Unique Wines - Torrette from Les Crête and Montlouis-sur-Loire from Stéphane Cossais

What fascinates me most about wine is the endless possibilities of sensory input from what are essentially similar ingredients.  The tragedy of the modern wine trade is two fold.  One, many wines are crafted to fit a certain style of wine : easy drinking, fruity, slightly sweet and very ripe.  Two, the crafting of wine to this taste is causing the disappearance of the most idiosyncratic wine styles, and an extinction of numerous grape species.

I make it a point of principle, often to the annoyance of those around, to not drink mass market, commercialized wine, no matter how "good" they may be.  I would rather drink a wine that may be to some drinkers "rustic" or "green" than a smooth fruity cocktail that tastes like it was made in a lab. Which, in all likelihood, probably was.

Now, I am not saying that good wine can not be made on a commercial scale.  It is just that a vast majority of the time, the wines that are made in the realm of 25,000 cases are not meant to showcase a geographical uniqueness or the distinctiveness of a season.  They are made so that every single time you open a bottle, you know that you are getting the exact same thing.

This is not natural.  This is not how I want my agricultural product to be.

In this current era of Mega-Purple, Micro-Oxygenation, oak extract, oak chips, oak staves, oak gelato for all I know, it can be difficult to separate wines that speak of something different and wines that speak of being tailored to the tastes of 40-something Middle Americans (no offense meant if you are a 40 something Middle American...I just have to pick on somebody).

The thing that draws me to wine is those moments when I can say "Ahh, this is a unique wine".  Fortunately, the upside to the rapid globalization of the world of wine is that I am able to have these moments on a regular basis.

There are two wines that I have had lately, that for me are excellent examples of the type of wine making that I wish to spend my hard-earned money to support.

The first wine is the 2005 Stéphane Cossais Montlouis-sur-Loire Le Volagré.  This wine is an example of a man taking a traditional and widespread grape varietal (Chenin Blanc)  and making it into something special.  This wine has that something that when drinking makes you stop, take another sip, and wonder.   The nose on this wine hints at the wonders below, the aromas of honeysuckle, beeswax, freshly cut apples, and wet rocks.  It has a crystalline presence in the mouth, a simultaneous lightness and power that impact your taste buds like a razor sharp knife.  The finish is mouthwatering, bright and lasts for almost a minute.  This is a classic wine in every sense.  You could drink it now for the brightness and freshness, but you could conceivably age it for 15 years.

The tragic part of this uniqueness is this: Stéphane Cossais died last year at the age of 42.  The potential he had as a wine maker, as well as the struggles that he faced for making a wine that did not fit in the norms of the small Loire village that his wine was produced from.  This makes each bottle an experience that you cannot replicate.  This wine was only 18 dollars to boot.  What a shame that we will not have more to experience.


The second wine, 2006 Les Crête Torrette Vignes Les Toules from the Valée d'Aoste in Italy is an example of a rare grape variety that is treated right.  The wine is composed of a blend of Petit Rouge, Fumin, Mayolet, Pinot Noir and Syrah.  Petit Rouge is a rare mountain grape that composes 70-80% of this wine, and creates a pure, fresh and floral presence.  This wine evolved over a few hours into a wine of great complexity.  It had the nose of a field of flowers, some soy sauce elements, and a red berry nature.  In the mouth, it was full, fresh and bright, with the floral and cranberry nature blending into the savoriness from the perfectly ripened fruit.  A real treat, especially at the 17 dollar price tag.

Both of these wines are not going to break the bank, but neither are they going to be found at the local supermarket.  I cannot stress enough that buying great wine does not have to be expensive.  For every 20 dollar Oaky California Chardonnay that you can find at your local Lucky's or Nob Hill, you can find a less expensive UNIQUE wine at your local independent wine store.

When you are able to find these types of wine, I ask you to look beyond what others might see as sweetness, greenness, acidity, tannins and see the sense of place and purpose underneath.

Experiments in home brewing - Part 2 - Bottling Day!!

Finally, after a wait of 10 days in my primary fermentation, 14 days in my secondary fermenter, I have gotten my first beer into bottles.

This is much more of an in depth operation than it sounds like.....

First you must sterilize EVERYTHING from the siphon to the bottles to the caps to the dishwasher rack that I used to put the bottles on.   It would really be an unfortunate event to contaminate my beer after all of the other work I have put into it!!  Then you need to add some additional sugar for the yeast to munch on in the bottle, then you need to siphon out the beer from the glass carboy to a bottling bucket.  Then fill each bottle 1 by 1, topping them all off correctly, as the bottling wand seems to leave too much space.  Then you need to cap each bottle by hand.

