You are currently browsing the category archive for the ‘Beans & Legumes’ category.
x
You want to know what is REALLY hard to make look delicious?
That would be, a bowl of this here soup.
I mean, it’s freaking tasty stuff, this soup, but it will definitely be filed under the category of what I like to call, ugly food. Don’t get me wrong, ugly food is almost always tasty – we’ve been over this before – it’s just that you’re going to have to convince your guests/spouse/disbelieving children of that fact before they’ll even sit down to the table. I tried to be all Ina-like and add “a garnish that reflects the flavors present in the dish” – that’s why the rosemary spring is just hanging out over there on the left – because honestly, brown soup is just a wee bit unappetizing.
Okay, so we’ve been over the basics of why you probably WON’T want to try this soup. But this is a food blog, so its not like I’m going to post horrible recipes. So let’s go over the reasons why you should try this, non?
x
1. It’s a recipe from Ina Garten, whose every recipe is a foodgasm in the making, and who is only second to God in our foodie world next to Martha Stewart. (But is actually first in God’s eyes because Ina hasn’t been to jail. Go Ina.)
2. It’s made with all natural ingredients like chicken stock and white beans, so you know it’s good for you without tasting like cardboard.
3. This is a perfect dish for winter, since it uses just about the only thing “in season” in Colorado – dried beans.
4. The end product is creamy without being heavy, flavorful without being full of fat. The best of both worlds.
5. The ugly factor of food is inversely related to how delicious the food is. So this dish is obviously off the charts. (Obviously.)
x
So, now that I’ve thoroughly convinced you, Law & Order-style, get thee to your grocery store/farmers market/pantry some cannellini beans.
And make sure to distract your children/spouse/guests with cartoons/sports/booze before you serve this.
x
x
Rosemary White Bean Soup
Adapted from Ina Garten
Serves 6
x
The only “adaptations” included reducing the amount of olive oil (because she alway uses a ton, bless her heart) and removing all references to “good” ingredients that will make you feel inferior.
x
Gather:
1 pound dried white cannellini beans
4 cups sliced sweet yellow onions
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large branch fresh rosemary
6 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
kosher salt, to taste
fresh cracked pepper, to taste
x
Prepare:
Pick through the beans to remove any pebbles or other debris. In a large bowl, cover beans with at least 2 inches of cold water. Let soak overnight or at least 8 hours. Drain.
In a large stockpot, saute the onions with the olive oil until translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. (Note: Instead of adding more olive oil, just add a bit of water if the onions start to burn. And if you do burn the onions, just tell your guests it’s “Caramelized Onion White Bean Soup.”) Add the garlic and cook for 3 minutes until fragrant. Add the drained white beans, rosemary, chicken stock, and bay leaf. Cover; bring to a boil, and simmer 30 to 40 minutes, until the beans are soft. Remove rosemary and bay leaf. Pass the soup through the coarsest blade of a food mill, or puree half of the soup in a blender/food processor. Continue pureeing and mixing until you reach a consistency you like. (I prefer a course puree.) Return the soup to the pot, and reheat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.
x
x
Best Coast / The End
x
x
x
One by one, I’m finding the time to write up these last few National Farmer’s Market Week posts. I know you guys were on the edge of your seat! This is what I ended up eating for lunch Monday through Friday of NFMW 2010.
I tend towards making large batches of [insert food here] on the weekend and then eating it for lunch during the week. Usually my lunches are only for myself, i.e. I’m not cooking for B. (His high-powered job comes with equally high-powered lunch meetings during the week… or maybe he just tells me that so that I won’t force my chick food on him.) Since it’s just me to cook for, I like to make dishes that are heavy on whole grains or beans, and less heavy on pork, beef, or chicken. Rice and beans is a frequent player in my lunch repetoire. It’s absolutely cheap as all get out, and as long as you like beans (some people don’t… they are weird) then it’s darn tasty to boot. I’ve already written about Homesick Texan’s Magical Beans (also known as Frijoles a la Charra), and I wanted to go in the same direction – bacon, tomatoes, spicy chipotle en adobo. But tomatoes weren’t quite in season here so I had to go with some tomato paste I had in my pantry.
x
m
x
(Side note: I’m really hoping to make homemade tomato paste this year… like this. Here’s hoping I don’t screw it up!)
