Hummingbird Coffee Cake

I've resisted making a hummingbird cake so far because they just don't feel like layer cakes to me.  All that fruit seems too heavy and, well, cakey.  But a quick search for "banana coffee cake" landed me on hummingbird coffee cake pages, and I realized this was the answer.

It sounds stupid, but I don't think I've ever bought pecans before.  I always have walnuts in the freezer, and it's easier to substitute them instead of shopping for a new ingredient.  I decided to get the real thing this time, since it's a key flavor.  I forgot how expensive nuts are in general.  Found half a pound of chopped on clearance for a price I was willing to pay, which was a dollar less than the 3 oz package.  I give up.  Guess I'll need to find more recipes for them.

I'm mostly following the recipe on Bake From Scratch.  I decided to skip the layer of cinnamon sugar, and made the glaze with regular yogurt instead of sour cream and milk.  The browned butter step is interesting.  If you decide to skip it and use melted butter instead, realize that it will increase the moisture content of the batter; you might need to add a couple of minutes to the bake time.

Browned butter

1/2 C (one stick) unsalted butter

Streusel

1/3 C flour
1/4 C light brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp kosher salt
3-1/2 Tb butter, softened
1/2 C chopped pecans

Cake

2 eggs, room temperature
*1 ripe banana
1/2 C crushed pineapple, drained
1 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 C flour
3/4 C granulated sugar
1/4 C brown sugar
3/4 tsp kosher salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Glaze

1/2 C powdered sugar
2 Tb plain yogurt (non-Greek)
milk to thin

1.  In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Cook slowly until browned and smells a bit nutty, about 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool about 15 minutes.

2.  For the streusel, stir together flour, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon.  Cut in butter to make a paste, then work in pecans.  If I had known how sticky it was going to be, I would have refrigerated it while mixing the batter.  Not until hard, just to the point where it doesn't stick to everything.

3.  Grease an 8" round cake pan with pan spray.  I went the extra step of lining the bottom with wax paper and greasing that.  I forgot the baking strips, and the outer edge did develop a crust.  This isn't a big deal with coffee cake, but if you want a softer edge and not as much rise in the middle, wrap with a wet cake pan band.  Preheat oven to 350º.

4.  In mixer, cream together eggs, banana, pineapple, and vanilla with the paddle until smooth.  Pour in browned butter once everything has broken down.  While that's going on for about 2-3 minutes, sift together flour, both sugars, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon.  Add to wet ingredients and stir until just mixed.

5.  Pour half of the batter into the pan and sprinkle with about 1/3 of the streusel.  Add remaining batter and top with remaining streusel.  Bake for 40 minutes, then test for doneness.  The 45 I left it for the first test was a bit much.  Every oven is different, every pan.  It still tasted good, just a bit sturdy unless it was warmed.

6.  Place baked cake on a cooling rack in pan for 15 minutes.  Place a plate on top of it and invert to remove from the pan.  Remove wax paper if used, then re-invert cake back onto the cooling rack.

7.  For glaze, whisk together powdered sugar and yogurt until smooth.  Pour over mostly-cooled cake and allow to set.  It's still going to be sticky.  Cut and serve.

Makes one 8" cake, 8-10 servings

Difficulty rating  :)

Quick Chickpea Curry

I really hate closing shifts.  I miss spending two hours preparing dinner.  Also, traffic is starting to resemble pre-pandemic levels.  My dinner habits are starting to resemble those of most people, who don't want to spend more than half an hour preparing a meal after a long day at work.

This actually took less than half an hour.  A cup of jasmine rice cooks in about 20-25 minutes, including bringing it to a simmer.  The curry was done first, including any chopping.  Ok, I did make the chickpeas from dry, but I did that part the day before, so the timing is the same as opening a can.

I even cheated on the vegetables and microwaved some steam-in-bag Brussels sprouts.  I was trying to find out if you could get the same satisfaction of a meal well made using conveniences.  In this case, you really couldn't taste the difference between hours of same-day prep and throwing everything together, except I probably would have oven-roasted the sprouts if I had bought fresh.

