Allium Sativum & Allium Cepa

I don’t know about you, but pretty much any savory meal I make begins with sautéed garlic and onion. It doesn’t have to be a white, yellow or red onion – spring onions work, also. Shallots are nice, too, but are slightly intimidating to me for some reason. I usually use the classic (and inexpensive) yellow onion.

As always, your seasoned and slightly oily Cast Iron skillet works like a charm for your garlic and onion (G&O) base. I use canola and a drop of olive oil in heated pan. The oil should start to spread out slowly, but not smoke, on the bottom of the pan, then dump in your G&O. Sautée over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to prevent anything getting too crispy, then when the onion begins to become transparent, you can add additional ingredients.

There are a few dishes I make on the regular that seem to please everyone in our picky-pants/food sensitive household. Rice & beans, Beef/Turkey-A-Roni, myriad pasta sauces, Pizza, what else? Other things, I’m sure. Will have recipes in later posts.

But the point of this is to state that garlic and onions are your friends. They make pretty much anything taste great. They are a perfect base for most meals in my humble opinion.

Below is an easy Rice and Beans recipe I’ve developed over the years, thanks to diverse neighborhoods I’ve lived in and friends who are excellent cooks. This meal is extremely inexpensive to make, vegan, and a complete protein to boot. You should have all the ingredients around your house at any given time, so when you get cooker’s block, Rice and Beans is a quick and delicious way out of a rut.

RICE AND BEANS
Serves 2-4, or as many as you like!

Ingredients:
•    2-3 cans black beans (I use Goya)
•    1 medium onion
•    3-4 cloves fresh garlic
•    vegetable oil to cover base of heated cast iron pan
•    brown or white rice
•    salt, pepper, cumin (ground or whole seed)
•    wine, vinegar, lemon, or lime

Directions:
•    adding to sautéed G&O, a half to whole teaspoon ground or whole cumin seed
•    2-3 cans drained and rinsed black beans
•    freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste
•    gently stir drained beans with G&O and spices, adding additional oil if needed for about 5 minutes
•    add the wine/vinegar/lemon/lime liquid and lower heat (add a small amount of additional water if needed)

YOU’RE DONE in 20-30 minutes, assuming you’ve already made your rice, two parts water to one part rice. I recommend, for those of you in extreme time constraints, the already cooked and frozen servings of brown or white rice currently sold at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods markets, though instead of heating it in its own plastic pouch in the microwave, dump the rice and a drop of water in a ceramic or glass bowl with a ceramic or glass plate on top to reconstitute. But making rice isn’t so hard – just get that going before you begin the bean part of the meal. White rice usually cooks up in about 20 minutes, brown rice in about 30 minutes.
Topics: rice&beans , garlic , onions