Bean hole beans.

Bean Hole Beans

Bean Hole Beans?

Beans are on my mind today because I saw an ad on Facebook from Bush’s Beans: “Your Fam on a Can”. Submit a custom label with two lines and a maximum of 10 letters each; if it meets other, unspecified criteria, they will send you a (empty) keepsake bean can with that label. My requested family brand “Maxwell’s Propulsion” evidently did not pass muster but the experience was still valuable because, while reading comments on the Facebook ad, I noticed a lot of praise from folks who had visited the Bush’s museum and visitor center in Dandridge, TN. There you can eat in their café and get a sampler of baked beans with your meal, a hot dog topped with chili beans and a slice of pecan pie made with beans for dessert. Culinary tourism opportunity!

I also learned that Bush’s remains a private, family-owned company which warmed my heart. I have always picked up a few cans of Bush’s when they are on sale, though I intend to doctor them so could probably do just as well with a generic bean. (For large quantities I’d go for the dirt-cheap Grandma Brown’s Baked Beans, but they went out of business during the pandemic.) On my most recent shopping trip I discovered Bush’s Country Style, a bean that is “thicker, sweeter, richer with bacon & extra brown sugar”. The price was the same as their other baked beans, so who wouldn’t want this one? Only problem is it limits the opportunity for tinkering; the Country Style bean sauce was indeed thick and rich and I limited myself to a scoop of dehydrated onions and a splash each of Worcestershire and cider vinegar and was good to go.

BakedBeans

Easy Baked Beans.

The label on my Country Style advises  “the contrasting flavors of sweet baked beans and any of your savory favorites bring out the best in each other”. Simple enough: baked beans are supposed to be sweet, unlike spicy chili beans or Cuban black beans with their payload of onion, garlic and olive oil, or Snow’s smoky pinto beans.

My mother was not an adventurous cook but she prepared a fine baked bean dish which involved fiddling with a can of generic baked beans (I expect she used Campbells) and baking with strips of bacon and rounds of sliced onion on top until the liquid evaporated. It is an easy and reliable recipe which we’ve featured here.

Whenever those beans were served, my father would mutter in a thoughtful way, “bean hole beans”. I was not as curious then as now about food trivia so never asked him why he said that. But it turns out bean hole beans are kind of a shaggy dog story which has been captured on AllRecipes as well as this NYTimes article, both of which describe a very complex process for digging a hole in the ground for your dutch oven full of beans before acknowledging you can make the same recipe in a crockpot. The Times says the original recipe came from the Abenaki people, which brings us full circle because they were the original inhabitants of my frost-kissed region of upstate New York. My father never made it upstate as far as I know, but he did live in Boston in his youth and frequented the old-school (and sadly departed) Durgin Park Restaurant where he might have encountered a dish named “bean hole beans”. Or maybe he just liked the sound of the words.

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Recipe: Original Joy of Cooking Buttermilk Pancakes

Joy Buttermilk Pancakes with Bacon

Joy of Cooking Buttermilk Pancakes with bacon.

I think this is the way buttermilk pancakes were prepared in the original Joy of Cooking. (The current recipe is fine too.) Anyway, the result can’t be beat, especially if you have some good quality buttermilk. Makes 10-12 four-inch pancakes.

Ingredients:
1 ½ c all purpose flour
3 T white sugar
1 t baking soda
½ t baking powder
1 t salt
1 ½ c (or more) buttermilk, preferably full fat like our local favorite from Argyle Cheese Farmer
2 eggs, separated into whites and yolks
1 t vanilla extract
3 T melted butter
Neutral oil, for skillet

Pancakes with Egg

We like to add a sunny-side up egg and season it with salt, pepper and tabasco before pouring on the syrup.

Method: combine dry ingredients in one bowl and the buttermilk, egg yolks, vanilla extract and melted butter in a separate bowl (can be smaller). Stir in melted butter last so it won’t cook egg yolks. Pour the wet mixture into a well in the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Beat the egg whites into stiff peaks and fold into batter; mix thoroughly but gently so as to keep the pancakes light and airy. Heat a nonstick skillet to 350 degrees (the point at which a drop of water sizzles) and wipe on just a bit of oil. Use a quarter cup measure to pour batter into skillet; keep to the edges as the batter will expand. A 12-inch skillet will hold about 4 pancakes which will probably overlap a bit at the inner edges. Note: depending on the thickness of your buttermilk you might want to add a bit more buttermilk, milk or water so the pancakes will expand in the skillet and cook evenly.

