beans – My Slice of Mexico

Mexico vs Poland – Time to Spill the Beans

November 21, 2022December 8, 2022by Irene10 Comments

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup 2022 has started in hosting country, Qatar, in spite of the many controversies regarding change of season due to climate conditions, ban of alcohol at stadiums, and very disturbingly, human rights violations. I do not follow soccer at all, but the World Cup is sort of imprinted into every Mexican’s brain, so we all are soccer fans at least every four years. Mexico is in Group C with Poland, Argentina and Saudi Arabia. I have tried to find dishes from each opponent, with similar ingredients as a traditional Mexican dish; I then prepared one batch of each, and they were tested by my family, next to each other. From the results of the culinary match, I am making predictions for the outcome of the corresponding soccer game. First match: Mexico vs Poland ... click on title for more

gardening, Ingredients

Bean Herbs: Epazote and Summer Savoury

June 29, 2021June 29, 2021by Irene12 Comments

Since the rain and intermittent heat have produced an abundance of herbs in my garden this season, I had lots of self-seeded epazote growing in the garden bed, and my sowing of summer savoury in a pot was looking very healthy as well. Both herbs have been known to be ideal to season beans, so I decided to harvest a bunch of each and cook two pots of beans, side by side, to compare their similarities or differences in flavour and aroma. Along the way, I learned about an heirloom Canadian summer savoury variety ... click on title for more

Backyard Stories, Ingredients

Homegrown Beans – Easy and Fun

August 28, 2019August 28, 2019by Irene8 Comments

Many people, including myself, have wondered why bother with homegrown shelling beans, since the small envelopes of seeds are more expensive than buying a bag of dry beans at the supermarket, probably the same price as a couple of cans, plus the time, work and space the crop takes in the garden. I have to say that not only are they "easy to grow and fun to harvest", but their flavour, texture and the thickness of their broth are definitely worth the effort … click on title for more

main course, Mexican Cuisine, Side Dish

Three Sisters Stew

February 8, 2019February 20, 2019by Irene29 Comments

In Mexico, stewing in tomato sauce is a popular technique to cook zucchini, and when green beans and corn kernels are added, the dish becomes a complete meal … click on title for more

Ingredients, Mexican Cuisine

Spilling the Beans about Beans

July 31, 2018July 21, 2019by Irene17 Comments

Frijoles de la olla is the traditional pot of beans that used to perennially simmer on the back burner of every Mexican stove. Two on-going arguments about cooking dry beans have been whether to pre-soak them, and when to add salt to the pot … click on image for more