Many people that home brew keg their beers, which as a loft dweller is kind of out of the question for me, but after taking about 3 hours to sanitize, bottle and clean up from just a small batch, I certainly see the appeal.

All I need to do now is wait about 2 weeks for the beer to carbonate up.  Can't wait!

Upcoming beer adventure : Partial Mash Belgian Wit with bitter orange peel and coriander.

Beer Score at the New Berkeley Bowl

Wow.  There. Are. So. Many. Cool. Things. Here.

Seriously, the new Berkeley bowl is a great new supermarket.  They have, in my opinion, a better beer selection that Whole Foods, and are a lot less corporate.

They also have Doppio Zero Flour, which is something I have never seen in the US.

I picked up some AWESOME beer today, some of which are very new to me.

Dogfish Brewery 90 Minute IPA 9% ABV - From a brewery in Delaware, this beer is amazing.  I had it for the first time last week and I was blown away.  It has a deep, malty flavor perfectly balanced by the hops.  It carries that 9% alcohol really well, maybe TOO well, but it is definitely an intense experience.  One bottle of this could do many people in.  However, it is an amazing example of a craft beer that just drinks really well.  The 90 minutes refers to the length of time that the hops are boiled with the wort, and they have a 60 and a 120 as well.  Really an amazing beer.

Chatoe Rogue 1st Growth Dirtoir Black Lager 6.3% ABV - This is from Rogue Brewery in Oregon, and contains only hops and barley that they grew on their own property.  It is a smoky, nutty and super smooth lager that I would definitely buy again, but I believe that this may be a limited release.

Mikkeler Jackie Brown 6.0% ABV - A Belgian Brown Ale from a micro-brewery in Belgium.  Haven't tasted it, but according to Beer Advocate reviews it is a typical Belgian brown, but nuttier and drier than most.

Allagash Black 7.5% ABV - From one of my favorite American breweries, this Maine based craft brewer always makes good beer.  This one I have only had once, but from memory it had a nice coffee, toasty nature that make it a nice winter warmer.

HaandBryggerit Norwegian Wood Smoked Ale 7.5% ABV - Never had a beer from Norway, so I picked this one up. Apparently the is the native style of beer in Norway, one that every farm used to be required to make.  Yes, required by law.  I want to move to Norway!!  Since it is a smoked ale, with the malt having been smoked prior to mashing, I am expecting a bacon taste, but we shall see.  It also has juniper added to the boil.

Pinkus Brewery Jubilate Munich Style Dunkel 5.5% ABV - I have had this beer a few times, and it is a great representation of this style, nutty, dark and goes down really easy.  Rarely disappointed by this brewery.

Fluffy and Light Banana Buckwheat Pancakes

Of all the tastes in the world, earthy flavors are some of my favorites.  Buckwheat, one of my favorite types of flours in my house, has a really earthy, nutty, deep, brown type of flavor that works really really well in things like dark breads, noodles such as soba and my favorite use - pancakes!!

Unfortunately, most of the recipes for buckwheat pancakes end up with heavy, greasy, thick flapjack-type pancakes that sit in your belly like a lead weight.

I have in the past made regular flour pancakes using large amounts of highly whipped egg whites folded into the batter in an attempt to lighten it.  The recipe below uses the same technique, just a lot more egg whites.  Basically, it uses the technique of souffle making (i.e. mixing part of the egg whites in to lighten, then folding in the rest) to create the same type of rise.

What you get for a final result is a souffle-like light pancake with all of the great earthy flavors of the buckwheat, the subtle sweetness of the banana and the slight taste of the spices.  All you need now is some real B grade maple syrup, a big cup of coffee (I like Barefoot or Ritual) from a french press and a fork.

Recipe: Banana Buckwheat Pancakes

1 cup of whole grain buckwheat flour
1 1/4 cup of milk
1 ripe banana
4 egg whites whipped to hard peak stage (using a small pinch of cream of tartar power helps)
4 egg yolks
pinch of cardamom, nutmeg, cinnimon, and allspice
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 Tbs of melted butter

Mix dry ingredients.  Mix wet ingredients with the exception of the egg whites, mashing banana well into mixture.  Whip egg whites.  Mix dry and wet ingredients, and stir until well combined.  Heat a pan over medium heat with butter as needed.  Mix in about 1/3 of the egg whites, and combine well.  Fold in the remaining egg whites, turning bowl and folding over to combine.   Cook over medium heat, turning when ready.  Serve immediately.  These WILL deflate over time like a souffle.