Cook the pancakes until the tops turn from glossy to matte and flip carefully to cook the other side. Cook for another minute then transfer pancakes to serving plate, or keep warm in a 200 degree oven if you like. Serve Joy Buttermilk Pancakes with maple syrup.

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Recipe: Lamb Curry with Lentils

Lamb Curry with Lentils

Lamb Curry with Lentils

Lamb Curry with Lentils sustained many a college student in off-campus meals, thanks to Myra Waldo’s Complete Book of Oriental Cooking. It’s easy, cheap, nutritious and filling… what more could you ask? Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:
1 lb lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 c onion
2 cloves garlic
1 T curry powder
¾ t Kosher salt
¼ c whole milk yogurt
1 c lentils
3 T ghee or butter
2 c water
1 ½ c water

Method: combine onion, garlic, curry powder and salt in a mini-chop and quickly chop. Add to the lamb in a bowl and stir in yogurt. Blend well*. Marinate for 1 hour. Meanwhile, bring the lentils to a boil with plenty of water and drain.

Melt the butter or ghee in a saucepan and stir in undrained meat. Cover and cook over low heat 15 minutes, stirring frequently, then add reserved lentils. Bring 1 ½ c water to a boil and pour over lamb and lentils. Cover and cook over low heat 30 minutes or until lamb and lentils are tender. Serve over rice with chutney or Indian pickles. (Or eat without rice  for a filling low-carb meal.)

*The original recipe called for pounding the onion, garlic and spices with a mortar and pestle then gradually adding yogurt. Not a bad idea.

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Recipe: Indian Cabbage with Turmeric and Black Mustard Seeds

Indian Cabbage

Indian Cabbage with Turmeric and Black Mustard Seeds.

Indian Cabbage with Turmeric and Black Mustard Seeds is from the delightful (and hard to find) Yogi Cook Book by Yogi Vithaldas with Susan Roberts. They advise using it as a substitute for cole slaw served with Indian dishes. Makes 4-6 servings.

Ingredients:
medium head green cabbage (or half a large head)
3 T neutral oil
1t ground turmeric
1 t black mustard seeds
1/2 t Kosher salt

Yogi Cook Book

Our taped-together copy of the Yogi Cook Book.

Method: core the cabbage and chop into 1 inch squares. Heat the oil and add the mustard seed and turmeric; heat until the mustard seeds begin to pop. Add salt and cabbage and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, till cabbage is somewhat wilted but still crunchy. Serve as a side dish with Indian foods; this would also go nicely with a smoked or grilled protein like Jamaican jerk chicken.

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Recipe: Lemony Asparagus with Orzo

Lemony Asparagus Orzo

Lemony Asparagus with Orzo.

Lemony Asparagus with Orzo is a pleasant way to enjoy early season asparagus and the lemon makes it feel like summer is already here. We were lucky enough to have some sweet Meyer lemons brought back from CA plus some Frog Hollow Meyer Lemon Olive Oil, but regular lemons and oil would work fine. This is a fine dish to bring to a potluck because it’s good hot, cold or at room temperature. Simplified from this NYTCooking recipe. Makes 6-8 side dish or 4 main dish servings.

Ingredients:
1 c orzo
1 lb tender young asparagus
1 T or more lemon zest
3 T lemon juice
3 T good olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 minced garlic cloves, diced
½ c panko or bread crumbs
¼ c parmesan, grated
Chopped parsley for garnish, optional

Method: break off woody ends from asparagus stalks and cut on the bias into bite-size pieces (3/4 inch long so so). Cook the orzo in a generous amount of boiling water until 2 minutes short of package recommendations for al dente. Add asparagus, return to the boil and cook those last two minutes. Drain.

Add 1 T oil to a saucepan (you can wipe out the orzo pot and re-use it) and sauté garlic until fragrant. Lower heat and add panko/bread crumbs. Toast until lightly browned, stirring constantly.

Transfer orzo mixture to a serving bowl with lemon zest, lemon juice and 2 T olive oil and toss to mix. Taste for seasoning; we think it needs just a pinch each of salt and pepper. Fold in toasted bread crumbs and parmesan. Garnish with some chopped green herbs if you like. Serve hot, cold or at room temperature.

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Recipe: Creamy Caesar Dressing

Creamy Caesar Dressing

Creamy Caesar Dressing atop some spring greens.

A classic Caesar is fine, but sometimes you want a creamy Caesar dressing. Especially if you have a bagful of “Spring Greens” vs rugged romaine. This recipe works because it contains all the essentials including eggs in a food safe payload (mayo) for those who are squeamish about eating them raw. Makes about 1 ½ c dressing, enough for 3 big salads.

