Chard and White Bean Stew

• 1 pound Swiss chard (can also swap kale, spinach or another green), ribs and stems removed and cleaned
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup (5 1/4 ounces) chopped carrots
• 1 cup (5 ounces) chopped celery
• 1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) chopped shallots, about 4 medium
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 15-ounce cans (or about 3 3/4 cups) white beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups (or more to taste) vegetable broth
• 1 cup pureed tomatoes (from a can/carton/your jarred summer supply)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
• Toasted bread slices, poached eggs, chopped herbs such as tarragon, parsley or chives or grated Parmesan or Romano to serve (optional)

1. Bring medium pot of salted water to boil. Cook chard (or any heavier green; no need to precook baby spinach) for one minute, then drain and squeeze out as much extra water as possible. Coarsely chop chard.
2. Wipe out medium pot to dry it, and heat olive oil over medium. Add carrots, celery, shallots and garlic and saute for 15 minutes. Barber warns not to brown them but I didn’t mind a light golden color on them. Add wine (scraping up any bits that have stuck to the pot) and cook it until it reduced by three-fourths. Add beans, broth, tomatoes, a few pinches of salt, freshly ground black pepper, thyme and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes. Add chard and cook for 5 minutes more. Remove thyme and bay leaf. Add more broth if you’d like a thinner stew and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
3. Serve as is drizzled with sherry vinegar. Or you can ladle the stew over thick piece of toasted country bread or baguette that has been rubbed lightly with half a clove of garlic, top that with a poached egg and a few drops of sherry vinegar and/or some grated cheese.

RESULTS:  This was very satisfying, especially with the poached egg and the toast. I replaced the celery with mushrooms, and I wish I could say it was because I had some culinary insight, but it was because I did not have celery, but I did have mushrooms that had to be used up. Anyway, it was a good substitution, I'd recommend it.

Espinacas con Garbanzos (Spinach and Chickpeas)

From Smitten Kitten:

One of the reason I blended recipes was because I wanted the approachability of Ximena’s version but also some of the extras in Moro’s — the vinegar, paprika and the fried bread, mashed to a paste. Except, in hindsight, I think I’d also enjoy this recipe without the bread. It would be a bit thinner and saucier and possibly harder to slop onto a piece of toast, but also a bit lighter — in weight, not just calories. If you’re bread-averse or think you’d enjoy it without the crumbs in the sauce, give it a spin and let us know how it goes.

Tomato sauce, by the way, is emphatically not traditional in this dish but after making Ximena’s version with it — she says “you don’t have to use tomato in this recipe, but it’s so much better with it” — I can’t have it any other way.

Last note: This recipe is flexible. If you end up with a little less spinach or a little more sauce, or if you want it with a little less this or a little more that, so be it. Enjoy it. Have fun with it.

• 1/2 pound (230 grams) dried chickpeas, cooked until soft and tender or two 15-ounce cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 6 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound (450 grams) spinach, washed
• A hefty 1-inch slice from a country loaf or about 2 slices from sandwich loaf bread (2.5 ounces or 75 grams), crusts removed and cut inset small cubes
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) tomato sauce, or whatever
  
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Lemon juice, to taste

1. Place a large saucepan over medium heat and add half the olive oil. When it is hot, add the spinach with a pinch of salt (in batches, if necessary) and stir well. Remove when the leaves are just tender, drain in a colander and set aside.
2. Heat 2 more tablespoons olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry the bread for about 5 minutes or until golden brown all over, then the remaining tablespoon of oil and the garlic, cumin and pepper. Cook for 1 minute more or until the garlic is nutty brown.
3. Transfer to a food processor, blender or mortar and pestle along with the vinegar, and mash to a paste. Return the mixture to the pan and add the drained chickpeas and tomato sauce. Stir until the chickpeas have absorbed the flavors and are hot. Season with salt and pepper.
4. If the consistency is a little thick, add some water. Add the spinach and lemon juice and cook until it is hot. Check for seasoning and serve with paprika on top, or on fried bread toasts (as the Spanish do).

RESULTS: this is definitely making it into the rotation. I included Smitten Kitten's notes at the top. Those of you who are trying to avoid gluten, you can definitely make this without it. Jean did and she said it was great. Other than the thrill of having my food look just like the picture posted on the website, I'm not sure that the bread contributed much to it.

Personally, I wouldn't bother making this if you don't have smoked paprika. There'd be no point, for me. Feel free to disagree!

Variations I can think of would include bacon or other cured meats, onions, different green leafies, replacing or augmenting the beans with small cubed potatoes,... anything as long as it would go with smoked paprika. :)

White Beans with Rosemary and Garlic

From Alice Waters' book.