1 C dry jasmine or other white, long-grain rice
2 Tb olive or coconut oil
1/2 tsp each paprika, cumin, turmeric, and kosher salt
1-1/2 tsp curry powder
*2 Tb tomato paste
*1 C diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
*1 tsp grated ginger
1 can light coconut milk (full-fat optional)
1 15 oz can chickpeas (or 2/3C dry, pre-cooked)
*1/4 C chopped cilantro leaves
*1/4 C chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 12oz bag frozen petite Brussels sprouts or other favorite veggie
1 Tb lemon juice

1.  For the rice, stir together dry rice and 2 C water in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a low boil over medium heat.  Lower heat to a simmer, cover, and allow to steam while you cook the curry.

2.  In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, warm the oil.  Stir in spices and tomato paste and cook until fragrant and a paste, about 3 minutes.  Add diced onion and cook until it starts to soften, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add garlic and ginger and cook one minute.

3.  Drain and rinse chickpeas.  Add coconut milk, chickpeas, cilantro, and parsley to the skillet and stir to combine.  While it's coming back up to a low boil, microwave the vegetables according to package directions.  Add to skillet and stir everything until evenly coated.  Finish with lemon juice.

4.  Hopefully, the rice is done by this time.  Serve hot, with a parsley garnish if you feel like it.

Difficulty rating  π

Mediterranean Apricot and Date Chutney

We're still a couple of weeks from peak season for cherries and peaches, but I didn't want to fill the canner just for two half-pints of pickled artichokes.  So I got out this recipe that I had bookmarked in the Ball book and cut it in half.  Because it's all dried fruit, you can make it any time of the year.

Ok, half of the recipe is still a lot.  I don't think I read the yield correctly when buying the dried apricots.  On the other hand, this chutney is very versatile.  In addition to being a condiment for lamb, chicken, or pork, you could simmer it with onion and tomato paste and then whiz it in the food processor to make BBQ sauce.  Family doesn't like cranberry sauce?  Have this on the side with the turkey this Thanksgiving.  I'm probably going to try to turn this into a savory mincemeat pie at some point, maybe with ground venison. 

It's important to note that this is a chutney, not a jam.  There's vinegar and savory spices in it.  Yes, there's also brown sugar, but that's mainly to cut the tang of the vinegar.  When it cooks, you aren't looking for a gel set.  You only have to wait for the fruits to become completely hydrated to the point that they start to fall apart and thicken the liquids.  The dates will completely disappear.

I chose to use golden raisins in this batch because that's what I had.  Thompson or other dark raisins will produce a darker product.  The recipe wasn't specific as to what size "chopped" was, so I made the apricot slices about the size of the raisins, which were big because they were goldens.  I would probably cut them the size of Thompson raisins, or half as big, if I make this again.  It doesn't change the flavor, and probably not the cooking time.  It's a personal aesthetic choice.

1 lb dried apricots
water
1-1/2 C light brown sugar
1-1/4 C dates, chopped
1-1/4 C raisins
1 C white wine vinegar
1/2 Tb mustard seed
1/2 Tb kosher salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground coriander

1.  In a large, non-reactive saucepan, combine apricots with water to cover.  Let stand for 30 minutes.  Drain, chop, and return to saucepan.  I assume this makes them easier to chop and any water absorbed becomes part of the canning equation.  If not processing, you could skip the soaking step.

2.  Add brown sugar, dates, raisins, vinegar, mustard seed, salt, ginger, coriander, and 1 C water to saucepan.  Stir to combine.  Side note, instead of buying ground coriander, I ground up whole seed in my new grinder.  I let my cilantro go to seed every year for a reason; I'm not buying the ground up version of anything I grow myself.  Besides, freshly ground spices are so much more pungent and effective.