Ingredients:

2-3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 anchovy filets in oil or 1 t anchovy paste
2 T lemon juice
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1 t Dijon mustard
½ c grated Parmesan
Generous pinch Kosher salt
Generous pinch ground black pepper
Generous pinch MSG (optional)*

Method: add all ingredients to a mini-chop and pulverize into a smooth creamy emulsion. Spoon over greens and mix thoroughly before serving. Don’t be overly generous with the dressing; a little goes a long way. Unused dressing will keep a couple weeks in a refrigerated container.

*You wouldn’t expect to see a table side waiter sprinkling on MSG in a fancy Tiajuana restaurant, but it seemed to fit here. We were inspired by its use (but not always!) in Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing and our copycat Mystery Creek Ranch Dressing.

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Recipe: Panda Orange Sauce

Panda Style Orange Sauce

Panda Orange Sauce atop a chicken nugget from the clown,

The ubiquitous orange-sauced chicken in food court Chinese places evolved from a more refined version served at Panda Inn, a sit down restaurant in Pasadena that spawned the Panda Express chain and made the Cherng family very wealthy. NYT Cooking recreated that original chicken, which is light years better than mall food. Try Panda Orange Sauce on anything crispy, like tonkatsu or even a lowly chicken nugget.

Ingredients:
1 c fresh orange juice
1/3 c brown sugar
2 T rice vinegar (unseasoned)
1 T soy sauce
2 T neutral oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 T minced ginger
1 t crushed red pepper
2 t orange zest (or 1 t Penzey’s dried Orange Peel, which we happened to have on hand), finely chopped

Method: mix orange juice, brown sugar, rice vinegar and soy sauce and stir until sugar is dissolved. In a saucepan, sauté ginger and garlic until aromatic, 3 minutes or so. Add red pepper, sauté briefly till it absorbs some oil, then pour in orange juice. Cook over low heat 5 minutes or so till the mixture reduces to the thickness of pancake syrup. Add zest (if using the dried zest, add it along with the orange juice mixture prior to thickening) and serve over fried food piping hot.

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Recipe: Easy Sub Rolls

Easy Sub Rolls

Easy Sub Rolls. Our first batch had some extra creases but our taste buds didn’t complain.

We had been having good luck with our Fast Focaccia, so why not try the same technique for making sub rolls? We increased the flour while keeping all other ingredients the same and walla, easy sub rolls in under 2 hours. One issue, the high olive oil content makes it harder to shape the rolls because it keeps the edges of dough from making a seal. If this bothers you, consider reducing olive oil from 3 T to 2 T. Makes 4 10-12 inch sub rolls.

Ingredients
1 ½ c lukewarm water (355 g)
1 t sugar
2 t yeast
3 T good olive oil (or less; see above)
4 c all purpose flour (520 g)
2 t Kosher salt

Method: add sugar and yeast to lukewarm water in the bowl of a rotary mixer; stir to dissolve sugar. Rest for 5 minutes or so until yeast blooms; add olive oil then flour and 2 t Kosher salt in that order. Mix at first speed until ingredients are combined then second speed for 5 minutes, until the dough shows good strength from gluten development.

Remove dough hook and add a little olive oil to the mixing bowl; turn the dough so all sides are coated. Cover and rise in a warm place* for 1 hour, or until doubled. Remove the dough to a work surface and divide into 4 pieces of equal weight. Shape each into a ball with a smooth outer surface and edges tucked underneath. Rest 15 minutes then flip each dough ball over and flatten into a vertical rectangle.

Swiss Steak Chicago Italian

Easy sub rolls with Chicago-tsyle beef and giardiniera.

Fold into thirds like a business letter and pinch the ends and edges to seal them. Roll out the dough into sub roll shapes: start with both palms down in the center of the dough, then roll back and forth so the dough extends to the sides. Move your palms outward as the dough extends, trying to maintain an even cylinder. (This takes practice.) When the sub roll is your desired width of 10-12 inches, transfer to a half sheet pan on top of a silicone pad or parchment paper. Repeat with other balls of dough.

When all four sub rolls are shaped, cover with a kitchen towel and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Allow to rise til the rolls have expanded somewhat and a depression made with your fingertip in the dough springs back slowly. Bake 25-35 minutes or until evenly browned. Cool easy sub rolls before using for submarines, hoagies, grinders or heroes.

*NYT offers a great trick for turning your microwave into a proofing box: put in a large cup of just-boiled water along with the bowl of dough.