Persian Bean and Noodle Soup - Ash-e Reshteh

For pure pleasure in the realm of comfort foods, few cuisines rival Persian for supremacy.  They have the depth, flavor and the types of ingredients that instantly qualify them as "soul foods".  In my definition, "soul foods" genuinely have the ability to bring people back to times and places that they identify with a slight odor, a texture, a flavor.  In my case the slightest odor of homemade teriyaki brings me immediately back to nights when my Mother would cook chicken with peaches.  This is a dish that immediately brings me back....and not in a good way!  I have discovered that as an adult, I can avoid eating dishes such as this.

According to my Persian friends and many cooking references, food is as central to ethnic Persians as it is to any culture in the world, with specific dishes for each different ethnic group, sect, season and occasion.  Like many of the cuisines that were formed out of poverty, but shaped by a strong imperial court, there are many levels of complexity that can be found, from simple vegetarian stews to entire chickens stuffed inside of a lamb meat encasement.

The story behind this deceptively simple bean and noodle stew has a strong religious and deep ancient cultural connection.  Apparently, prior even to the rise of Islam, this soup was eaten on the first day of every month, a tradition that continues to this day.  It is also a soup cooked prior to the departure of a family member for the hajj, as the noodles signify the difficult path ahead.

This is certainly a meal filling enough to work prior to setting out on a journey, and will make enough for 5-6 people if served with light accompaniments.

Recipe : Persian Bean and Noodle Soup - Ash-e Reshteh

1 can each of Kidney Beans, White beans and Garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup each Mung Beans and  Large Lentils, picked over and rinsed
1 onion, chopped
1 large leak, washed and chopped
1 bunch Cilantro, washed and chopped
2 large handfuls of baby spinach, washed and coarsely chopped
1 lemon
large pinch of dried or fresh Dill and Oregano
1 cup of dried Persian Noodles if using the "reshteh-ye ash", or use recipe below for fresh pasta
Large pinch of Tumeric
salt and pepper
Kashk if available or sour cream

Saute onion over medium heat with oil until it is lightly browned.  Add tumeric, salt and pepper.  Saute for a few minutes, then add 7 cups of water, juice from the lemon, all of the beans, the lentils and the dried spices.  Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, cover and cook for 1 hour.  Add cilantro and spinach, cover and cook for 15 minutes.  Add pasta and kashk or sour cream.  Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning, and thin with additional water if desired. Serve topped with additional kashk or sour cream.

Recipe: Fresh Persian Pasta - Reshteh

1 cup of AP flour
pinch of salt
enough water to make a smooth dough

Mix flour, water and salt until dough is formed.  Rest for at least 20 minutes.  Roll as thinly as possible, flour generously, roll and cut into noodles.  Toss with flour and allow to slightly dry.

Swiss Chard Dolmas with Roasted Romanesco Cauliflower and Swedish Microbrews

There is a predisposition common to many Eastern European countries, as well as many that ring the Mediterranean, and that is the strong desire to stuff things, roll things or wrap things up.

This can be found in the Greek tradition of stuffing anything that they can catch (eggplants, tomatoes, fish, shellfish, zucchini), the Russian desire to wrap any and all meat products in cabbage, and the Caucasian/Persian desire to use any green leaved eatable item as a way to contain rice or meats.

I took a green that is readily available year-round, Swiss Chard and decided to make some type of rolled dish gratin with it.  I wanted to make it filling enough for a meal by itself, but not heavy or greasy.  I'm calling them "dolmas" because I think that this recipe is more in the Greek and Armenian tradition than anything else.

Once I made the decision to use a brown rice pilaf as a base stuffing, I wanted to give a sweet-savory aspect to the dish.  I used roasted romanesco cauliflower and pine nuts as the savory base, and pomegranate concentrate and dried currants to lend a sweet aspect.  Romanesco Cauliflower is one of my absolute favorite vegetables, and it is absolutely beautiful to look at.  My photos do it no justice, as it has a unique fractal nature that makes it look like a sculpture.

