stir in queso fresco & cilantro just prior to serving.


Huitlacoche is a fungus that grows on corn. Don't be afraid of it, even though it looks like poopie and smells funky. It has a really rich flavor and lots of umami goodness to it. You can get huitlacoche, achiote, epazote, and other rhyming Mexican ingredients at any Mexican grocery and most Hispanic/Caribbean groceries, or at gentrified white people specialty shops.

Makes 20 small enchiladas, so cut it in half to make 10, or quarter it to make 5.

5 cans goya huitlacoche
2 large white onions, sliced or diced
1 package (10 oz) button mushrooms, sliced
2 very generous pinches of dried epazote if you have it (substitute oregano if you don’t)
salt to taste
vegetable oil, enough to almost coat the bottom of the pan
20 12” flour tortillas
1 recipe tomatillo salsa (see above)
~2 cups grated cheddar, jack cheese or other melting cheese, and about half as much queso fresco

Sautee the huitlacoche for about ten minutes, add salt and epazote, and transfer to a bowl
Caramelize onions and mushrooms in the same pan, then add to bowl with the huitlacoche and mix. That’s the filling. It’s that easy.
Assemble enchiladas and pack tightly in ovenproof dish. Cover in tomatillo salsa and cheese and bake in a 375 degree oven until the cheese is gooey and maybe a lil’ brown on top, about 15-25 minutes.
Serve over black beans (see recipe above), and maybe with a dab of achiote sour cream, which can be made by drizzling a little bit of achiote-infused oil into sour cream (to infuse the oil all you have to do is put several seeds and some oil into a pan and swirl it around over a low heat for 5ish minutes).


Okay, so we wanted to do flan, but we wanted to add a unique twist to it. Our original concept was tequila flan, but it morphed a little as we developed it. We decided to add triple sec and lime zest as well -- the rest of the ingredients in a classic Mexican margarita -- to give it a subtle extra flavor. As it turned out, the flavor was a littletoo subtle: the flan tasted like a regular, classic flan, but was still so delicious we couldn't stop smiling. Maybe you'll have better luck coaxing the flavors out than we did; here's the method (based on Julia Child's creme renversee).

Makes 10 4oz servings

Caramel:
1c sugar
1/2c water

Dissolve sugar into water in small saucepan over medium heat, and swirl (do not stir) until it thickens and turns a nutty brown. When this happens, immediately pour into the ramekins and swirl to coat the bottom. The caramel will set and harden nearly instantly.

Custard:
4 eggs
4 egg yolks
2/3c sugar
3 c milk
1 1/3 t vanilla extract
4 oz tequila
4 oz triple sec
zest of one lime

Preheat the oven to 350.

Heat the tequila and triple sec in a small saucepan over medium heat until the alcohol has boiled off and it reduces to 1/3c (add the lime zest about 2/3 of the way in).

Separately, heat the milk until simmering.

Meanwhile, beat the eggs + yolks until smooth. Slowly add the sugar and beat until mixed and frothy. Continue mixing while slowly pouring in the hot milk in a thin stream. Add the vanilla extract & tequila mixture at this time as well (you can strain out the lime if you want).

Pour the whole mixture into the ramekins, leaving a little room at the top. Place the ramekins in a baking dish and pour enough boiling water to come up about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Put in the oven.

After 5 minutes, turn the oven down to 325.
Start checking the custards after another 30 minutes, although most will take about 40 -- they may not all cook evenly. The outside should be firm and the center firm but slightly wobbly. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

To plate them, run a knife between the custard and the mold, put a plate over the top, and quickly flip the two over to release the custard.


I like my hot chocolate super thick, super dark, and preferably with cinnamon (cardamom is nice too). This is just that, and I'd put this recipe up against anything out there. The coconut cream topping, however, did not work out as I had planned. I had envisioned a whipped coconut cream topping (I had tasted something similar at a small fruit stand in Atlanta and they wouldn't tell me how to do it), but it simply would not whip enough to even come close to holding its shape, even after adding sugar and mixing it 1:1 with heavy cream. Still, it made for a very attractive and delicious topping. What I think might fix it is if you (a) use coconut cream instead of skimming the cream part off of coconut milk and (b) chill it well before hand.

Makes ~8 4oz servings.

Coconut Cream topping (there will be more leftover):
6oz coconut cream
1T sugar
cinnamon for dusting

Beat coconut cream and sugar with whisk furiously until it is as thick as you can get it (firm peaks is ideal).

Hot Chocolate:
1/2lb dark chocolate (I used the 72% from trader joe's), coarsely chopped
3ish c milk (I used skim, but whole would be even richer)
~2T cinnamon (I didn't measure, but I added a lot. You can obviously do this to taste.)
1t aleppo pepper (any smokey hot pepper will do)
1/2t vanilla extract

Add the milk to a pot and bring to a simmer.

Meanwhile, set up a double boiler (in my case, a stainless steel bowl in a pot of water) and add the chocolate. Heat over medium heat, stirring as the chocolate melts. When the chocolate is totally melted, add the cinnamon, pepper, and vanilla extract and stir. Slowly begin pouring in the milk and stirring to fully incorporate it into the chocolate. At first it will thicken and become chalky, and then it will become smooth again and start to thin out. Eventually as you keep adding milk, it will stop looking like chocolate sauce and start looking like hot chocolate. Then you can add the rest of the milk and stir to mix.

To serve:
Pour hot chocolate into mugs. Add a spoonful of coconut cream to the middle (it will spread). Dust with cinnamon.


This was based off of a dish Luke tasted at an upscale restaurant in Mexico, and is simple, very rich, and very decadent.

Makes 10 halves, which can serve 10-20 people (depending on levels of hunger and self-control).

5 poblano chiles, cut in half lengthwise and deseeded
extra virgin olive oil
1 lb dark chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used 72% dark chocolate from trader joe's)
1oz simple syrup (optional)
1t vanilla extract
1T cinnamon
2-4oz coconut milk (or milk, almond milk, soy milk, etc...)

Preheat the oven to 400. Coat the chiles with a thin layer of olive oil and bake them until pretty tender (~15-25 mins). Take them out and blot any extra oil off of them. This can be done in advance.

Meanwhile, set up a double boiler and add the chocolate. Cook over medium heat, stirring as the chocolate melts. When fully melted, add the simple syrup, vanilla extract, and cinnamon, and stir to incorporate evenly. Then, add some of the coconut milk and stir to incorporate it. The chocolate should thicken significantly. Continue adding the coconut milk until you achieve the right consistency. You want it to be thick enough to hold its shape, yet smooth enough to not be chalky. When ready, spoon this into the poblano halves and spread it along them. Squeeze the sides of each half toward each other to form a "torpedo". Return the tray to the oven and bake another ~5 minutes.


I’ll just explain this. You’re gonna need to experiment—all you need in terms of ingredients though, is almond milk, cinnamon, and almond extract. MAYBE sugar, but I didn’t use any because I was serving it with the chile, which had a lot of attitude. You just have to use enough cinnamon so that it’s definitely cinnamony but not overpowering, and probably no more than a capful or two of the almond extract because a little goes a long way. Whisk it up til it gets frothy and let it sit in the fridge for a while before you drink it so the flavors can get to know each other.