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Fancy Trail Mix and Granola from Frog Hollow Farm

Frog Hollow Trail Mix

Upscale trail mix from Frog Hollow Farm.

I would not have taken Frog Hollow Farm Trail Mix on the road with me during my backpacking days. I was a penny pincher then as now and my preferred energy snack was a mixture of equal parts roasted peanuts, raisins and M&MS called “gorp” which I understand is an acronym for “good ol’ raisins and peanuts” (the M&Ms are silent.) A benefit of this mix, in addition to its cost, is the availability of the three ingredients at virtually any store selling food, even a general store high in the mountains.

Frog Hollow Trail Mix is at the other end of the cheapness/availability spectrum: you have to mail-order, and like the fresh fruit we tried a while back it answers the questions “what if you set out to create the best possible product regardless of cost” and “what is the best choice for the discerning person (maybe you) who has everything?”

This trail mix features intense chunks of dried fruit (it varies with the season; my batch was mostly peaches) and equally intense bittersweet chocolate mini-drops. These items are interspersed with a shower of pumpkin seeds, almonds and sunflower seeds so you get something crunchy, something chewy, something sweet and something bitter in every bite. I don’t know how the chocolate bits would hold up in hot weather (only a memory right now in the frozen north) but the bits are small enough they would not make a mess if melted.

Frog Hollow Granola

Frog Hollow Farm granola.

While on the subject of best possible products, I also tried Frog Hollow Farms Granola. The flavor of this is easy to define: toasty! The oats are roasted almost to the point of being burnt but safely short of it. The top ingredient is honey but it’s absorbed by oats and whole wheat flour. Raisins, almonds and seeds give it a nice chew.

Maybe you want to reverse-engineer the recipes, something we often do at Burnt My Fingers. Maybe you just want to give yourself (or that jaded someone) a treat. Your next step is to check out the Frog Hollow Farm website.

Disclosure: I was provided free product to munch on while preparing this review.

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Exploding pyrex

Exploding Pyrex

Exploding (actually exploded) Pyrex.

The other day I pulled a carton of eggs out of my poorly designed and overstuffed top-freezer fridge. It snagged a 1L Pyrex measuring bowl filled with congealed stock. The bowl tumbled onto the floor, a distance of 34 inches, and shattered into dozens of sharp edged fragments. Not what I expected from a glass container I count on to hold up to tough treatment. We are not talking about extreme temperature changes which are sometimes cited as a Pyrex hazard; the chilled container and contents had zero time to adjust to the ambient kitchen temp.

According to this allrecipes explainer, there are currently two types of Pyrex, neither manufactured by Corning Glass which originated the product. pyrex (lower case) is made of tempered soda-lime glass and is sold in the US, South America and Asia; PYREX (upper case) is made of borosilicate glass and is sold primarily in Europe and the Middle East. Borosilicate is more shatter resistant but is toxic and expensive to dispose of. When I think of tempered glass, I think of the shower of glass pellets you get when some thug breaks your car window; infuriating but unlikely to hurt you. But in my case, the exploding pyrex left jagged shards all over the kitchen floor.

This thread in the r/Baking reddit has multiple tales of exploding lower-case pyrex, including a photo of a bake pan which self destructed on the stove top. Most of these are temperature-differential incidents in which the exploded fragments embedded themselves in walls and cabinets, often with bits of the baked product to leave a sticky mess. So I got off lucky, I guess.

The final word can be found in a very detailed (complete with footnotes) Wirecutter article on nytimes.com, misleadingly titled “Why We’re Not Worried About Pyrex Bakeware ‘Exploding’”.  A researcher points out that irregular shapes and thicknesses as well as manufacturing defects can make a tempered glass object more vulnerable to breakage; a measuring cup with its handle certainly has more variation than a baking dish. Another researcher posits that a tempered glass item might not break if you drop it on the floor but could have invisible damage that causes it to self destruct in the future. Bwahaha….

Wirecutter touts a few premium baking products that are made with borosilicate, including PYREX (uppercase) from France. But they don’t deliver to the United States, alas. Amazon tells me I ordered a 3-piece nesting set including the exploding 1L twice… once in 2014 and again in 2017. The website currently shows lower case pyrex products but the remaining two in my possession are PYREX. I was managing a rental property at that time and it’s possible I left a set there and needed a replacement. In any case the product switch appears to have happened in that 3 year interval and I guess I am lucky to have kept 2 out of 3.

Who else has a tale of exploding pyrex? (or PYREX?)

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