I used a béchamel sauce as a binding agent, but based on a recipe I have read in the past, I used yogurt rather than milk to complete my Mediterranean style meal, and the sourness that it brings melded nicely with the other flavors.




The Oppigards Winter Ale from Sweden made for a nice accompaniment to the creaminess of the dish.  It had just enough spice and alcohol to be balanced.  I would recommend this as a unique style for a winter ale.

Recipe: Swiss Chard Dolmas

1 large bunch of Swiss Chard, washed
2 cups of cooked Brown Rice Pilaf (recipe below)
1/4 cup dried currants
1/4 cup of pine nuts, lightly toasted
1 head of romanesco cauliflower, salted and roasted and finely chopped
1 cup of yogurt béchamel (recipe below)
1 teaspoon of pomegranate concentrate
Gruyère Cheese
salt, pepper

Blanch the leaves of chard whole for 2 minutes, remove to plate or paper towels to cool and dry.  Remove stems to base of leaf and chop stems finely and place in bowl.  Add rice pilaf, 1/2 yogurt béchamel, amount of cheese desired, pomegranate concentrate, currants, romanesco, pine nuts and spice to desired amount.  Starting from the base of the leaf, place about 1 large spoonfull of rice mixture to chard, rolling while gathering in sides of leaf to make a tight cigar.  Place in oven and broiler proof dish seam side down.  Continue with all leaves.  Add 1/4 cup of white wine to bottom of pan, adding the remaining béchamel and desired amount of cheese to top of dish.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, broil on high until top is browned.  Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Recipe: Brown Rice Pilaf

1 cup of brown rice
1/4 cup of vermicelli
1 3/4 cup of water or broth
butter

Saute vermicelli until browned, add rice and water. Once at boil, turn down to simmer and cover.  Cook for 45 minutes or until rice is finished.

Recipe: Yogurt Béchamel

1 Tbs Butter
1 Tbs AP Flour
1 1/2 cup of Plain Yogurt
Pepper, Nutmeg

Melt butter, add flour and cook until flour is well combined, and then 30 seconds longer.  Remove from heat, add yogurt, freshly ground pepper and a small amount of freshly grated nutmeg.  Place back over medium heat, and carefully bring to high temperature, never stopping stirring.  Cook for 2 minutes.

Gnocchi con pesto trapanese - tomato-almond pesto paired with a St. Joseph Blanc

I love making gnocchi.  Fresh pasta so often come out differently than I planned or worse that I hoped it would be, and there just isn't that hands on feel that you get when making gnocchi.  Many people have a stilted view that gnocchi is difficult to make or time consuming to prepare, but in fact, while it is not exactly a speedy dinner, it can take about 1 hour and very little actual work.

The sauce I prepared with this is a Sicilian version of a Northern Italian sauce, pesto.  When most non-Italians use the term "pesto", they mean pesto alla ligure or pesto from Liguria, a coastal region in Northern Italy.  I have a previous post with more background on this style, and while I think it would work well with this dish, I wanted something a bit lighter, a bit fresher, and a bit easier to pair with wines I had easily available at home.

The gnocchi came out light and airy, not dense, and the sauce was bright, fresh and full of flavor with out all the cheese and oil.

The wine I chose a 2004 Francois Villard St Joseph Blanc Mairlant 13% ABV - This wine is from the Northern Rhone Appellation of St. Joseph, just across the river from Valence, the largest city in the area.  The majority of wines produced in this area are Syrah, but most producers also have some white production.  The only two grapes allowed are Marsanne and Rousanne.  Both of these grapes can be highly acidic if picked too early, or flabby and alcoholic if picked late, so they must be managed carefully.  This bottle was nutty and waxy, with a nice acidity and mineral streak.  These flavors married well with the nuttiness of the sauce and brightened it up with the acids.


Recipe: Potato Gnocchi

2 Large Idaho Potatoes of similar size, about 1 1/2 lbs
1 1/2 cups of All Purpose Flour
2 eggs
1 teaspoon kosher salt (less if using table salt)

Boil potatoes whole until easily pierced by fork.  Remove and as soon as you can, peel them.  Press through potato ricer onto sheet pan or large work surface and sprinkle salt over.  Allow to cool and dry as long as possible.  Add lightly beaten eggs.  Add flour a small amount at a time, until incorporated and it the dough is smooth and not too sticky.  Roll into long ropes about 3/4-1 inch thick.  Cut into 1/2 inch size pieces and if you wish, roll over the downward turned side of a fork with your thumb to create the traditional shape.