3.  If canning, prepare canner, jars, and lids for a 3-pint yield.  The Ball recipe only gives times for half-pint jars, I presume because this is a thick product and it might not be safe to process in pints.  I also chose to do this in regular-mouth jars instead of the squat wide-mouth ones, also because I wanted to make sure the center was thoroughly processed.

4.  Bring saucepan mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.  Reduce heat and boil gently until mixture softens and mounds on a spoon, about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.  You'll know you're close when you can't find the dates anymore.

5.  Ladle chutney into hot jars, leaving 1/2" headspace.  Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if necessary.  I de-bubbled aggressively, and it definitely made a difference in volume because this is a thick product that can form air pockets on the way down.  Wipe rims clean, center lids, and screw bands finger-tight.

6.  Place jars in canner and bring to a boil.  Process for 10 minutes.  Remove canner lid and wait 5 minutes before removing jars.  Cool and wait for the ping.  Test seals after 12 hours and refrigerate any fails.  Wash, date, and store the rest.  Sealed jars are good for 1 year, refrigerated about 2 months.

Makes 6 half-pints (6 cups)

Difficulty rating  :)

Corned Lamb

After searching for months for a reasonably priced piece of lamb to corn, I gave up and bought a boneless leg of lamb at $9/lb.  Stew meat was $3 more.  The only cheaper cuts were lamb shanks and neck slices, and I wanted to use something boneless because I'm not sure if it's safe to corn with the bone in.  I cut the leg in half and froze the rest for another time.

For those asking themselves "corned lamb?" yes, you can corn any mammal.  I've heard of corned venison, goat, bison, and bear.  (I have interesting internet friends.)  You can probably corn poultry too, but I haven't researched that.  I wouldn't call brining the Thanksgiving turkey "corning", but it's close.

Unlike the corned pork, corned lamb has a distinct taste.  You can taste the lamb-ness through the corning spices and salt.  I still had it with kohlrabi relish and some of my super-hot mustard, like I would with corned beef.  The pickley motif is there.

The unfortunately long list of herbs and spices is back.  The brine just has a lot of flavors in it.  Fortunately, measuring them into the pot is as hard as this recipe gets.  Still takes 7-10 days to brine the meat, but it's all passive time except for turning the bag over daily.

1 quart water
1/2 C kosher salt
1/4 C brown sugar
*1/2 tsp Prague Powder #1
*1/2 tsp mustard seed
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
*4 whole cloves
*4 whole allspice
*6 Juniper berries
*1 bay leaf, crumbled
*1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 lb ice
2 lbs boneless lamb cut of choice

1.  Add all ingredients through the ginger to a large saucepan.  Bring to a low boil, stirring occasionally.  Allow to boil about 5 minutes, until all granulated elements are dissolved.  Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature, about half an hour.

2.  Add ice to brine and stir to bring down the temperature below 45º.  Meanwhile, prepare your meat.  In my case, that involved guessing what two pounds off of a 4.5 lb leg of lamb looked like.  I was pretty close, just 3 ounces short.  It was a beautiful, fresh piece from New Zealand.  I hated wrapping up the rest for freezing, which is why it took me three months to break down and buy one.  Try to make your piece a uniform thickness.  I had to butterfly a section that had been cut thicker, which was just a half-inch slice in two areas.  Place your lamb in a gallon plastic bag and put the bag in a container large enough to hold half a gallon of liquid if it leaks.

3.  Fill the bag with the entire brine and its seasonings.  Press out as much air as you can and seal.  Place the whole pan in the fridge.  Once a day, massage the bag gently to kick up the brine, and turn the meat over.  If possible, the meat should be fully submerged at all times.

4.  After a minimum of seven days, and preferably 10, remove lamb from the bag and rinse.  If you prefer your meat less salty, put it in a pot with water to cover and put it back in the fridge for 3 hours.  Empty that water, and you're good to cook.

5.  Place meat in a large pot with water to cover by one inch.  Add desired aromatics like onion, carrot, celery, or any other "stock" veggie you like to use.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and keep at a low simmer for 2-3 hours, depending on the cut of meat.

