Is it Week 3?

This was a terrible week! I remember it clearly, because come on! Who puts in two grain/legume recipes on top of the other! Which is of course to say, it was delicious. This week I made frijoles de olla and a rice pilaf. Let's start with the pilaf. Disclaimer: There is no other way to make rice than pressure cooked rice. But fine, I'll put aside the mantle of rice snootiness and accept that yes, rice can be made in different ways. I will not agree that there are any better ways to make rice. For I will not lie. About that anyways. Anyways, the recipe. Things you'll need before hand, an ovenproof saucepan. No rubber. Nothing melt-able. Anything oven safe, and safe on the stovetop. Oven, 350F. 1 oz butter, 1 oz onion (brunoise), 8 oz rice (unwashed, you'll need the gluten). Through in some garlic for good measure, a clove will do (minced). You'll also need 14 oz boiling chicken stock (or water, but stock is your best bet here. I like to use some bone stock). You'll need a pinch of salt, but we'll get to that later. I boiled it in the microwave, you can get it boiling anyway you want. SO! IN an ovenproof saucepan, sautee the onion in butter. A slight sweat, no browning. Toss in the rice. Mix in the butter and onion. Pour in the boiling stock, and return the pan to boil. Season with salt, and cover tightly (ovenproof lid). Once it's boiling, stick it in the oven (350F, 180c). Bake for 18 minutes, check if the liquid is absorbed at the end. If not, add a couple minutes and check again. Fluff with a fork to release the steam and serve. Honesty moment, it was delicious. It's not what I usually want. Rice pilaf pairs with a good amount of dishes... but it doesn't pair with almost everything. Which is where I feel steamed rice sits. A perfect accompaniment to basically everything. But, pilaf has it's reasons. It's delicious. It's buttery. It's fantastic. It's just not what I want. It's time consuming. It takes some extra effort. It takes a bit of concentration. Steamed rice? Rinse, steam. Repeat. It's effortless. It's repeatable. It's simple. It's good for impressing. It's good for a dinner date. It's good for many things. It's not good for every day life. But it is good. Exhibit B

Some more for the week... Frijoles de Olla (Mexican Pinto Beans). Delicious, I loved the slight spice of jalapeno and of course... the secret. The magical ingredient. Lard. That's right, animal fat. So, what will you need? 3 Cups Pinto beans, 1.75 qt water. 1/2 cup thin sliced onion. Garlic, minced (a clove or two). One chopped jalapeno (in any manner you want. Minced for a better distribution of heat, diced for pops of heat). 2 Tbsp of lard (any animal fat will do). And lastly, some salt. Soak the beans, always soak the beans, overnight. Combine the beans, water, onion, garlic, and jalapeno in a pot. Boil! Reduce heat. Simmer. Covered. One hour. Check the pot, make sure the water covers the beans for the hour. Add hot water as necessary. Add lard and salt, continue to simmer until soft. Keep them moist with some broth. And that's it. That's this week. Grains and legumes. The cornerstone of life and cooking. There's always plenty to do with the two, and legumes can replace any protein. Go meatless this week! Or add some bacon. Whatever way you go, add some more legumes into your life. They're delicious.

I did learn some things this week too, which was a good complement to all the carbs. I realized that maybe I don't need meat in every meal. Maybe, I could replace it with other things. I could have supplements. I could have other things. I could have a different entree that is not meat-based. I still haven't followed through. But I could.

I also learned, just now... Maybe I could do a bit better with my food photography. Just maybe.