Recipe: Pesto trapanese

1 1/2 cups of ripe cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup of blanched, slivered almonds, lightly toasted
1 bunch of basil
1 small spoonfull of drained capers
small pinch of red pepper flakes
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
3.5 oz or 100 g of Parmigiano-Reggiano 
2 cloves of garlic
salt, pepper

Using a food processor, process tomatoes, basil, garlic, capers, red pepper and almonds to a smooth paste.  Add cheese.  Slowly, incoporate the oil into the paste, using as much or as little as you like.  Taste for salt and pepper and add as needed.

Mexican Shirred Eggs

Shirred eggs or Oeufs en Cocotte are just fancy ways to say baked eggs.  This is a great way to make a fancy looking breakfast, lunch or even a light dinner in a relatively short amount of time.  I combined some of the ingredients of the Mexican traditional breakfast of Huevos Rancheros with the technique of using the oven to cook the eggs.

In the French, Southern and British tradition, this dish includes meats, creamy sauces and cheese.  Huevos Rancheros is traditionally a smooth chili tomato sauce with corn tortillas.  I took some from each dish.  I used salsa fresca, Spanish dried chorizo and a broiler.  All in all, about 15 minutes of work for a great, filling dish with a salad.

Recipe: Mexican Shirred Eggs

1 cup of Salsa Fresca
3 corn tortillas, preferably a bit stale
2 eggs
Spanish Dried Chorizo
Queso Cotilla or any cheese that you desire
salt, pepper

Cook salsa over medium heat in oven safe saute pan.  Once salsa is hot, add tortillas and cook until tortillas absorb a good deal of the salsa liquid, adding water if needed.  Slice chorizo thinly and layer on pan.  Add eggs, sprinkling cheese on top.  Cook under high broiler until eggs are cooked to desired amount.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with a salad and beans.

Experiments in Home Brewing - Part 1 - Kölsch

Fermentation is one of those magical, mystical natural processes.  Wine, beer, bread, basically all of the staples of my life owe their existence to yeast and their alcoholic fermentation or bacteria and their lactic fermentation and yet I know I take for granted how important this process is.

Beer and bread are said to have evolved together, since the ingredients are the same but the ratios are different.  There is some evidence that bread was actually originally made in order to provide starches for the fermentation of beer in ancient Egypt.

I have been making bread for years, I have made wine in the past, but other than some underage umm..perfectly legal "Mr. Beer" brewing in college I haven't attempted to make any beer.  I figured, with the temperatures in the upper 60's in the house, it is the best time to try it out before it becomes too warm for proper fermentation activity.

Since I live in a loft, and space is a premium, I resisted getting into an entire set-up for 2 stage brewing.  Mistake.  I already went back to the beer supply store, the very cool Oak Barrel in Berkeley to get an entire set up.  Now I have to figure out where to put all of this stuff!

There are many many ways to brew at home, from the simplest (liquid extract) to the complicated (all-grain).  I started at the lower end of the scale and used dry powdered malt extract in a kit that was prepared by the store in advance.

The beer I chose is a Kölsch, which is a traditional German Ale from the Cologne region.  This is a light, fresh and lightly hopped Ale that has some of the characteristics of a Lager without the need to "lager" or store the beer for an extended period of time at near freezing temperatures.

The basic process of "extract brewing" consists of the most important step first in beer making, SANITATION.  Unlike wine making, you have to remain extremely conscious when you are brewing.  The smallest slip in sanitation can ruin a batch of beer.  You have to use actual sanitizer for this task.

So, once you clean well, you boil 3 gallon of water, add the extract, bring back to a boil, stirring to prevent boil over or scorching of the malt sugars.  Then you wait for what is called "hot break" or the point in which the proteins in the boil are beginning to fall out of solution and stop foaming.

Then you add your hops, these were pellet Perle hops, boil for 30 minutes, add irish moss tablet, boil for 25 minutes, add pellet Saaz hops boil for 5 minutes and stop.

Then I filled up my sink with 4 large bags of ice, placed the two pots into the sink and waited until the had reached 75 degrees.  I then poured these "worts" into the glass carboy fermenter.  This is where I made a mistake that MAY come back to haunt me.... I added 2 gallons of water that I forgot to boil.  I have been told that this won't make a difference.  I guess we shall see in a few weeks!

I then pitched in the yeast, a liquid White Labs "Kölsch" ale yeast and shook the hell out of the carboy to bring air to the yeast, stuck on a the airlock and waited.  And waited.  And waited.

