walton_eats

1 lb dried small red beans, soaked overnight, simmered until tender, then drained
1 large can petite diced tomatoes
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon Spanish smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1-1/2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 cup chicken stock or broth
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Olive oil

Saute onion in a couple tablespoons olive oil until onion is soft. Add garlic and saute another 30 seconds or so. Add tomato paste, chile, paprika, cumin, sugar and some salt and pepper. Stir and cook until tomato paste is a bit caramelized. Stir in chicken stock and deglaze pot. Add tomatoes and beans. Partially cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in vinegar. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if necessary. Serve with fluffy white rice.

I also roasted a pork tenderloin rubbed with ancho chile powder, salt, pepper and garlic powder. 425F for 25 minutes, then let rest for 10 minutes. The pork is slightly pink and very juicy.

3 lbs pork tenderloin, trimmed of silvery membrane
1/2 cup mirin
1/4 cup dry sherry
2 tablespoons sesame oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed
4 tablespoons black bean garlic sauce

Combine mirin, sherry, sesame oil, garlic and black bean garlic sauce. Mix well. Place pork in ziplock bag. Add marinade. Seal, squeezing as much air out as possible without making a huge mess :). Marinate at least two hours, but the longer the better.

Preheat gas grill on high. Grill tenderloin about 8 minutes on each side, to an internal temperature of about 150F. After cooking let stand, loosely covered with foil, for about 10 minutes. Slice and serve.

We had this with roasted asparagus (fresh asparagus, tossed with a bit of olive oil, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, roasted for 12 minutes at 400F), steamed corn on the cob, Grace Baking Rustic Baguette and Beringer Founder's Estate Shiraz.

This was after our insurance guy stopped by to get a couple of signatures on a new policy. He *always" brings a bottle of wine when he comes, and this time it was a bottle of White Crane Pinot Noir Reserve. We enjoyed it with a wedge of triple-cream brie and Trader Joe's TLC (Tasty Little Crackers). The wine was *wonderful*. Intense, jammy, rich, complex. It's pricey, $49/bottle at the winery, but to me, who didn't have to pay for it, it was worth every penny! :):)