6.  While the roast is still warm, slice thinly against the grain.  Serve either hot or cold.  Leftovers should be eaten within a few days, but they can be frozen once cooled.

Serves 6-8

Difficulty rating  π

Chocolate Eclairs

One of the regulars on QQ keeps bugging me about making eclairs.  Never mind that she lives in another state and would never eat them.  Or that even the smallest choux recipe makes a lot for one person, and a filled eclair doesn't have a long shelf life.  What it really came down to was I didn't read the artichoke soup recipe well enough before buying a pint of cream and had most of the bottle left.  Might as well fill an eclair with it.

I decided to cut the previous choux recipe down to a single egg and find out how much it made.  Also, I didn't have a lot of eggs and was still going to make cream for the eclairs.  It turns out that the single-egg version of creme mousseline makes way more than four eclairs's worth of filling.  I'm going to post what I estimate to be the correct batch sizes.  Or you can do what I did and eat the rest of the filling as pudding.

Choux Bodies

1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 C water
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 C flour
4 eggs

1.  Preheat oven to 375º.  Line two baking sheets with parchment or Silpat.

2.  In a saucepan, bring water, salt, and butter to a boil over medium high heat.  Completely melt the butter.

3.  Remove saucepan from the heat and dump in the flour all at once.  Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until all the flour is worked in and the mixture is smooth, about 3-4 minutes.  Set aside to cool enough that an egg won't immediately cook in it, about 5 minutes.

4.  One at a time, beat in eggs.  It's going to look soupy for a moment each time, but keep stirring with that wooden spoon.

5.  Fit a pastry bag with a large round tip, or fill a sturdy plastic freezer bag and snip off a corner.  Pipe out 4" long and 1-1/2" wide bars.  They mostly expand straight up in the oven, so you can put them fairly close together.

6.  Once the pan is full, immediately place in the oven to bake.  Start checking around 25 minutes, but they will probably take 30-35 to get the light golden color.  Remove from oven and thoroughly cool before proceeding to the next step.  You can even pre-bake these and freeze them for another day.

Glaze

1/2 C semi-sweet chocolate
*1/4 C heavy cream

1.  Place both ingredients in a microwave-safe container.

2.  Heat in microwave on half power (defrost) in 30-second increments, stirring between.  Once smooth, ganache is ready to use.

3.  Glaze top of eclairs with ganache and set aside for it to harden, about 30 minutes.  Eclairs can still be frozen at this point, but the ganache will be sticky when it defrosts.

Filling and Finishing

1 egg yolk
2 Tb sugar
1/2 Tb cornstarch
1/2 Tb cocoa powder
1/2 C milk
1/8 tsp vanilla
*1/3 C heavy cream

1.  Beat together yolk and sugar in a small bowl and set aside.

2.  In a small saucepan, stir together cocoa powder, cornstarch, and milk.  Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and continue to stir until the mixture thickens.  Pour some of it into the egg yolk mixture and whisk it in to temper the egg.  Pour that back into the main mixture and continue to stir constantly until the mixture is thick and glossy, about 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and chill, about 2 hours.

3.  Once cream base is cool, whip cream and vanilla to firm peaks.  I discovered that the hand electric beater fits into the small metal bowl I use to beat eggs for omelets in.  It was perfect for whipping a small amount of cream, much better than a stand mixer.  Beat in chocolate cream until fully combined.

4.  Fill the eclairs no more than 4 hours before serving.  Fit a pastry bag or sturdy freezer bag with a medium serrated pastry tip and fill with the chocolate cream.  Use that to puncture the end of an eclair.  Gently squeeze in the filling.  The inside of the pastry should be full of air that the cream will fill.

5.  Chill eclairs until ready to serve, but do not freeze them.  The filling won't defrost at the same rate as the pastry, and everything is going to get soggy.  Eclairs are best slightly cool or room temperature.

Makes about 16

Difficulty rating :-0

Pineapple Jam

Pineapples were on sale, so I figured why not?  Originally, I was going to make the pineapple pickles out of the Ball book, but I couldn't think of a use for them.  The other two options were the jam and chunk pineapples in syrup.  You can get the latter easily, but jam isn't as easy to find.