By the time I was going to bed, I was SURE that something was wrong.  However I got up in the morning to see a lovely active fermentation.


Now 3 days after, the color has already changed to a bright gold and the "krausen" or foam on top is looking great.  Now just a few more days to wait until I measure the Specific Gravity and get ready to put this bad boy into the secondary fermentation vessel!

Regional Mexican - Pollo en Mole Verde de pepita, Nopales and Frijoles Negros - Chicken in Pumpkin Seed Sauce, Cactus and Black Beans

Living in California, especially in a city such as Oakland that has such a diverse population, and therefore such diverse culinary options, one can begin take it for granted.  After living here, you might start to expect that a Mexican Restaurant is actually Mexican, and even worse, that they would have specialties of a region.  This is getting to the point of no return.  You might then expect that a menu would be more than tacos, burritos (not really Mexican), quesadillas and the stereotypical Taco Bell-like food that many Americans take for "Mexican".  If you get to this point, as I have, there is only one way to go, and that is straight to a good regional restaurant.

REAL Mexican food is refined, tasty, classic, seasonal and very regional.  Much like any estabished country with large geographical distances between population bases, Mexico has evolved differently in different regions, and their cuisine has evolved along with them.

The dishes below are regional (mole verde) and nationwide (beans and nopales).  As with any recipe handed down from generation to generation with each cook adding their own twist, I have added some twists of my own.  I tweaked a few recipes that I have made in the past, and the results were quite nice.

Recipe: Pollo en Mole Verde de Pepita

This is a classic dish from the old Aztec tradition of using pumpkin seeds as a thickening agent for stews.  It is from the region of Mexico City and the surroundings, and is a great meal the first day, and even better the second.

1 chicken, cut up and skinned, or 6 legs, cut up and skinned
1 cup of hulled raw pumpkin seeds, unsalted
1 cup of chicken broth
1 1/2 lbs of tomatillos, husked, washed and cooked until color change
1 small white onion, chopped finely.
2 cloves of garlic
2 jalapeno peppers
a few sprigs of epazote
a handfull of cilantro (5-6 sprigs)
a few arugula leaves, radish leaves, romaine lettuce leaves ,  or spinach (optional)
pinch of cumin seeds
pinch of black peppercorns
salt, pepper

Over medium high heat, heat a large saute pan and add cooking oil.  Place chicken into dish, cooking each side, just enough to brown each piece.  Set aside.  Saute onions until they begin to brown and place into blender along with tomatillos, garlic, and chiles.  Blend until smooth.  Using either an oven or a saute pan, dry toast the pumpkin seeds, but do not brown them, adding the cumin seeds and the peppercorns when they are nearly finished.  Grind pumpkin seed mixture either in a mortar/pestle or in a spice grinder until finely ground.  Replace large saute pan over medium heat.  With a small amount of oil, slowly saute pumpkin seed mixture with a small amount of the broth to make a paste.  Saute for 1-2 minutes stirring constantly.  Add blended ingrediants to pan and bring to simmer, adding remaining broth, tasting for salt.  Add chicken and cover pot, leaving at a simmer for 35-40 minutes.  If chicken is not very tender, continue to cook to desired tenderness.  Serve with good corn tortillas.

Recipe : Nopales con Queso

Nopales are a cactus that grows wild throughout Mexico.  They are a common breakfast dish, and are often prepared boiled and served at room temperature.  They have the ability to control blood sugar and are particularly good for diabetics.

2 Lbs of prepared Nopales (you can often find them in a bag, ready to cook)
Queso Cotilla
salt, pepper
lime juice
chipotle powder
cilantro

Boil nopales for 30 minutes in slightly saled water. Rinse and add to a bowl with desired ingrediants.
Leave at room temperature or refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Add queso as desired.

Recipe: Frijoles Negros

There are about 10 million recipes for black beans.  I think that the epazote adds a special flavor that cannot be replicated, but is not necessary for the dish.

1 1/2 cups of cleaned, rinsed and picked through black beans
3 cups of water
1/2 white onion
1 clove of garlic
pinch of cumin
a few springs of epazote
a few sprigs of cilantro
salt, pepper

Boil beans with onions, garlic and cumin, leave at simmer until cooked, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours.  Add epazote and cilantro 10 minutes prior to taking off of stove.  Sprinkle with cheese if desired.