This baked beans recipe is an (updated) old Mack family favorite. Now, it’s one of the staples our friends look forward to at Huber gatherings. It has a long list of “goes with” … hot dogs, hamburgers, roast pork, barbecued chicken. You name it. Honestly, these baked beans make a meal in and of themselves. They also freeze really well, which makes them ideal to pull out for camping or ski trips, when we know we’ll be feeding a crowd.
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This was my third year returning to Rancho La Puerta Resort and Spa in Mexico to teach at their La Cocina Que Canta cooking school. And, honestly, it gets more blissful every year. I’ll let the pictures and video clips speak for themselves.
The scenery and landscaping is striking, from tiny details to broad vistas. The natural beauty evokes a deep feeling of timelessness, while man-made additions–like sculptures that take your breath away dotted all over the property–drop you into the moment of Here. Now.
There’s a simplicity to the Ranch that instills serenity. Lines of nature are paralleled in various touches that feel as if they’ve been there forever.
Tres Estrellas is the Ranch’s five acre organic garden, presided over by genius gardener Salvador (I actually wrote a poem for Salvador the first year I was there). Spend three minutes with Salvador and you’ll know that you’re with a man who has found his calling. He claws up earth to wax on about healthy soil and beams at rows of healthy eggplant as if he were praising his own children. It’s always a delight and a privilege to take students out into the garden with Salvador before cooking the ingredients he’s harvested for us (you can see a clip of that down below).
Ah … La Cocina Que Canta. It’s heaven for cooking teachers and students alike. A gorgeous kitchen, incredible staff (that’s Gabby, Celia, Melissa and Alejandro there with me below … and my BFF, Julie, who took these pics and videos!) and all in all an inviting place to be.
It starts like this …
And then we head out into the garden …
Then I talk through what we’re cooking and give some mini lessons on nourishing principles …
And then we cook! In my classes, the students do most of the work, but here I’m doing a sauteing demo with some gorgeous baby zucchini (blossoms on) that we harvested from the garden.
I’ll see you next year at Rancho La Puerta!
They’re cheap, quick-cooking, sustainable and downright yummy … yet most people I speak with are skittish about cooking bivalves like mussels and clams. Such a pity.
I came to love bivalves while in France. My first time eating mussels was at my maman’s house in Lyon, where she showed me how to cook moules marinere—mussels steamed with onions and tomatoes. This was a working-class household who watered their wine, and mussels fit their frugal budget. Of course, they were scrumptious too.
So if you’re interest is piqued and you’re feeling adventurous, let’s get some bivalves in your kitchen.
Mussels and clams are alive when you buy them (and, actually, when you cook them), so be sure to give them air. Your best bet is to lay a moist kitchen towel in a wide bowl and pour in the mussels or clams. Then fold the towel over the top and place in the fridge.
The shells should be tightly closed when you take them out of the fridge. If you find one that’s not, give it a little pinch (sometimes they’re just a little jolted from the cold); if it still doesn’t close tightly, pitch it in the trash.
Most mussels come “debearded” when you buy them these days, but check the flat seam of the shell for loose, hairy strands and tug them off if you see any. Soak clams in cold water for 10 minutes or so to loosen any grit, then transfer them to a colander and give them a rinse before cooking.
Mussels are a bit more delicate than clams and are best steamed—although don’t let that hamper your creativity. Try the classic onions, white wine and tomato sauce, or our lip-smacking Curried Mussels (makes my mouth water just thinking of them). Clams take to steaming well too, but they’re also happy being roasted or grilled. In any case, be sure to take bivalves off the heat shortly after they open to avoid drying them out.
My French maman taught me a fun trick to eating mussels. Take the first mussel out of the shell, and then use that shell as a pincher to pull the other mussels out one by one—no fork needed. With any steamed bivalves, too, there will be gorgeous broth to sop up; so plan ahead with some crusty bread or sticky brown rice.
And just in case you’re still feeling squeamish, here’s a little video I shot a while back actually cooking this dish—Clams with Bacon and Garlicky Spinach. Give it a gander and you’ll see how easy it is!
Veggies are awesome. I am forever enamored with how many flavors and textures and colors there are to play with. And the fact that the palette changes each season makes me feel like a wide-eyed kid playing nature’s version of Iron Chef.
But I can get in a rut with veggies too. I love the uber-simple Alberto’s Grilled Marinated Asparagus so much, for instance, that I make it over and over and over again. But then, that’s not very fun.
So I developed a little arsenal of ways to dress up any vegetable. Use these like shadows and highlights on your ever-changing palette of seasonal veggies to add a bit … more to something that’s already quite lovely. and by all means, mix and match at will.
There are my 10 … have any you’d like to share?
I talk a lot about whole grains. And when I do, people often scrunch up their noses and ask, “But don’t whole grains take a lot of time to cook?” The answer is: yes … some do. But others like quinoa, bulgur, rolled oats– even popcorn–take about the same time to cook as white rice. Here are five whole grains you can have on the table in 20 minutes or less.
Bulgur — Bulgur is made from wheat berries that have been steamed, dried and crushed to result in rough little nuggets that look a lot like steel-cut oats. Bulgur is one of my favorite whole grains, for its fluffy-yet-chewy texture, its versatility and its convenience. Fine- or medium-grind bulgur (it ranges from fine to coarse) cooks in just 10 minutes and makes a great addition to breakfast, salads, main courses … even dessert.
Quinoa – Quinoa is considered a super grain in that it contains all the amino acids necessary to build protein (which is why it’s called a complete protein). Outside of the animal world, that’s an anomaly. Raw quinoa looks like beautiful little beads. But they puff up considerably when cooked (about 15 minutes), into a texture a bit like fluffy oatmeal. I like to have a batch of quinoa on hand in the fridge for mixing into salads, shaping into skillet cakes, or even folding into eggs (Noe loves them that way).
Rolled Oats – Rolled oats (sometimes called “old-fashioned” rolled oats) have all the same nutritional benefits as their more toothsome cousins, steel-cut oats; they’ve just been steamed and rolled flat. Depending on the size, rolled oats will cook in 5 to 15 minutes and can be used interchangeably (adjusting cooking time) with steel-cut oats. They’re also terrific in homemade granola, cookies and breads.
Whole Grain Pastas – Aha! I’ll bet you didn’t expect to see pasta here. But whole grain pastas—whether made from whole wheat, brown rice, or a combination of grains and legumes—have all the nutritional benefits of a whole grain, and they cook as quickly as “white” pasta. Our Brussels Sprouts Carbonara with Whole Wheat Fusilli transformed Alison’s opinion of whole wheat pasta; now it’s a weekly go-to favorite in her household.
Popcorn – Don’t discount popcorn as a whole grain! But do stay away from the microwave variety (or the pre-popped kind already in bags); they tend to be loaded with artificial ingredients and high in sodium. The old-fashioned way of popping popcorn is decidedly easy, though, and takes just under 10 minutes. Heat a tablespoon of canola oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat and add ¼ cup popcorn kernels. Swirl around to coat and then put the lid on the pot. In a few minutes you’ll start hearing the ping of the pops. Give the pot a few good shakes (hold the lid so it doesn’t slip off) and take it off the heat when the popping stops. Then top it with whatever you choose (Alison and I discovered we both love truffle oil and sea salt) for a snack, or turn it into a fun dessert.
There you are; five whole grains that cook fast enough you can build them into a weeknight. See … no need to let time keep you from trying whole grains.
5 Recipes to Try:
Brussels Sprouts Carbonara with Whole Wheat Fusilli
Dark Molasses Cranberry Granola
