Dressed up Annie's #3

The Goods:

1 box Annie's Mac and Cheese

1/2 doz. crimini mushrooms

1 medium-sized leek

1 15 oz can black beans

1/4 cup St. Andre cheese*

1/4 cup Trader Joe's Light Mexican Shredded Cheese Blend**

1 sprig parsley

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

Place a medium saucepan three-quarters full of water on high heat. Add a spritz of olive oil to a sauté pan; place on medium heat. Wash and slice the mushrooms. Finely dice the leeks and mince the parsley. Once the oil is hot, add the mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms for a few minutes, until they brown. Then add the leeks. Season with salt, pepper, coriander, cumin, and chili powder. Once the leeks are translucent, deglaze the pan with a bit of water. Add the beans. Cook on high until almost all of the water is driven off.

Cook the Annie's per the box directions. Finely dice the St. Andre. After draining the pasta, add the bean/leek/mushroom mixture, the milk (per box directions, about 2 tablespoons), both cheeses, and the parsley. Place the pot back on the semi-hot (and off) burner and mix until all of the cheese has melted.

*This cheese is incredible. Its like Brie on creamy, delicious steroids.

**Obviously, I'm trying to empty the fridge of random things.

¡Las habichuelas gigantes!

The Goods*:

1 package Giant Peruvian Lima Beans (I neglected to recall the size of the package, but I think it was about 12 oz)

2 cups vegetable stock

1 portabella mushroom cap

1 shallot

3 cloves garlic

1 15 oz can of chopped tomatoes

1/2 cup orzo

Per the instructions on the Giant Peruvian Lima Beans: Soak the Giant Peruvian Lima Beans overnight. Dump the Giant Peruvian Lima Beans into a large bowl. Add enough water to completely submerge the Giant Peruvian Lima Beans in water. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

After soaking, the Giant Peruvian Lima Beans will double in size and have wrinkled skin. Place the them in a medium saucepan. Add the stock and any additional water needed to fully submerge the Giant Peruvian Lima Beans. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn the heat down to low. Simmer for 30-45 minutes.

Fill a small saucepan three quarters with water. Place on high heat to boil. Finely dice the shallot and garlic. Slice the mushroom lengthwise into thin strips. Add a few spritzes of oil to a medium sauté pan and set the heat to medium. Cook the mushrooms for a few minutes on medium heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the shallots. After the shallots are translucent, add the garlic. After one more minute, add the tomatoes and fully cooked Giant Peruvian Lima Beans. Cook the orzo according to the box directions. Serve the Giant Peruvian Lima Beans over the orzo (or all mixed up).

*I've been meaning to try out giant beans for a while. I saw these Giant Peruvian Lima Beans while strolling the aisles at WF and had to give them a try.

3 bean pork chili

The Goods*:

1 lb pork tenderloin

1 15 oz can diced tomatoes

1 15 oz can pinto beans

1 15 oz can black beans

1 15 oz can white kidney beans

2 medium yellow onions

6 cloves garlic

1 large sprig cilantro

2 cups Sam Smith's Oatmeal Stout

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp paprika

6-10 dried thai chilis

1 spritz sunflower oil

Dice the pork into 1 cm cubes. Add the oil to a heavy-bottomed stock pot and heat to medium-high. Brown the pork in small batches. It is important not to crowd the meat in the pan, or it will not develop a nice crust. Set the meat aside.

Remove the cilantro leaves from the stems. Finely chop the cilantro leaves. Mince about 1 tablespoon of the stems; discard the remaining stems. Crush three garlic cloves. Combine the cilantro stems, garlic cloves, cumin, coriander, chili powder, turmeric, paprika, and chilis in a mortar. For a more face melting** chili, use more chili powder/dried chilis. Work these ingredients together until a fragrant paste is formed. Set aside.

Dice the onions and the remaining cloves of garlic. Place the stock pot back on medium heat. Add a bit more oil if needed. When the oil is hot, add the onions. After 10 minutes or so, once the onions are translucent, add the garlic and cilantro leaves. After another minute, add the spice paste. Before the garlic or spices burn, deglaze the pan with the beer. Add the tomatoes, beans, and the browned meat. Allow the liquid to come to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer on low for about an hour. One may of course simmer for longer (I think mine was going for around 3 hours). Serve with shredded cheese and tortilla chips.

*This may officially be the week of pork (hot pork injection?). Using inspiration from co-worker Mike, I decided to go with pork tenderloin as the meat in this Superbowl-Sunday chili.

**Using the chili powder and chilis listed in this recipe resulted in a decidedly mild chili. There was heat, but it was not overpowering, and only detectable in the aftertaste.