From south of the border
From the American SouthwestGuacamoleTo make guacamole without buying one of those expensive spice packets, try the following with 2 large, ripe avocados.
Also, making the guacamole, add 3 tbsp finely chopped onion and 1 small finely chopped tomato, a splash of lime juice and salt to taste. Don’t mash the avocado totally into paste, but leave some serious chunks in it. My Favorite, Gut-bursting Mexican Meal
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From South America and the Caribbian
Cooking BeansHere are some tips on (dry) beans. Always sort through beans removing rocks and other litter. Wash them just as you would rice. This is for one pound of beans, or about 2½ cups. You need a lot of water, as much as 6-9 cups of water per 1 cup of beans. Long-soak methodCover them with water in a vessle in the refrigerator. Leave overnight. If not cooking right away, then drain water and store in refrigerator. Quick-soak methodPut the beans in a large pot with water and bring to a boil for a couple of minutes. Cover and let sit (off-heat) for 1 hour. Pressure-cooker methodIf using a pressure cooker, count on 30-45 minutes to prepare one pound of black beans with no need to soak. Black beans and chickpeas take the longest to cook of all varieties. Once soaked by a method above, cook beans according to table below. Adding a couple of teaspoons of oil will reduce the amount of foam that forms. Cooking times for popular beans
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