I've been canning almost one day a week since I got the canner.  I rearranged one cabinet in the laundry room to make space for the jars, but I think I'm going to need another shelf.  I definitely now have more than one month of food, so I'm going to try to use more of my items rather than accumulate.  Nearly everything has a plan, it's just a much longer meal plan than I'm used to scheduling.  Even a basic spaghetti night to use stuff in the freezer was weeks down the line when I plotted it.

So why would you make pineapple jam?  What is a good use for it?  Well, obviously as jam on toast or scones.  It can be a pancake topping or cake filling.  It works as a sauce/glaze with pork or chicken.  I'm doing one pineapple's worth so it makes a reasonable amount if you're not into canning.  And I only canned it in 4oz jelly jars, anticipating not wanting a whole lot at once.

The lemon is in this for the pectin, to make the jam set.  If you skip it, you have to use a commercial pectin.  A lemon is cheaper, available in any market, and easier to figure out portion sizes.  The recipe doesn't specify it, but I chopped my slices into smaller pieces before adding them to the pot.

For fun, I added nutmeg and some of my homemade nutmeg extract to make it a little different.  You could add cinnamon or grated ginger; I considered both of those options before deciding on the nutmeg.  There is nothing wrong with going for the straight pineapple flavor, but why make something that's commercially available?

4 C peeled, cored, and finely chopped pineapple (1 large)
2-1/2 C sugar
*1 small lemon, unpeeled, thinly sliced and seeded
1 C water

1.  If canning, prepare jars and a canner for a 3 cup yield.

2.  Place all ingredients in a large, non-reactive saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently to dissolve sugar and prevent scorching.  If adding a spice, add now.  If using an extract, wait until the cooking process is completed.

3.  Cook jam until lemon rinds are thoroughly softened and can be cut with a wooden spoon against the side of the pot.  Test the set after about 15 minutes, and every 5 minutes after.  If desired, smash pineapple bits with a potato masher for a smoother texture.  There is nothing wrong with leaving them as small chunks.

4.  If canning, ladle jam into hot jars with 1/4" headspace.  Wipe rims, center lids, and screw bands on finger-tight.  Process for 10 minutes, then leave in canner for 5 minutes before removing.  Cool jars and store.  For non-canning, allow to cool until no longer steaming, then refrigerate for up to 1 month or chill first and then freeze.

Makes 3 cups

Difficulty rating  π

Jackfruit Tacos

I bought a can of jackfruit on a whim.  I've never had it, but it has a good reputation on vegan sites, so I went looking for something to do with it.

The recipes generally agree that cooked green jackfruit has the texture of pulled pork and is a blank slate for all sorts of seasonings.  However, if you read the back of the can, you'll realize that it's a black hole nutritionally.  You're going to need another protein if you plan to make this your "meat", and other veggies with fiber and vitamins for all the other good stuff.  That's why these have a side of Caribbean black beans.

For the most part, I followed the recipe on It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken, a vegan site.  It had a detailed photo of how to slice the fruit.  Also, because I happened to have bought the same brand as in their photo.  I forgot to rinse them first, so I skipped the salt in the recipe; there's plenty of salt in commercial tortillas to compensate.  The only other major change was heating the spices with the onion, Indian style, before adding the jackfruit and water.

Despite the generous amount of spices and onion, the jackfruit mixture does come across a little bland.  Some hot sauce would probably fix that, but I can't have it.  I also did forget to slice up some red onion the first night.  That added a bit of bite, but not tons.  The arugula I was using up brought more flavor to the party.

1 Tb vegetable oil
*1/2 onion, sliced and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp each paprika and cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 C water or vegetable broth
*1 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 can green jackfruit in brine
tortillas and toppings for tacos

1.  Heat oil over medium in a large skillet.  Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and spices and cook until fragrant, another 2-3 minutes.

