Bacon And Black Bean Smash Recipes

TEXAS STYLE BACON, BEANS AND EGGS: BLACK BEAN CHILAQUILES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Cut tortillas into strips and spray with cooking spray. Bake 12 to 15 minutes until crisp. Arrange in casserole dish.
• Heat a skillet over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Add bacon and brown then remove with a slotted spoon. To the skillet, add the onions, Fresno peppers, and garlic and saute a few minutes.
• Add the beans and season with cumin, chile powder, salt, and pepper, stir in tomatoes, cilantro, and beer. Thicken 1 minute, then adjust seasoning and arrange on top of tortillas, and scatter in bacon bits and cheese.
• Cool and store for make-ahead meal.
• Bake in the hot oven until bubbly and hot, top with fried eggs (as soft or hard as you like), diced avocado and lime wedges.

BACON AND BLACK BEAN SMASH

Steps:

• Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil and bacon.
• Render fat 2 minutes then add onion and garlic, cook 5 minutes.
• Add 1 can of beans to the pan and season them with salt, pepper and cumin then smash them with a potato masher, combining them with bacon and onions.
• When they are combined, add remaining can of beans and combine with smashed beans. Add hot sauce to your taste and serve.

CUBAN BLACK BEANS

Steps:

• Cut 1 green pepper into 1-inch squares. Smash and peel 4 of the garlic cloves. Put the green pepper and garlic into a large pot with the beans, ham hock, bay leaves and 1 tablespoon salt. Add 2 quarts water and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and simmer until the beans are tender, an hour or more.
• Meanwhile, make a sofrito. Cut the remaining ½ green pepper into ¼-inch dice. Peel and finely chop the remaining garlic. Heat the olive oil in a very large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the green pepper and onion and cook, stirring, until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, jalapeño (leave out the seeds if you don't want it too spicy), oregano, cumin, black pepper and 2 teaspoons salt and stir for another minute. Pour in the vinegar and scrape any browned bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. This is your sofrito.
• When the beans are cooked, discard the bay leaf. Remove and set aside the ham hock and let it cool. Transfer 1 cup of beans to small bowl, mash them into a paste with the back of a fork and return to the pot. Add the sofrito, then the sugar. Pull the meat from the ham hock, leaving behind any white sinew or gristle. Chop the ham into ½-inch pieces and return it to the bean pot.
• Stir the beans well and bring to a boil over medium heat, then lower to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes or so, skimming any foam from the top. Taste for salt and serve with white rice.

BLACK BEAN SOUP WITH BACON

Steps:

• Fry the bacon in a microwave until crisp, or cook it in a skillet over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate, crumble, and set aside. Reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon drippings, if desired.
• Roughly chop the carrots, onion, and celery and transfer to a food processor. Pulse the vegetables until finely chopped.
• In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the reserved bacon drippings (if using), the chopped vegetables, garlic, water, bouillon cubes, and 1 can of diced tomatoes with their juice. Cook on high for 5 minutes to soften vegetables.
• Pour the vegetable mixture into a saucepan and add 2 cans of rinsed and drained black beans. Season with the cumin, hot sauce, and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to low; simmer for 15 minutes.
• Use an immersion blender to puree the hot mixture. (If you don't have a hand-held blender, puree the mixture in batches in a food processor or standard blender.)
• Stir in the remaining can of diced tomatoes and can of black beans. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Add water if the consistency is too thick for your liking. Bring the soup to a simmer and heat for 5 minutes. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with sour cream, shredded cheese, and crumbled bacon.