I made this for snacking this afternoon. Pretty good!

Hot Bean Dip

2 cans (15 oz. each) black beans, well-drained
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 cup Mexican sour cream
1/2 cup salsa
8 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, grated

Mash black beans. Add hot pepper sauce, sour cream, salsa and half of the
cheese. Spoon into shallow 1-quart casserole dish.

Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

Bake at 350°F about 15 minutes, or until bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips.

--
Wayne Boatwright

"One man's meat is another man's poison"
- Oswald Dykes, English writer, 1709.

On Sun 01 Mar 2009 02:33:48p, Michael "Dog3" told us...

> Wayne Boatwright >
> 5.247: in
> rec.food.cooking
>
>> I made this for snacking this afternoon. Pretty good!
>>
>> Hot Bean Dip
>>
>> 2 cans (15 oz. each) black beans, well-drained
>> 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
>> 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
>> 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
>> 1/2 cup Mexican sour cream
>> 1/2 cup salsa
>> 8 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, grated
>>
>>
>> Mash black beans. Add hot pepper sauce, sour cream, salsa and half of
>> the cheese. Spoon into shallow 1-quart casserole dish.
>>
>> Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
>>
>> Bake at 350°F about 15 minutes, or until bubbly. Serve with tortilla
>> chips.
>
> Sounds delish. Mexican sour cream is really easy to make. Did you make
> some or just use the regular sour cream?
>
> Michael
>
>

No, I didn't make it, Michael. Out here you can buy it in just about any
supermarket. The dip is really good!

--
Wayne Boatwright

"One man's meat is another man's poison"
- Oswald Dykes, English writer, 1709.

On Sun, 01 Mar 2009 21:16:27 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
> shouted from the highest rooftop:

>Hot Bean Dip
>
>2 cans (15 oz. each) black beans, well-drained

I love black beans and would really like to make this.

Unfortunately, we can't get canned black beans in New Zealand (or at
least not where we live). So how would one make this from scratch
using dried black beans (which I can get and do use)? Just soak and
cook the beans as usual?

Damn. We also can't get Monterey Jack cheese, but use "Colby" or a
mild Cheddar as a substitute.

Nor can we get Mexican Sour Cream (but very good NZ sour cream). What
makes the sour cream "Mexican?'


--

una cerveza mas por favor ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

On Sun 01 Mar 2009 04:19:46p, bob told us...

> On Sun, 01 Mar 2009 21:16:27 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
> > shouted from the highest rooftop:
>
>>Hot Bean Dip
>>
>>2 cans (15 oz. each) black beans, well-drained
>
> I love black beans and would really like to make this.
>
> Unfortunately, we can't get canned black beans in New Zealand (or at
> least not where we live). So how would one make this from scratch
> using dried black beans (which I can get and do use)? Just soak and
> cook the beans as usual?

Not a problem. You can certainly use your own home-cooked black beans. I
used the canned for convenience. As with the canned, make sure the cooked
beans are very well drained before mashing.

> Damn. We also can't get Monterey Jack cheese, but use "Colby" or a
> mild Cheddar as a substitute.

I would use a very mild Colby. Cheddar is definitely the wrong taste.

> Nor can we get Mexican Sour Cream (but very good NZ sour cream). What
> makes the sour cream "Mexican?'

It is different, in that it has a different tartness in flavor, but you can
make your own. This is a good recipe...

Homemade Mexican Crema

500 ml heavy cream
¼ cup cultured butter milk (if you can't get that, use the same amount of
cultured sour cream)

Mix these two ingredients together well, in a very clean bowl, with a very
clean spoon, and cover and allow to sit on the counter at room temperature.
Sour cream is formed by the natural acidification casued by the endogenous
bacteria in the cultured buttermilk or sour cream.

Let the cream sit on the counter for between 12 and 24 hours. It is done
when it has thickened, and has a slightly sour tang. Store in the fridge
until ready to use. This product does not contain any preservatives, and
thus should be consumed within a couple of days of making. It tastes so
good that this is rarely a problem!

You must use a sour cream or buttermilk with a living bacterial culture.
Most of the commercially available sour creams will not have a living
starter, but many butter milks will. The product information should tell
you whether or not a living culture is contained within. You can
interchange either the butter milk or the sour cream for the same eventual
effect.