2.  While the onion is cooking, prepare the jackfruit.  Drain fruit and rinse.  On a cutting surface, chop each piece radially, so there is a little core holding together the fibrous parts of each slice.  Make the slices thin, and you'll start to notice the pile of finished pieces looking a lot like thinly sliced pork.  Add to the skillet with the lime juice and water.  Cover, lower heat, and simmer until water is mostly absorbed, about 10 minutes.

3.  With a cooking spoon, or even a fork if you didn't use a non-stick skillet, break up jackfruit pieces.  A potato masher can also be an option, again if you aren't worried about scratching up a non-stick.  You can break them as much as you'd like.  I went until I could barely tell the difference between the fruit and pulled pork.

4.  Spoon the cooked jackfruit mixture onto tortillas with other toppings like lettuce, cilantro, avocado, onions, tomatoes, jalapeños, or whatever else you would put in a pulled-pork taco.  I decided to keep these vegan and skipped any cheese or sour cream, but there's nothing wrong with adding some.

Difficulty rating  π

Green Tea Ice Cream

99 Ranch didn't have any green tea ice cream.  If they had, the brand was selling at $10.49 for 1.5 quarts.  Hard pass on that.  I bought some matcha powder instead.  Off to the internet again.

I found a simple and clear recipe on Just One Cookbook.  The author specifies that this version is more like what you would find in Japan than the super-sweet, overly creamy versions often found in America.  There are no eggs, and only four ingredients.  This is the kind of ice cream you have as a single, small scoop, not an overflowing bowl.  That's just what I had in mind.

While I'm giving instructions for using an ice cream maker, you can also do this by the freezer-and-fork method.  That requires you to rake the cream every half hour it is in the freezer until firm, about 4 hours.  I've done it, and I would rather just spend the $30 on an ice cream maker.  The bowl lives in my freezer, and I don't notice it as taking up space.  The design works so well that it really hasn't changed in a couple of decades.  It's worth considering if you haven't bought one yet and want to make ice creams.

2 C Half and Half
1/2 C sugar
1/8 tsp kosher salt
3 Tb matcha powder

1.  Stir together half and half, sugar, and salt in a saucepan.  Sift matcha into the pot.  The powder tends to clump, and it still will a bit when it hits the cream.

2.  Heat mixture over medium heat, stirring or whisking constantly to avoid scorching.  You don't need to bring it to a full boil.  Just get the salt and sugar, and tea fully dissolved.  Remove from heat.  Cover surface with plastic wrap to avoid developing a skin and chill to refrigerator temperature, 2-3 hours.

3.  Process cream in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions.  Because this isn't as thick as a custard, it might take a little longer.  Mine took close to half an hour to get to soft-serve consistency.  Pour into a freezer-safe container and chill until firm, about 4 hours.

4.  Scoop shortly before serving, or pre-portion into bowls and keep them in the freezer until needed.

Serves 4-6

Difficulty rating  :)

Chocolate Pork Chops

I need more room for my canned foods, so I'm cooking with the contents of the liquor cabinet more often.  I think the only thing in there that I bought is the sherry and creme de menthe.  Ten years, and I have not made much of a dent in the inventory.

So I got an idea to marinate pork chops in something and went rooting around.  There are two bottles of Sabra in there, which is chocolate-orange liqueur.  That could make a molé-adjacent sauce.  It did not escape me that I was going to be putting the national liqueur of Israel on pork.  The stuff is even kosher for Passover.  I think my parents bought it on their trip to Israel, some 20 years ago. It's a really neat bottle, but I'm not partial to the flavor of chocolate/orange.  The Danish cherry wine hiding behind it, however, is quite nice.

I'm loosely basing this on Paula Deen's chocolate spiced pork chops, but doing it as a marinade instead of a rub.  It was too cold to fire up the grill (which hasn't been cleaned in a year, but that's my own fault), so I pan-grilled it and finished in the oven, like Paula's recipe.  The remaining marinade was brought to a low boil to make it safe and thickened with cornstarch to make the sauce.