The beans were “red chili” beans that I got from the Denver Urban Homesteading farmers market waaaaay back in February for $4.00. (I used “red chili” beans but really, any dried bean would do.) The only things I used from the store for this meal were sour cream and salt pork; the rest of the things I had in my freezer and/or pantry. Chipotle en adobo are small peppers in a smoky sauce; you can find them in the international foods aisle in your grocery store. Recipes usually only call for 1 or 2 chiles en adobo; what I end up doing is buying a large can (about $3 or $4) and buzzing the contents in my food processor until the chiles are minced. Then I put the chipotle en adobo “sauce” in a mason jar and I keep it in the fridge. The adobo keeps for weeks on end in the fridge, and you don’t end up throwing away $3.50 of peppers every time a recipe calls for them. Adobo chiles make a great addition to any dish where you want to up the flavors with a spicy/smoky component.
Even though I cook a TON, most of it is still from recipes. It’s only once in a while that I cook an entire dish from just my head, and I’m always surprised when my recipe-less adventures turn into something actually yummy. I have to say, I think these beans are pretty kick ass. They’re not spicy up front, the heat sort of creeps up on you after the first bite. They’re smoky and just slightly sweet, but they’re not heavy, which is the result of that tablespoon of red wine vinegar at the end. The sour cream is essential (at least for me); I like the cool sour cream juxtaposed against the subtle spiciness of the beans. Oh, and of course, there’s bacon in this dish. Because bacon makes everything better.
x
x
Market Chili Beans
Original Recipe
Serves 6
x
Gather:
1 pound dried beans
1/2 onion, cut into chunks
1 dried bay leaf
1/2 package salted pork
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 pieces bacon, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
6 ounces tomato paste
1 tablespoon chipotle en adobo paste
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
pinch cinnamon
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
rice, for serving
sour cream, for serving
cilantro, for serving
Prepare:
Pick through beans for any stray pebbles. Combine beans, 1/2 onion, bay leaf, and salt pork in large stockpot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook at a simmer for 4 hours, or until no longer grainy, but not mushy. Remove onions, salt pork, and bay leaf; discard. Drain beans over a large bowl, reserving bean cooking liquid for later use.
Combine olive oil, bacon, diced onion, jalapeno, and garlic clove in bottom of large stockpot (I used the same one in which I cooked the beans.) Saute over medium heat until the bacon is crispy and the onions are translucent. Add beans to stockpot, along with tomato paste, coriander, cumin, and cinnamon. Add bean cooking liquid to stockpot, to the consistency that you like. Simmer (adding water as necessary) until the beans are the consistency and as al-dente as you like. Add red wine vinegar to pot before serving.
Serve over rice with sour cream and cilantro.
x
x
Gold Motel / Safe in LA
x
x
x
I know that if I write this post and say that I’m addicted to hummus, you people are going to be all, “Dude, what AREN’T you addicted to?!” I know, I am a food addiction slut. Addicted to mustard, addicted to balsamic vinegar, addicted to pasta… and chocolate (hello, I have boobs, so that one is a given). But although my hummus addiction comes in waves… it is just that. An addiction.
And hey, there are worse addictions than pureed chickpeas. (I’m looking at you, American Idol fans.)
My favorite hummus is a small brand called Asmar’s that I’ve only ever seen in two places – the Richmond, VA Whole Foods and the Charlottesville, VA Whole Foods. Seriously. Best. Hummus. Ever. When I went home to Virginia this past Christmas, I came across it in Whole Foods… and I think I might have screeched. In the middle of the grocery store aisle. Dad will have to confirm this; I may have just gone speechless, the memory is blurred for me; no doubt due to an adrenaline overdose. I bought the party size and a double pack of pita, and I think my brother and I ate our way through that party size container in about 36 hours. (Apparently hummus addiction runs in the family.)
