The ornamental pear is blooming … just in time for the morning low
to dip below freezing again.
We’re not down to eating the backyard foliage like Spike the Terrorist Deer. Not yet, anyway.
But it has been about 10 days since our last grocery trip, and we’re having to get creative.
Last night I was scrounging around in the pantry like an old bear fresh from hibernation and thought: “Hmm. Must be something I can do with canned beans other than make emergency burritos.” This is the kind of burrito you make when you don’t feel like going through all the rigamarole involved in making a proper pot of frijoles.
Which I was not. It was my birthday, f’chrissakes.
So I hit The New York Times Cooking site. This is well worth the price of a subscription to The Old Grey Lady. It’s not geared strictly for the condo chef with an eight-burner Wolf gas range and All-Clad out the arse. You’ll find plenty of pantry possibilities too.
And whaddaya know? I unearthed one perfectly suited to my supplies: Cheesy White Bean-Tomato Bake.
I made a few adjustments. Didn’t have any mozzarella, so I used Monterey Jack. Also, I tossed a generous dollop of cilantro-jalapeño salsa in with the tomato paste, and added a pinch of smoked paprika to the spices.
And when it came out of the oven I sprinkled it with some coarsely chopped cilantro and a bit of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Herself contributed a side salad and that was that.
Ali Slagle, who provided the recipe, also offers a snazzier black-bean version. We may try that one down the road. We’re flat out of Jack now, but we still have some sharp Irish Cheddar.
Mad Blog Media 
March 28, 2020 at 9:45 am |
PO’G: Your “Renaissance Man” talents know no limits! May I suggest you consider a “Mad Chef Media (Your Window Into the World of Cuisine)” additional site? Sounds scrumptious to me. 🙂
March 28, 2020 at 11:13 am |
Y’know, JD, it wasn’t half bad. We’ve run through a lot of the usuals — bean burritos smothered in green chile with red rice, mushroom quesadillas with green rice, a heavily modified al’arrabbiata sauce over egg noodles, eggs over potato-and-pepper hash, green and fruit salads, even sardines and cheese with crackers. So something off the beaten path was a nice change of pace.
And it was easy. One ovenproof skillet, the oven, and ingredients that should be in your pantry even when there isn’t a plague going around.
March 28, 2020 at 4:46 pm |
NYT Cooking has become my go to source for recipes. I’ve done many, from simple to complex, and have never been disappointed. (don’t tell anyone but I have a little crush on Melissa Clark from her videos, too.)
March 28, 2020 at 5:07 pm |
Check out some of the old Martha Rose Shulman recipes on the NYT Cooking site (there are more at her own site). She has a lot of good seasonal/pantry suggestions.
Have you seen Melissa’s kitchen? Chihuahua.
March 28, 2020 at 11:42 am |
When’s dinner? I assume a six pack of St. Pauli Girl NA, one of Barrio Rojo, and a bottle of nice merlot are the price of admittance.
March 28, 2020 at 11:57 am |
Don’t they have you and your cask of Amontillado walled in down there, Fortunato?
How are you and the missus getting along? Chilly and windy up here today, though the sun is out to tease us.
March 28, 2020 at 1:27 pm |
Doing fine, and thanks for asking. Tucson has a stay at home advisory in place. We have been staying at home, except for groceries, for two weeks, but no official order in Sierra Vista. Cochise county has 4 confirmed cases, so restaurants, bars, schools, and gyms/health clubs are closed. Restaurants can do take out, which we took advantage of yesterday with, sorry to tempt you, pizza from Pizzaria Mimosa. We have close friends, my guitar mentor and spouse, who we spend time with. Other than that no social contact. So, so far so good. Lot’s of silly youtube shit, movies, PBS, guitars, Mad Dog (of course) and books. In fact I am now going to cook a lunch of pesto penne with sautéed zucchini, yellow squash, red bell pepper, and onion along with a salad. Maybe a 1920 Arizona lager for me and a cab merlot blend for the smarter half. Then I am going to tickle my Taylor for a bit. chilly, but sunny here too. But the week is really looking good.
March 28, 2020 at 1:51 pm |
Good on ye, sir. We’ve been watching more TV than usual, but trying to keep it semi-smart.
Last night we watched “Gilbert,” a documentary about the comic Gilbert Gottfried. He’s definitely not for everyone, but I like him. And I found the doc’ not only funny, but poignant. A lot of these funny folks have boogeymen for company.
You may know Gottfried from the doc’ “The Aristocrats,” the chronicle of a vile inside joke that Gottfried took raucously outside when one of his own gags fell flat at the Hugh Hefner roast shortly after 9/11.