Pickles are one of my favorite ways to make a meal feel special.  An otherwise unispiring bowl of the ordinary seems cheerful when it shares the spotlight with contrasting bites of pickle.  It’s especially true when the pickles are just a little offbeat from the usual cucumber-based suspects.

These particular pickles are so good, that I sometimes serve them in large quantity as the main vegetable -as long as they aren’t too spicy.  The thing about buying jalapenos -especially from a grocery store- is that you never know what you are going to get.  This doesn’t make a big difference when one is chopped up and thrown in with onions in a batch of rice and beans, but when the peppers are a main ingredient, it does matter.*  My recommendation is that you commit to buying one, break a small piece off and hold the flesh to your tongue to see how fiery the batch is.  If it’s mild, buy plenty; if not make a small batch or wait until next time.

While jalapenos are traditional, I’m excited to try other vegetables as well (cauliflower would be good).  The seasoning itself does have a distinctively Mexican flavor if you’re sure to use Mexican oregano.  Let me know what you try!

*I’ve  made these pickles both so mild my toddler could eat them and so fiery, my husband’s (Mexican) side of the family could barely eat a few slices of carrot in a taco.

Mexican pickled vegetables -adapted from The Essential Cuisines of Mexico by Dianna Kennedy
10 carrots, sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds
10 jalapenos
1 head garlic, cloves separated but unpeeled
2 onions, sliced
1/2 cup oil
4 cups MILD vinegar (I used a mixture of homemade pineapple wine vinegar and homemade white wine vinegar), or try diluting apple cider vinegar (I’d start with 3  cups vinegar to 1 cup water)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 heaping tablespoons salt
10 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tsp Mexican oregano

Prepare the vegetables.  For the jalapenos, keep the stems intact. At the bottom end of the pepper cut a slit 1 1/2 inches up towards the stem, and another slit at a right angle, so that the pepper has four long strips at the bottom.
Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat, and cook the vegetables until the onions and peppers have wilted, about 10 minutes.  Pour out the excess oil, if any.  Add the rest of the ingredients (vinegar and seasonings) and bring to a boil.  Simmer for another 10 minutes until the vegetables are cooked through.  Remove the bay leaf and thyme stems.  If you plan to keep them for more than a couple of days, store in sterilized jars (refrigerated.)

I know everyone has spent all their time thinking about what to make for holiday meals, but I’m still eating dinner every day.  Having the resources to nourish ourselves is reason enough to celebrate with something tasty.  It’s New Year’s day but I’m celebrating something else: It’s a good day to be hungry.  Here’s what’s on the menu.

Black beans with bacon and grapefruit:  Simple and striking.  The grapefruit becomes subliminal in this dish.  Exotic, floral, with just enough bitterness and acidity to let you eat the whole pot without knowing why.  With bacon the dish becomes luxurious.

Arroz verde: the traditional soak and pan-fry method for Mexican rice, enhanced with spinach and cilantro.

Plantains: squishy ripe, sauteed in butter.

black beans with bacon and grapefruit, arroz verde, sweet plantains

The best way to make sure the plantains are ripe is not by color alone, but by squeezing them gently.  They should feel like a ripe peach.  If not, let them sit out on the counter for a few days, or alternately if you started to peel them and found it difficult to do so, slice thinly and fry in plenty of oil over medium high heat until reddish brown, remove to a paper towel and salt for a savory addition to the meal.

for the beans:
6 oz. bacon, diced
2 cups dried black beans
5 cloves garlic, peeled
salt, to taste
1/2 grapefruit, juiced

for the rice:
2 cups rice (brown or white)
1/2 medium onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic
6 sprigs of cilantro, stems included
2 oz fresh spinach (about 3 good handfuls)
1/3 cup oil (high heat)
3 to 3 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth, well salted

for the plantains:
2 ripe plantains (yellow and black, and soft to the touch), peeled and thickly sliced
1-2 tablespoons butter

black beans with bacon and grapefruit:
In a heavy 2 quart pot fry the bacon until crisp.  Remove to a plate, and pour out most of the bacon grease, but reserve 1-2 tablespoons in the pot.  Add the beans and garlic to the pot, along with 6 cups of water, and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, and allow to cook over low heat until almost tender.  This could take 1-3 hours depending on the freshness of the beans.  (In the meantime, start the rice.)  When almost tender add salt to taste.  Continue cooking until beans are soft and tasty .  Add the bacon back to the pan, as well as the juice from the grapefruit.

arroz verde:
If using brown rice, bring a pot of water to a boil, add the rice and cook over high heat for 11 minutes.  If using white rice, soak the rice in hot water for 5 minutes. Drain.

In a blender, add the chopped onion, garlic, cilantro and spinach, along with just enough water to puree.  Blend until completely smooth.

In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium high heat.  Shake the rice to remove as much water as possible.  Add the rice, and turn the heat up as high as you can tolerate.  Stirring constantly, fry the rice until it picks up a light color.  If there are any pools of oil left in the pan, tip to one side and pour out, or use a paper towel to blot.

Return to the heat and add the puree, continuing to stir until the rice is almost dry again.  Add 3 cups of broth, turn down the heat to low and simmer until rice is cooked, adding an extra 1/2 cup of broth if needed.

sweet plantains:
Melt the butter in a saute pan over medium to medium high heat.  Add the plantain slices and cook until soft and nicely browned.