While I’m still perfecting my at home hummus recipe (the perfect proportion of tahini and olive oil is an elusive combination… much like the sparkly silver mary janes I’ve been after for years now), this salad is much easier to throw together. It’s essentially all the ingredients in hummus, with the addition of a bit of red onion and parsley for color and flavor.
Once you’ve mixed the ingredients together, you smoosh (a very technical term) the chickpea salad using whatever you have around – a potato masher, a wooden spoon, your fingers, whatever. I used a wooden spoon and smooshed the salad into the side of the bowl, but I was feeling lazy and so my salad was a bit more chunky than the original recipe calls for. I ate this for lunch for 3 days in a row, and it’s just another one of those perfect lunch recipes – it’s cheap, it’s portable, and it’s filling without sending you into a post-lunch coma.
I made this with canned chickpeas, because I had some old cans to use up. Feel free to make this with dry chickpeas that have been soaked in water overnight. If you’re not familiar with tahini, it’s ground sesame seed paste; you should be able to find it in a Middle Eastern grocery in your area, if it’s not already available in your local grocery store.
x
x
Hummus, De-constructed
Loosely adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Serves 4
x
Gather:
2 14-oz cans of chickpeas, or 28 oz of dry chickpeas soaked overnight
1/4 of a medium-size red onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon tahini
salt and pepper to taste
a dash paprika (optional)
Prepare:
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Smoosh to the consistency you prefer, using whatever means available (potato masher, wooden spoon, fingers, etc.) Serve by itself or on toast.
x
x
Now Playing: The Silver Seas / The Best Things in Life - love these guys. Their new album is available for purchase here (official release date is June 6th, 2010)
x
x
<space>
I’m not going to lie to you… this is ugly food. Real. ugly. food. And based on the ingredients, it’s probably not something you think you want to eat. And I would have agreed with you, say, 48 hours ago. But now I know better. Now I see the shining light of Heaven, which is pointed – coincidentally – right on this bowl of lentils and farro.
Because I mean, let’s face it. Ugly food is almost always delicious. (See: pasta, chili, and various vegetables.) When someone figures out why this is the case, please give me a call.
And I know you’re probably all, “Dude, WTF is farro?” Well, let me get all Wikipedia on you for a moment. Farro is known as “the ancient grain” and has supposedly been around for thousands of years. It’s an unrefined grain, containing the bran, endosperm, and the germ of the grain. Refined grains, on the other hand, typically remove the fiber- and nutrient-rich bran and germ, leaving only the calorie-heavy endosperm. Farro is one of the healthiest grains out there because it’s an almost completely unprocessed food source.
<space>
<space>
I bought a bag of farro a few weeks ago at the grocery store, after seeing a recipe for it on Everyday Italian (Giada’s show before she became a sexed-up Food Network supertease). Having never tried it, well… I didn’t have the highest expectations. I figured it would taste like barley, which is what all the recipes say to substitute if you can’t find farro. You would think that barley would be delicious since it’s a main ingredient in beer and beer is delicious, right? Wrong.
But what I thought would taste like cardboard, instead tasted like sweet, nutty, chewy… kernels of deliciousness. I could have eaten it plain, straight out of the bowl, no seasoning at all. Maybe even just eat it with my hands. I mean… JUST KIDDING. I am a LADY, people.
And well, you know this is going to be good food because it starts with caramelized onions, otherwise known as the food of the gods. Caramelized onions will take what feels like forever to caramelize, upwards of 60 to 90 minutes. The wait is worth it, although you won’t believe me when the smell is taking over your apartment on Minute 37.
<space>
Get thee to your grocery store and buy the largest bottle of sriracha
<space>
Oh, and then you add feta, a little lemon, and sriracha (the Thai hot sauce most likely available at your nearest grocer). It will blow your mind. It’s sweet from the onions, chewy from the lentils and farro, with a little bit of tang from the feta. The lemon just brightens the dish, making it taste lighter, and not heavy at all. And really, who doesn’t like hot sauce? A couple of drops for me, but add as much as you like. Have I convinced you yet?
