A warming, hearty meal for the times in between.
It feels like it’s been raining, or snowing, in Colorado for weeks. Basically, since we got home from all that time in the California sunshine, to be precise. It’s not quite spring, yet not quite winter, and my body doesn’t really know whether to bundle up and hunker down, or burst out into the patches of sunshine + celebrate.
I’m somewhere between.
I’m somewhere between in other ways too. Specifically, with the cookbook. We’re not “quite” there yet. Still in the throes of editing, behind where I had hoped we’d be at this time last year. No one ever said writing a book was easy, but it does feel like we’re not quite in the chilly winter months of having the project being on ice, nor are we yet celebrating its soon-to-be release in the sun.
We’re somewhere in between.
But, we’re also to a point where the recipes have been weeded and sifted through, and many of those that I developed that won’t be in the book are able to start seeing some sunshine…specifically with you, dear Recipe Clubbers. This Mole Baked Beans w/Sweet Potatoes + Greens is the first little glimmer of the book to see the sunshine!
In India, baked rajma (or Punjabi-style red beans) are baked in a thick, spicy, tomato gravy that comes together with the ingredients that are in your pantry. And, in Mexico, mole is a delicious, deep, rich sauce made from a days’ long process of simmering several kinds of peppers, whole spices, and other ingredients. The end result is making everything taste a million times better.
This recipe doesn’t take several days to prepare like a mole (in fact, it will come together for you in an hour.) But I do apply a few Mexican flavors to a dish that’s similar to rajma…in principle. My method below takes a few steps out of the traditional preparation, and in addition to the spices adds some vegetables too. Instead of simmering the beans on the stove, I allow the oven to do the work of reducing the mole-spiked sauce, and I add some sweet potatoes and spinach greens to round it out. Enjoy this dish with warm tortillas, or rice, and with a dollop of yogurt if you wish.
We’re *almost* to a season when summer’s bounty will be bursting with juicy, flavorful ingredients…but we aren’t there yet. And we’re *almost* to a place in this pandemic world when we’ll be ready to burst out and party. But we’re not quite there yet, stuck someplace between being ready to party, and needing to cozy up.
This simple, pantry-based meal of beans, tomatoes, spices, and sturdy spring-available veggies is that same way — ready to party with tortilla chips + fat slices of avocado in the months to come, but cozy and easy enough to be a warming meal on the nights when it’s still chilly, or when you need a refuel after a long day on the trail or in the saddle. The pungent, punchy flavors will keep your interest and your digestion high this time of year.
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