Jeremy's Black Beans

Adapted from the chapter “Beans and Me” by Jeremy Jackson in Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant, edited by Jenni Ferrari-Adler (Riverhead Books, 2007)

Note: Jeremy Jackson serves these over cornbread, which I’m sure is delicious, but I serve them over rice. This is especially nice with pork chops or crisply roasted chicken. Sometimes I add a spoonful of guacamole on the side as a condiment.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small white onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 15-ounce can of black beans, with their liquid
Salt and pepper
Sour cream, for serving (optional)

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a 2-quart saucepan. Add the onion and cook until it begins to brown. Add the garlic and cook for one minute more, stirring, and being careful not to let it burn.

Add the beans with all their liquid, stir, and lower the heat. Simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally so the beans don’t stick to the bottom of the pan. The liquid will thicken slightly.

Guacamole

Adapted from Truly Mexican by Roberto Santibañez (Wiley, 2011)

Serves 2–3. This recipe can be easily doubled. Serve with chips, as a dip, or use as a condiment with a meal.

For the best flavor and texture, make this as close to serving time as possible. If you need to prepare it a little in advance, press cling film directly against the surface of the guacamole to keep air out. The lime juice helps too, but exposure to oxygen is what turns guacamole brown—so minimize it where you can.

1 ripe but not mushy Hass avocado (the pebbly black kind, not the shiny green)
2 tablespoons finely chopped white onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro (optional—if it doesn’t taste like soap to you)
4 shakes Tabasco Original Red
6 shakes Tabasco Green (jalapeño)
Maldon sea salt, to taste, crushed between your fingers
Juice of half a fresh lime
Optional: chopped fresh jalapeño (include seeds for heat)

Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit, and scoop the flesh into a bowl using a tablespoon. Mash it with a small masher, leaving some texture. Add the remaining ingredients and mix with a spoon. Taste and adjust with more Tabasco, cilantro, lime, or salt, as you like.