<space>
<space>
Lentils and Farro with Caramelized Onions
Adapted from Orangette
Serves 4
<space>
Gather:
2 medium or large yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced along the grain
4 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt
¾ cup farro
½ cup french lentils, carefully picked through for pebbles and debris
10 cups fresh spinach, washed and drained
feta cheese
sriracha
fresh lemon or lemon juice
<space>
Prepare:
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. When the oil is hot (test by flicking a few drops of water into the pan – if they skip across the surface of the oil, the oil is hot) and dump in the onions. Be careful! ‘Cause you know, that shiz is hot. Stir immediately to coat the onions, and then season with a generous pinch of salt. Reduce the heat and cook the onions over low heat, stirring every few minutes so that they don’t burn. The onions are done when they are a medium-to-deep brown. Taste as you go, and see what you like.
As soon as the onions have started cooking, heat a medium stockpot of 3 cups of water over high heat (if you cover the pot, it will boil faster). Then, in a medium bowl, begin soaking the farro. Cover the farro with water (at least 2 inches on top of the farro), and stir to make sure the farro sinks to the bottom. Soak the farro for 30 minutes (set your timer, unless you have crazy good timing skillz) while you cook the lentils. Drain and set aside when the 30 minutes is up.
When the water in your stockpot is boiling, add the lentils and another pinch of salt. Bring the water back to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook the lentils for 20-25 minutes. Begin tasting at 15 minutes, as you want the lentils to be chewy but not mushy.
Once the lentils are done, drain the lentils into a strainer and refill the pot with another 3 cups of water. Set the water on high heat and bring to a boil. Add the drained farro and cook for 25-30 minutes or until chewy but not mushy. Start tasting at 20 minutes, and drain into a strainer when the texture is to your liking. Add drained lentils and farro to serving bowl.
At this point, your onions should be just about caramelized. Spoon out the onions into your serving bowl, leaving as much of the residual olive oil still in the skillet as you can. Add the spinach to the pan and toss in the hot oil to wilt slightly, cooking about 2 minutes before removing the spinach to the serving bowl. (You can do this in batches if your skillet isn’t large enough.)
Finally, toss the lentils, farro, onions, and spinach in your serving bowl. Top with feta, as much or as little as you like. Serve with lemon and siracha.
x
x
Now Playing: Thao with the Get Down Stay Down – a meal this epic deserves an epic choice of tunes… except I couldn’t figure out which one to post… so I posted my two favorites. Check out their myspace and facebook pages and start praying now for a tour date near you.
x
x
x
<space>
Guess what?! IT’S THURSDAY! You made it past Hump Day! It’s almost the weekend!
The weekend makes me happy. And in the spirit of being so happy, I’m sharing with you guys two of my favorite things…
Favorite Thing One: Empire Records.
If you haven’t seen this movie, get thee to a video store. STAT. It may very well be my favorite movie of all time. It’s about the staff of an independent CD store, that is in danger of being taken over by a corporate music company. And there’s lots of great music in the movie, and the characters are absolutely unforgettable.
Voila, my favorite scene…
<space>
<space>
The fella in the black turtleneck is Lucas. When I was little, I used to dance EXACTLY like Lucas. And not because I had terrible dancing skillz - I was awesome, of course – but just because I thought Lucas was the SHIZZ. I wanted to be like Lucas when I grew up. I specifically remember my mom asking me to stop dancing in public places.
Also, Ethan Embry in this movie is brilliant. I heart his face so bad!
<space>
<space>
Oh, and Johnny Whitworth is in this movie. Which means that you get to watch this the entire 2 hours:
<space>
Swooooooon
<space>
This weekend I’m getting the Empire Records Special Edition DVD. With deleted scenes!!! Be still my heart!
<space>
Favorite Thing Two: Magical Spicy Pinto Beans.
It is now Thursday, and I made these beans Monday night. I’ve eaten them for lunch both Tuesday and Wednesday, and I swear… they just keep getting tastier. Perhaps I shall now refer to them as “the magic beans.” Would that be weird?
