4/7

Tonight's dinner was not as photogenic as the previous two, but still tasty. I made  pepper, zucchini and prosciutto pintxos, beans and meat stew, and Arroz con Verduras (rice with peppers.)

Pepper, zucchini and prosciutto pintxos
1 Onion, thinly sliced
1 Pepper, thinly sliced
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
prosciutto

Sautee onion in pan for 3-5 minutes. Add pepper for 5.  Add zucchini for another 5. Put mixture on a piece of French bread and top with prosciutto.
Note:  I was not crazy about the zucchini, but I also used sweeter bread than was ideal (still working through that sheepherder's bread)

Bean and meat stew
I used the directions from "Bean Soup with Chorizos" in Basque Cooking and Lore by Darcy Williamson with slightly different ingredients.  This soup is a hardy soup I can picture sheepherders sitting down to after a long day.  It tastes better than it looks.
Serves 4

3 1/2 quarts water
3/4 lb dried pinto beans
2 coarsely chopped onions
1 1/2 Tbsp. finely chopped garlic
about an ounce of cured chorizo
3-4 strips of bacon
2 sweet italian turkey sausages
2 saffron threads, crushed
salt and pepper to taste

In a saucepan, bring 1 quart of water to boiling. Drop in beans and boil for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and let beans soak with some salt for an hour.  Drain beans, reserving liquid, and return to Dutch oven.  Add enough Fresh water to soaking liquid to make 3 quarts.  Pour over beans.  Add onions, garlic, and chorizo.  Simmer 1 hour. Skim.  Add bacon and simmer 1 hour longer or until beans are barely tender.
Drop sausages into soup.  Stir in saffron and cook 30 minutes longer.  Season with salt and pepper. Remove chorizo and sausage.  Chop chorizo and slice sausages into one-half inch thick rounds.  Return to soup and heat 3 to 5 minutes.

Arroz Verduras
I found this recipe in Ann Roger's A Basque Story Cookbook.  Cooked in broth instead of water, it is a flavorful pilaf-like rice.

2 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon butter
1 cup raw rice
2 1/4 cups hot stock
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 onion
salt and pepper

Heat 1 Tblsp oil and butter until they begin to foam.  Add rice and stir, over medium heat, until the rice is golden.  Add the hot stock, bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat.  Simmer for 20 minutes or until the stock is absorbed and the rice is tender.
While the rice is cooking, seed the peppers and chop them.  Chop the onion. Simmer the vegetables in one tablespoon olive oil until they are tender.  Just before serving toss the vegetables with the rice and season with salt and a little pepper.