--
Wayne Boatwright

"One man's meat is another man's poison"
- Oswald Dykes, English writer, 1709.

On Sun, 01 Mar 2009 23:47:41 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
> shouted from the highest rooftop:

>On Sun 01 Mar 2009 04:19:46p, bob told us...
>
>> On Sun, 01 Mar 2009 21:16:27 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
>> > shouted from the highest rooftop:
>>
>>>Hot Bean Dip
>>>
>>>2 cans (15 oz. each) black beans, well-drained
>>
>> I love black beans and would really like to make this.
>>
>> Unfortunately, we can't get canned black beans in New Zealand (or at
>> least not where we live). So how would one make this from scratch
>> using dried black beans (which I can get and do use)? Just soak and
>> cook the beans as usual?
>
>Not a problem. You can certainly use your own home-cooked black beans. I
>used the canned for convenience. As with the canned, make sure the cooked
>beans are very well drained before mashing.
>
>> Damn. We also can't get Monterey Jack cheese, but use "Colby" or a
>> mild Cheddar as a substitute.
>
>I would use a very mild Colby. Cheddar is definitely the wrong taste.
>
>> Nor can we get Mexican Sour Cream (but very good NZ sour cream). What
>> makes the sour cream "Mexican?'
>
>It is different, in that it has a different tartness in flavor, but you can
>make your own. This is a good recipe...
>
>Homemade Mexican Crema
>
>500 ml heavy cream
>¼ cup cultured butter milk (if you can't get that, use the same amount of
>cultured sour cream)
>
>Mix these two ingredients together well, in a very clean bowl, with a very
>clean spoon, and cover and allow to sit on the counter at room temperature.
>Sour cream is formed by the natural acidification casued by the endogenous
>bacteria in the cultured buttermilk or sour cream.
>
>Let the cream sit on the counter for between 12 and 24 hours. It is done
>when it has thickened, and has a slightly sour tang. Store in the fridge
>until ready to use. This product does not contain any preservatives, and
>thus should be consumed within a couple of days of making. It tastes so
>good that this is rarely a problem!
>
>You must use a sour cream or buttermilk with a living bacterial culture.
>Most of the commercially available sour creams will not have a living
>starter, but many butter milks will. The product information should tell
>you whether or not a living culture is contained within. You can
>interchange either the butter milk or the sour cream for the same eventual
>effect.

Many thanks for all that. I used to love the sour cream I could get
when I lived in Costa Rica. IIRC it was slightly pink in colour and
was great right out of the tub as a topping for things like steamed
veges. It looks like Mexican sour cream might taste very similar.

BTW - I also like my plain yogurt on the sour side and make it from a
powder we get in New Zealand called EasiYo Yogurt
(http://www.easiyo.com/).


--

una cerveza mas por favor ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

On Sun 01 Mar 2009 05:12:16p, bob told us...

> Many thanks for all that. I used to love the sour cream I could get
> when I lived in Costa Rica. IIRC it was slightly pink in colour and
> was great right out of the tub as a topping for things like steamed
> veges. It looks like Mexican sour cream might taste very similar.

You're very welcome, Bob. I hope you enjoy it. I think you'll like the
Mexican crema.

> BTW - I also like my plain yogurt on the sour side and make it from a
> powder we get in New Zealand called EasiYo Yogurt
> (http://www.easiyo.com/).

I prefer yogurt on the sour side, too. We live within an easy drive of a
dairy, and often buy product direct from them. Their plain yogurt is more
sour than what one would typically get at the supermarket. I used to make my
own yogurt before I found this.

--
Wayne Boatwright

"One man's meat is another man's poison"
- Oswald Dykes, English writer, 1709.

On Mon, 02 Mar 2009 00:20:08 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
> shouted from the highest rooftop:

>On Sun 01 Mar 2009 05:12:16p, bob told us...
>
>> Many thanks for all that. I used to love the sour cream I could get
>> when I lived in Costa Rica. IIRC it was slightly pink in colour and
>> was great right out of the tub as a topping for things like steamed
>> veges. It looks like Mexican sour cream might taste very similar.
>
>You're very welcome, Bob. I hope you enjoy it. I think you'll like the
>Mexican crema.
>
>> BTW - I also like my plain yogurt on the sour side and make it from a
>> powder we get in New Zealand called EasiYo Yogurt
>> (http://www.easiyo.com/).
>
>I prefer yogurt on the sour side, too. We live within an easy drive of a
>dairy, and often buy product direct from them. Their plain yogurt is more
>sour than what one would typically get at the supermarket. I used to make my
>own yogurt before I found this.