I used bacon from our frozen bacon collection (we have over 10 packs of frozen bacon in the freezer – you know, JUST IN CASE.) The combination of the bacon and tomatoes and jalapeno is to. die. for. It’s smoky and spicy and almost sweet all at the same time. These are excellent served over rice – it’s filling, but it won’t send you into a Food Coma. And it’s peasant food (read: super freaking cheap food). So, I implore you to get to a grocery store, buy some beans, and make this immediately! You won’t regret it. <space>
<space>
Frijoles a la Charra
Adapted from the Homesick Texan
<space>
Ingredients:
1 pound (2 cups) dried pinto beans
1/4 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup diced onion
1/4 cup jalapeno juice (from canned jalapenos)
1/4 pound salt pork
4 slices of bacon, chopped into 1 inch pieces
2 cups fresh chopped tomatoes, or 1 14-oz can of diced
3 jalapenos, chopped
2 chipotles in adobo, chopped
1 cup of chopped cilantro, plus additional for garnish
Soaking the Beans:
Fill a large bowl with room temperature water. Sort through the beans to ensure there are no pebbles in the beans. Put the pebble-free beans into the bowl. The water should cover the beans by at least an inch. Add more water if necessary. Soak for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
<space>
<space>
Can we say pork products?
<space>
Cooking the Beans:
Drain the water from the beans. Put the beans into a large stockpot. Cover with 7 cups of fresh water. Add the garlic, onion, jalapeno juice, and salt pork to the pot. Bring to boil, cover, and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 1 hour. Test the beans for doneness as the 1 hour mark approaches. The beans are done cooking when they are tender and no longer grainy. Remove salt pork and discard. Strain beans and onions from cooking liquid; reserve cooking liquid for later use.
<space>
<space>
Making the Charra Sauce:
Saute the bacon in a large stockpot over medium heat until crispy. Add the tomatoes, jalapenos, chipotles in adobo, and cilantro to pot. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Let bacon mixture cool, add 1 cup of bacon cooking water and puree in a food processor. Return puree to saucepan and add in the cooked beans. Add 1 additional cup of cooking liquid and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve beans over rice. Garnish with additional cilantro if preferred. Makes 8 servings.
<space>
<space>
<space>
Now Playing in the Kitchenette: The The / This Is the Day – Best. Song. Ever.
<space>
<space>
<space>
This month’s Daring Cooks Challenge was hosted by Debyi of Healthy Vegan Kitchen. She chose Indian Dosas from the reFresh: Contemporary Vegan Recipes from Award Winning Fresh Restaurants cookbook.
Let it be known – I generally don’t like Indian food. I think my dislike stems from not a lot of exposure to true Indian cuisine. So I made these dosas as sort of a “I need to try this” dish. I really like to try new things, so I was excited to try this, even if I wasn’t sure whether I would like it or not.
I’m really glad I only made 1/2 the recipe… because surprise, surprise – it wasn’t my thing. I really wish it was, honestly.
<space>
Soaking dried chickpeas
<space>
Because right after I made this, I watched an episode of Anthony Bourdain where he visits the five boroughs of New York City. (Have I mentioned how much I heart the Bourdain? No? I heart him. I love his dirty say-whatever-I-want attitude. Hot. Sorry… tangent.) In the episode, he visits the Ganesh Temple at the Hindu Temple Society of North America, which serves classic South Indian food in its cafeteria. And guess what? Dosas were on the menu! But they looked nothing like the dosas I made here, unfortunately. They were much thinner (thinner than a crepe – I wasn’t aware that was even possible) but they looked really tasty. A lot of things looked really tasty on that episode.
<space>
The filling – this was actually really tasty. I’m imagining it on a sandwich, or as a dip for chips, mixed in with some tahini…
<space>
After tasting the filling (two thumbs up – sort of a tomato-ey deconstructed hummus with extra veggies?) I determined that I was not a fan of the coconut curry sauce that was served on top of the dosas. So I’m not writing off all Indian food. In fact, if you have any good recipes, I’d love to try them out. Please leave me a link!
<space>
<space>
Playing in the Kitchenette: Starfucker – Isabella of Castille Seriously. My love for this band knows no bounds.
<space>
<space>
