bison steak, refritos, Spanish rice

*  Bison on sale. Hurray! Thank-you for that, Manager. 

*  Kaffir leaves. I'm not positive I understand the point of these, but I do detect the faint trace of citrus. And come to think of it, citrus is a nice rounder outer for the saffron which on its own is sort of wet-socks thud.

*  Saffron. I think saffron might be an acquired taste. People have said to me flatly that they do not care for it, and that's a shame because it is quite good in the right instances. I've had it in bouillabaisse and considered it essential, and I've had it in paella which would be something less, mere mélange, without it. As for my own usage, when I first started including it I thought, "This is not so good by itself. It needs something to counterbalance." Citrus seems to work fine although I imagine it needn't be kaffir. I've also countered the thud of saffron variously with honey, cumin, cinnamon, and clove. 

This is not proper Spanish rice. It lacks tomato or tomato paste or tomato sauce. I intended to serve fresh tomato so I omitted that. Plus, I sought to avoid coloring up the rice so much as I tend to do. I wanted saffron color and that's all.  The rice was toasted with oil in the pot before adding liquid, water this time instead of broth. This ensured the rice would be fluffy instead of sticky which is my usual preference. One large shallot was included once the rice began to brown. A single bay leaf was included with the two kaffir leaves. It was an experiment, and it turned out very well. 

The beans are the overly fiercely seasoned beans from yesterday that were then overly tamed by rinsing. A whole white onion was diced and cooked in olive oil, two crushed garlic cloves, a teaspoon of habanero sauce, yes habanero, refusing to be cowered by the accident yesterday. I noticed the brand new jar of habanero sauce, one of my favorites, and thought insouciantly, "What could possibly go wrong?" A pint of beef broth was included and yesterday's beans were smashed into the pot. The beans contained a single small potato finely diced. These refritos (refried frijoles) are probably the best I've ever had. The beans are black-eye peas and small red beans, not the customary traditional pinto beans. Pinto beans are good, they're sold in great quantity out here in the West, but they're not the best. 

The bison was cooked perfectly. Salted and peppered on both sides rather heavily,  started at room temperature, cooked on high heat, I swear they took no longer than one minute each side. They turned out charred on the outside and red throughout. Mmmmm, meats.

The yellow pepper was fried in the pan that was used to sear the bison while the bison rested. It picked up the fond in the pan as it blackened. The pepper was removed before it became fully cooked. 

My timing tonight was impeccable.  This all came together at the precise moment the rice finished.