For whatever reason, this dish stood out to me when my June issue of Cooking Light arrived a few months ago. Though I've never cooked with chorizo at home, I've enjoyed it in restaurants--most memorably on pizza at Pi in St. Louis and fajitas at a hole-in-the-wall Mexican place near us. There are certain foods I stick to letting restaurants make, but chorizo is no longer on that list!

This baked bean dip came together easily, though as I was prepping it, I got very nervous that it would be overly spicy. I had purchased the hot chorizo from the grocery store and with a full jalapeno and other spices in there, I wasn't sure the friends I was sharing it with would appreciate the end result. When it was all said and done, though, the dish was well-flavored, with a slight kick. If you want to keep things on the mild side, just don't buy hot chorizo.

Served with tortilla chips, this makes an easy and relatively healthy appetizer, especially when it comes to Mexican food. You could also bake the dish and use it as a filling for tacos, quesadillas, or burritos. Thank you Cooking Light for another great recipe!


One Year Ago: Okra, Zucchini, and Tomato Saute
Two Years Ago: Pear and Blue Cheese Spinach Salad and "End of Summer" Medley Pasta


Baked Black Beans with Chorizo
from Cooking Light, June 2011


Ingredients:
-1 tbsp olive oil
-1/2 cup diced Spanish chorizo
-cooking spray
-1 1/2 cups chopped onion
-1 jalapeno pepper, sliced
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp ground cumin
-1/4 tsp ground red pepper
-5 garlic cloves, minced
-3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
-2 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
-1 cup chopped seeded tomato
-1/2 cup (2 oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
-1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and chorizo to the pan, sauteing for 2 minutes. Remove chorizo and set aside.
3. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and jalapeno, sauteing for 4 minutes and stirring occasionally. Add salt, cumin, red pepper, and garlic. Saute for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in broth and black beans. Bring mixture to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Mash beans to desired consistency.
4. Spoon mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with chorizo, tomato, and cheese. Bake at 425F for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Top with green onions and serve with tortilla chips.

This content was originally posted on Honest Cooking in my featured column "Cooking the Magazines".
This post is linked to Eat at Home.

The most meaningful gifts are the ones that prove just how well people know you. A lot of my birthday gifts from friends and family this year demonstrated this, including my friend Stephanie's! She arrived at my birthday party with a bag full of local food: fresh figs, treats from Kakao (I have a new obsession!), cheese, and more. Also included in the bag was a package of fresh black pepper pappardelle.

I have yet to make my own fresh pasta (despite having a pasta maker for over one year. Oops!), but the few times I've ordered homemade pasta in restaurants I've noticed a huge difference in the flavor and quality, so I was excited to use some in my own kitchen!

A search online led me to a Food Network recipe that I used as my base for this dish, putting my own touch on it as I read Megan recently did as well. Though I'm sure the recipe is good as stated, I wanted to bulk it up with additional vegetables and added zucchini, okra, and spinach to the corn and tomatoes that were called for. This dish screams "summer produce" and I realize we're now nearly halfway through September, but hopefully you can adapt according to what you have available.

I made this after a nearly two week cooking hiatus (thanks to traveling and lots of birthday celebrations!), making it taste all the better! The black pepper pasta gave this dish an extra punch, but even if you find regular 'ol pappardelle you won't be disappointed. Even after eating huge bowls of this we weren't feeling weighed down--the bonus of bulking up your pasta with vegetables instead of cheese! Don't omit the fresh basil-it added just the bite we were looking for!

Thanks Steph for my wonderful gift; we toasted to you over dinner that night! :)

One Year Ago: Blushing POM Holiday Cheesecake
Two Years Ago: Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookies


Pappardelle with Vegetables, Basil, and Asiago
adapted from Food Network
*serves 4

Ingredients:
-1 tbsp olive oil
-3/4 cup corn
-1 zucchini, sliced in half moons
-1/2 cup okra, sliced
-3 small tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
-4 cups fresh spinach
-freshly ground pepper
-1/2 cup white wine
-1/2 cup broth (I used beef because it was all I had on hand)
-12 oz pappardelle pasta
-1/3 cup freshly grated asiago, plus more for topping
-torn basil, for topping

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the pasta and cook according to directions.
2. While water is boiling and pasta is cooking, heat olive oil over medium heat in a separate skillet. Add corn and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes.
3. Add zucchini and okra and continue to cook until zucchini is tender. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Add white wine and bring to a simmer. Stir in tomatoes, spinach, and broth and cook until spinach is wilted.
5. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water. Toss pasta with vegetable mixture. Stir in asiago and basil. Add a little bit of reserved pasta water if too dry (I didn't need to). Top with additional cheese if desired.

This post is linked to Eat at Home.