Where we live would be perfect if we had a dairy close-by. The nearest
one to us is an hour and forty-five minutes away. But we sometimes
make the journey just to get their award winning organic cheeses &
yogurt

http://www.mahoecheese.co.nz/index.html.

Then considering how much I love cheese, maybe it's a good thing
they're not next door.


--

una cerveza mas por favor ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

On Sun 01 Mar 2009 05:43:37p, bob told us...

> On Mon, 02 Mar 2009 00:20:08 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
> > shouted from the highest rooftop:
>
>>On Sun 01 Mar 2009 05:12:16p, bob told us...
>>
>>> Many thanks for all that. I used to love the sour cream I could get
>>> when I lived in Costa Rica. IIRC it was slightly pink in colour and
>>> was great right out of the tub as a topping for things like steamed
>>> veges. It looks like Mexican sour cream might taste very similar.
>>
>>You're very welcome, Bob. I hope you enjoy it. I think you'll like the
>>Mexican crema.
>>
>>> BTW - I also like my plain yogurt on the sour side and make it from a
>>> powder we get in New Zealand called EasiYo Yogurt
>>> (http://www.easiyo.com/).
>>
>>I prefer yogurt on the sour side, too. We live within an easy drive of
>>a dairy, and often buy product direct from them. Their plain yogurt is
>>more sour than what one would typically get at the supermarket. I used
>>to make my own yogurt before I found this.
>
> Where we live would be perfect if we had a dairy close-by. The nearest
> one to us is an hour and forty-five minutes away. But we sometimes
> make the journey just to get their award winning organic cheeses &
> yogurt
>
> http://www.mahoecheese.co.nz/index.html.
>
> Then considering how much I love cheese, maybe it's a good thing
> they're not next door.

What a great range of products! Some wonderful looking cheeses, and Greek
yogurt, which I cannot find around here. It's probably a good thing I
don't nearby either. :-)
--
Wayne Boatwright

"One man's meat is another man's poison"
- Oswald Dykes, English writer, 1709.

On Sun 01 Mar 2009 06:24:29p, Michael "Dog3" told us...

> IMO the buttermilk makes it. It adds a nice touch to Mexican cooking
> sometimes. I don't always think to make it though. It's not readily
> available where I shop but I haven't looked at the global stores for it.
>
> Michael
>

I prefer making it with buttermilk, too, Michael.

--
Wayne Boatwright

"One man's meat is another man's poison"
- Oswald Dykes, English writer, 1709.

Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> On Sun 01 Mar 2009 06:24:29p, Michael "Dog3" told us...
>
>> IMO the buttermilk makes it. It adds a nice touch to Mexican cooking
>> sometimes. I don't always think to make it though. It's not readily
>> available where I shop but I haven't looked at the global stores for it.
>>
>> Michael
>>
>
> I prefer making it with buttermilk, too, Michael.
>


What about just thinning sour cream with plain yogurt or milk? (Cream
costs more than sour cream.) Or change the ratio and use 1/2 heavy cream
and 1/2 buttermilk?

Bob

On Fri 06 Mar 2009 03:31:30p, zxcvbob told us...

> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>> On Sun 01 Mar 2009 06:24:29p, Michael "Dog3" told us...
>>
>>> IMO the buttermilk makes it. It adds a nice touch to Mexican cooking
>>> sometimes. I don't always think to make it though. It's not readily
>>> available where I shop but I haven't looked at the global stores for
it.
>>>
>>> Michael
>>>
>>
>> I prefer making it with buttermilk, too, Michael.
>>
>
>
> What about just thinning sour cream with plain yogurt or milk? (Cream
> costs more than sour cream.) Or change the ratio and use 1/2 heavy cream
> and 1/2 buttermilk?
>
> Bob

I see no reason not to give it a try. The main object is allowing it to
ferment at room temperature or in a yogurt maker until it becomes quite
thick.

Mexican cream has more of a sour "bite" than regular cultured sour cream.

--
Wayne Boatwright

"One man's meat is another man's poison"
- Oswald Dykes, English writer, 1709.