You know the blogging bug has taken hold when there’s a constant buzz in your ear that reminds you just how long it’s been since the last post. This week that very bug has been winging around my brain, wondering why I haven’t come up with anything yet for goodness’ sake. Oh, I’ve been cooking, here and there, and baking, just a little, but some hyper-busyness followed by the great urge to nap has kept me from having very much to say. It’s also nigh impossible during the week to get a good picture of whatever it is I’ve made, since the sky is smoky when I leave for work in the morning and inky on the ride home. The recent acquisition of a high-wattage bulb, which was supposed to mark the end of my troubles with taking photos indoors, was not quite the magic lamp I’d anticipated. What it really comes down to is that I’ve got a lot to learn about strobes and lighting paraphernalia and all the myriad types of set-up, not to mention settings on the camera itself. The person who commented that new cameras are fun is right indeed, but I’m afraid there’s nothing at all wrong with the lovely camera I’ve been borrowing - it’s the photographer that needs an upgrade!

Meanwhile, the weekend seems to have gone by in a flash, no pun intended, and the only thing I have to show for it is a pear cranberry cake that I wasn’t too crazy about. I’m not sure if it was the cake itself or merely lack of enthusiasm on my part, as there’s nothing very specific wrong with it…apart from just being sort of greasy and boring. Update: it did get better the next day. As for the grease, well there is a cup of oil in it, and I really ought to know by now not to bother making cakes that call for that much oil. Anyway, I do still plan to take it in to work tomorrow…but don’t worry, I’m not trying to push a nasty cake on my wonderful co-workers. In fact, I’m pretty sure most people there will like it, at least the ones that aren’t as picky as me. :) At worst, I can always turn it loose on the grad students, who will eat anything if it’s free. In case you’re curious, the recipe was adapted from this one (found by trolling the internets for bundt cakes with lots of fruit), but again, it’d require a bit of manhandling to make it anything but average. On the plus side, this was a good opportunity to practice with camera settings a bit. You can’t even tell how wet and grey it was outside.

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When I was eighteen, I had my first Internet crush, on a pierced, punkish entomology student whose nom de net was CannedFood. I even took a 21-hour Greyhound ride from Pittsburgh in order to see CannedFood, ride around in his sputtery vintage Volvo P1800, drink tea from several pots in his mother’s vast collection, and visit shops in rural Georgia where I was horrified to see Klan and Nazi paraphernalia for sale. That visit was also when I found out that my awkward teenage crush on CannedFood was pretty much one-sided. Ouch! So, to this day I never eat food from a can because I find it to be a foul and deceptive embodiment of the real thing.

Ok, well maybe that last part was a a bit of a lie…but it sounded so nice and dramatic! I do think some canned food has its merits, like tuna, condensed milk, pumpkin, and especially beans. I always use canned beans because I have terribly poor planning when it comes to my daily dinner. If I need to cook for a party, or a special occasion, I will make lists and obsess and know exactly what will be made and when, but the rest of the time, I’m just not that well-organized. I know, I know…beans soaked overnight have superior texture and flavor, and anyone who uses those tinny-tasting canned ones is a both a cretin and a philistine. Now that we’ve gotten that over with, let me tell you about a recipe that can let you use not one but two different canned foods, pumpkin and beans.

This hot and filling Black Bean Pumpkin Stew is excellent for those forage-the-pantry days when the crisper is looking lonely but nobody wants to go shopping. The pumpkin offers up some nice beta carotine benefits, but don’t expect a very strong pumpkiny flavor. Rather, it’s more of a textural handyman, giving the soup a smoother mouthfeel along with a hint of sweetness. A note about the sausage: I sometimes like to make it with chouriço, but have also made it several times as a vegetarian soup with no sausage at all, and it’s delicious either way.

Black Bean and Pumpkin Stew

2 15-oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 to 2 1/2 cups pumpkin or butternut squashed, cooked, cooled, and mashed (or 1 15-oz can)
1/2 lb cooked chouriço or chorizo sausage, chopped (optional)
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups vegetable stock
1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3-4 tablespoons sherry or balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil over a medium flame. Add the onion (and chouriço, if using) and cook until onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two. Add the cumin, coriander, and cayenne, stir for a few seconds, then add the beans, pumpkin, and stock. Cover and cook on medium-low for 30 to 40 minutes. Add the sherry vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with crackers or chips.

Soups & Stews | 10 Comments »