What lingers in your cupboards? When it comes to pantry items, we have two extremes. First are things we don't really want - grocery store mistakes and canned goods passed on by relocating friends. On the other side are foods we prize, like these Rancho Gordo beans, delicious heirlooms that will transform your ideas of dried beans. We're always saving them "for later."
So this Cupboard Challenge is a high/low version: Rancho Gordo Ojo de Cabra Beans, brown rice, and canned sweet corn - which we usually never buy, preferring the fresh stuff! What would you do with these? We'll come up with something too and give you a recipe next week...
Well I've never tried the Rancho Gordo beans and tried making brown rice once it took forever! I prefer frozen veggies over canned and fresh whenever possible. So, what would I do with these if they're all I had in my cupboard? First, I'd make the beans the way I would make a variety of other dried beans with sofrito, spanish olives, squash,sweet red roasted peppers, and red wine, olive oil with tomato sauce. In a separate pan I'd use a little veg. oil and pour in the corn with some fresh cilantro, a teaspoon of fresh crushed garlic, salt to taste, and then add in the brown rice and stir mixing the rice corn and spices together. Also, sofrito has to go in there to for some added flavor. And that's my meal brown rice mixed with corn and beans in a wine tomato sauce. If the tomato sauce would be considered another item as well as the wine, and olives (oh well) guess they'd have to sit in that cupboard till I had everything else I needed!
view E.I.F.'s profile
cook up the beans with chicken stock, onion, garlic, tomatoes, and green pepper. stir in the corn at the end so it's still a little crisp. serve over rice. grill some skewers of shrimp, andouille, and chicken, and serve on top. season with salt and pepper and cayenne, maybe some parsley for freshness.
it's kind of a southwest chili-meets-gumbo-meets-lowcountry boil.
view thinkingwoman's profile
Mmmmm...we exclusively use Rancho Gordo beans (if you can get your hands on his Hominy, it is really good). I would make soup out of your ingredients. After all, it is good food. Cook the beans and rice in some stock, throw in a bay leaf, some dried peppers, salt and pepper, a parmesean rind...let them cook for a few hours, then add the corn and any fresh veggies you have. Serve with his fresh corn tortillas and some good beer.
view lizm's profile