The Recipe Trove

from Rick Bayless’s Mexico, One Plate At A Time

Directions:

Pour the beans out onto a baking sheet and go through them, looking for stones or bad beans.  Then place them in a colander and rinse them off.

Pour the beans into a deep medium- large pot (preferably a heavy Dutch oven).  Measure in 2 1/2 quarts water, then remove any beans that float (they’re not fully formed).  Add the fat or oil, onion, and optional epazote.  Bring to a strong rolling boil, then reduce the heat to low to medium-low. Keep the liquid at a very gentle simmer- any more than a slight rolling movement will cause the beans to break some during cooking.  Set a cover slightly askew and gently simmer, adding water as needed to keep the liquid roughly the same, until the beans are thoroughly tender, about 2 hours.

Stir in 1 1/2 tablespoons salt and simmer for 15 minutes longer to allow the salt to be absorbed, then taste and season with additional salt if necessary.

Discard the epazote, and the beans are ready to eat as brothy beans, or are ready to become refritos.

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 13×9x2-inch baking pan.

Combine flour and brown sugar in large bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg; mix well. Stir in 1-1/2 cups chocolate chips and nuts; set aside 1-1/2 cups mixture.

Press remaining crumb mixture onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake 10 minutes.

Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over hot crust; set aside 1/4 cup toffee bits. Sprinkle remaining toffee bits over sweetened condensed milk. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture and remaining 1/2 cup chips over top.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Top with reserved toffee bits. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars. About 48 bars.

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast

Directions:

Add the yeast to a mixing bowl and add the water.  Stir to combine, and let it rest for five minutes.

Add the flour, salt and oil to the yeast/water mixture.  Stir with a wooden spoon until well-combined, and then turn out onto a counter that has been dusted lightly with flour.

Knead the dough just until it comes together and isn’t sticky.  Add more flour if necessary- but I didn’t knead for any more than a minute.

Sprinkle your counter with flour, set the doughball onto the flour, and then cover the ball with an inverted mixing bowl. (Or use plastic wrap.) Walk away for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375ºF and spray an 18 x 10 baking sheet with cooking spray.  Also, gather your melted butter and sprinkling supplies.

When 20 minutes is up, gently stretch and shape the dough into a rectangle approximately 8 inches wide by about 15 inches long.  Use a pizza wheel to cut your dough into about 15 strips.  Gently lift the strips one by one and set them on the baking sheet.  The strips will stretch a bit during the moving process- this is good, you want this.

Brush the tops of the sticks well with the melted butter and add whatever sprinklin’s your heart desires.

Bake in a 375ºF oven for 20 minutes.

2 teaspoons peanut oil

Directions:

In a soup pot, heat the peanut oil over medium heat.  Add the onion slices, carrots, celery and portobello mushrooms.  Cook for 3-4 minutes.

Add the zucchini, bell pepper and bok choy stems. Cook and stir for another 3 minutes.

Add the ginger and garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add the broth, water, oyster sauce, soy sauce and black pepper.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the bok choy leaves, scallions, baby corn and beef.  Cook until heated through- about 5 more minutes.  Stir in the apple cider vinegar.

Divide the cooked noodles among six bowls.  Ladle soup over the top of the noodles.  Add sriracha and sesame seeds to taste.

Makes about 6 servings.

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 to 10 inch bundt pan, dust inside with flour, and tap out the excess.

Whisk flour, ground walnuts, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.

Combine 2 tablespoons butter, chocolate, coffee, and espresso powder in a metal bowl. Place over a pot of simmering water and stir until melted and combined. Remove from heat.

Combine remaining 2 sticks of butter and sugar in a stand mixer and beat with paddle attachment on medium speed for about 3 minutes until smooth and creamy.

Add in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add in vanilla extract.

Add in flour mixture and milk in five alternating additions, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix on low speed after each addition just until combined.

Scrape just under half of the batter into the bowl with the melted chocolate and fold gently to combine.

Pour the vanilla batter into the bottom of the bundt pan. Pour the chocolate batter on top. Use a knife to lightly marble the batter.

Bake for 65-70 minutes until a thin knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for about 10 minutes before un-molding.

6 cups drained and rinsed canned chickpeas (three 19-ounce cans)

Directions:

Puree half of the chickpeas with 1 1/2 cups of broth in a blender or food processor.  In a large pot, heat the olive oil over moderately low heat.  Add the carrot, celery, onion, garlic and rosemary.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the remaining 1 1/2 cups broth, the pureed mixture, whole chickpeas, bay leaf, red-pepper flakes, tomatoes, pasta and salt.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered for 10 minutes.

Add the Swiss chard to the pot.  Simmer until the chard is tender and the pasta is done, 5 to 10 minutes longer.  Remove the bay leaf and stir in the black pepper.  If the soup thickens too much on standing, add a little more broth or water.

Serves 6.

Crust:

Directions:

In a food processor, combine the walnuts and crackers.  Pulse until crackers are crushed and nuts are finely chopped.  Pour into a small bowl and add the  sugar and spices; stir in butter. Press onto the bottom of an ungreased 9 x 13 pan.

For filling, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Add pumpkin and 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour into crust and spread evenly.  Sprinkle the top with walnuts and remaining cinnamon.

Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until center is  set. Cool on a wire rack for 1-1/2 hours. Store in the refrigerator.

2/3 cup lukewarm milk (water can be substituted)

Directions:

Combine the milk, sugar and yeast in a mixing bowl.  Mix together and then set aside for ten minutes.

Add the flour, salt, ghee (or oil) and yogurt and combine to form a sticky dough.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes.  Add as little flour as possible.

Place the dough into a bowl which has been lightly greased.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 1/2 hours.

Turn the dough out onto the floured surface and knead for another five minutes- again, adding as little flour as possible.  Divide the dough into six pieces.  Cover with plastic and let rest for 10 minutes.

Preheat an oven to 500ºF and place a baking sheet or pizza stone in the oven to heat as well. (Alternately, these can also be cooked stove top on a hot griddle or cast iron pan.)

Roll out one doughball at a time.  Brush with melted butter (or ghee) and sprinkle with spices, if using.  Place butter side down on the baking sheet.  Working quickly, brush the top of the dough with more butter and sprinkle with spices.  Close the oven and begin work on the next doughball.

The naan is cooked when it has golden brown freckles on both sides.  This should only take about 2 minutes per side.  Remove to a cooling rack to cool before serving.  Repeat the process with the remaining doughballs.

1/2 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and ground (or use 1/2 tsp ground)
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon Ancho chili powder
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 Tablesoons lime juice
2 Tablespoons water
few pinches of salt and grinds of pepper
3 thyme sprigs

Combine all the ingredients in a zipper bag and marinate the duck. Discard the marinade.

1 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375ºF.  Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray.

Combine flours, baking powder, soda, mustard, salt and cheese.  Beat together buttermilk, oil, eggs and onion.  Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix just until combined.

Pour into greased loaf pan and bake at 375ºF for 45-50 minutes, or until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes beforeunmolding from the pan.