*1/2 C Sabra, creme de cacao, or other chocolate liqueur
2 Tb brown sugar
2 Tb vegetable oil, plus more for the pan
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
*1 tsp onion flakes
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 to 1-1/2 lb pork chops (4)
1 Tb cornstarch, dissolved in 1/4 C water

1.  Whisk together first 10 ingredients (through pepper).  Place pork chops in a shallow dish and pour marinade over.  Cover and refrigerate 4 hours, turning over halfway through.

2.  Drizzle about 1 Tb oil in an oven-proof skillet large enough for all the pork chops.  It should lightly cover the bottom.  If you have cast iron, great.  Preheat oven to 350º, and heat the pan over medium.

3.  Add pork chops to the skillet, letting excess marinade fall back into the pan first.  Fry on each side until they start to crisp, about 3 minutes.  Place skillet in oven until center of the chops reaches 155º, about another 3-7 minutes, depending on thickness.

4.  While the meat is in the oven, heat the remaining marinade in a small saucepan until it comes to a low boil.  If necessary, add water to bring it to 1/2 C of liquid.  Cook for 2 minutes.  Add cornstarch slurry to thicken the marinade into a sauce.

5.  Serve pork chops hot, drizzled with the chocolate sauce.

Difficulty rating  π

Bean Pâté

I wanted to do something different with pinto beans than just Mexican food, so I went looking around the internet for bean spreads that are more like a meat dish.

In the end, what I developed is kind of like a chopped liver paté, but without the liver taste.  My mom loved chopped liver, and the rest of us hated it.  We were very happy that it only happened at summer grown-up parties.  The 70s were not known for their cuisine, much of which was leftover recipes from the 50s and 60s that no one had the heart to abandon.  Well, I'm abandoning liver paté.

I did not make this vegan, but all you would have to do is substitute olive oil for the butter.  I wanted the sweetness of caramelized onions in butter, which isn't quite the same when you do it with oil.  For the umami hit, I used liquid smoke, which is vegan.  You could also add some finely chopped mushroom to the onions as they are cooking.  For non-vegetarian, you could use Worcestershire or Fish sauce.

I was going to put a teaspoon of minced garlic in, then noticed that my scrap garden leek was growing a scape.  Allium scapes are the bulb stalks before the flowers grow inside them and bloom.  They are mild and taste like the plant that bore them.  I diced up the scape and threw it in, but you can use the garlic if you don't have scapes.

Using pintos, the spread came out lighter in color than I was expecting.  It looked more like chicken.  Red beans would give a color closer to liver.  But then again, wasn't the whole point of this to make something that is not liver?

2/3 C dry pinto beans
*1 C diced yellow onion
1 clove garlic, minced
*2 Tb salted butter (I bought it by mistake)
*1/2 C Italian parsley
1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
*1/4 tsp white pepper
*1/2 tsp liquid smoke

1.  Soak the beans for 8 hours and drain.  Refill pot with water to cover by 1" and simmer for 1 hour.  Drain, reserving half a cup of the cooking liquid.  I'm not using canned beans on purpose, and cooking them half an hour less than you normally would, because I want a sturdier texture with a bit of chunky pieces.

2.  Melt butter in a medium skillet on medium-low.  Add diced onion and garlic and cook slowly until softened and caramelized to your liking.  Try not to brown the onions.  This will take 15-25 minutes, depending on how soft you like your onions.

3.  Put beans, parsley, white pepper, liquid smoke, and 1/2 tsp of salt in the food processor.  Pulse at first, then run the machine for five seconds at a time until the spread is broken up but not smooth.  Taste, and add more salt as necessary.  The spread will firm up a lot as it cools, so add some of the reserved water until you get a soft consistency that's almost like jam.  Pulse a few times to distribute the new ingredients, then transfer to a container or bowl.  Fold in cooked onion mixture until evenly distributed.  Chill until ready to use.  Serve cold or at room temperature.

Makes about 2 C

Difficulty rating  :)