Soak 1 cup white beans (cannelli, great northern, navy, etc) overnight in 4 cups of water
Drain and transfer to a heavy pot. Add water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil. Lower the hear and skim off any foam. Simmer gently for 2 hours or so, until beans are tender (not in the least bit crunchy!). Add more water if necessary during the cooking. Let cool in the pot and then drain and season to taste with salt.

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan or skillet, warm over low heat : 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil. Add 4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped and 1 teaspoon coarsely chopped rosemary leaves.
Cook until the garlic is soft, about 2 minutes. Stir into the beans, taste for salt and adjust. Let the dish sit before serving to allow flavors to marry.

RESULTS: This dish seems to be all aroma. Between the rosemary and the garlic, it just smelled wonderful, so much so that the next day when I brought some to work and heated it up in the microwave I had quite a few people who came to see what I made. It didn't have quite as much flavor, but the little it had was pretty good.

In other news, the crocuses are blooming! We're expecting high 60s and low 70s(!) for the weekend, so I'll bet we'll have a ton by Monday.

Alton Brown's Turbo Hummus

Ingredients
2 to 3 cloves garlic
1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and liquid reserved
2 to 3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
A handful fresh parsley leaves
1 lemon, zested and juiced
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
Pinch kosher salt
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions
Chop the garlic finely in a food processor. Add the beans and 1/2 of the reserved liquid and process finely or to desired consistency. Add the peanut butter, parsley, lemon zest and juice, black pepper, and salt. Process until it forms a paste. Drizzle in the olive oil and process until it reaches the consistency of mayonnaise.

Results:
I tried this recipe out because lately I've been consuming a large amount of store-bought hummus, and decided it would save money if I did it myself. The recipe is especially appealing because it replaces the very elusive tahini with peanut butter, and who doesn't have peanut butter in their cabinet? Actually, the only ingredient I didn't already have was a lemon and fresh parsley, so the total cost for this was: $1.50.

Anyway the results: first off, because I don't have a food processor, I used a stick blender (my favorite kitchen appliance next to Mr. Coffee). Well, it did the job, but not without occasionally sending globs of hummus flying around the kitchen, and I never could reach the "consistency of mayonnaise." Also, I used a large handful of the parsley because I figure I have smaller hands then my man Alton. Don't do that. The hummus is good, but is a very unappealing pea-green color. Finally, some comments have suggested using 1/2 olive oil and 1/2 sesame oil to make it taste more like tahini (which is paste make from sesame seeds). It also doesn't taste like store-bought hummus in the way that cookies from the store and cookies from the stove taste differently. They both taste good, but different. It would be interesting to see what the difference tahini would make. All-in-all, it was very quick, easy, and good, but I don't think this recipe would satisfy someone looking for an authentic-tasting hummus.

White Bean and Kale Stew

From Cooking Light:

"Steeping a savory cheese rind in a soup's broth infuses cheesy, salty accents throughout. Cooking your own beans is simple if you've planned ahead, though you can rinse and drain canned ones for a higher-sodium result. Serve with salt-free crackers or toasted baguette slices."

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups)

Ingredients
* 1 pound dried Great Northern beans
* 2 applewood-smoked bacon slices
* 2 cups chopped onion (2 medium)
* 6 garlic cloves, minced
* 6 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
* 2 cups water
* 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
* 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
* 1 bunch kale, stemmed and cut into 2-inch pieces (about 5 cups)
* 1 (2-ounce) piece Parmigiano-Reggiano rind
* 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preparation
1. Sort and wash beans; place in a large bowl. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans; cover and let stand 8 hours. Drain.

2. Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 2 teaspoons drippings in pan; crumble. Add onion to drippings in pan; cook 6 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add garlic to pan; cook 30 seconds.

3. Add beans, broth, 2 cups water, thyme, rosemary, and kale to pan; bring to a boil. Add rind to pan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour and 15 minutes or until beans are tender. Remove from heat; discard rind. Stir in juice.Garnish each serving with about 3/4 teaspoon bacon. Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 11/2 cups soup).

RESULTS: I would like to know what kind of parmigiano-reggiano cheese these people are buying that they have rinds? Maybe I'm buying the wrong sort of cheese. Anyway, this stew was okay. The lemon juice is a nice touch, I didn't think I'd like it, but it was good. The thing is, I didn't do the bacon thing. I've never really noticed that such a small amount of bacon makes that much of a difference with a dish that makes this much food. Plus, I sort of object to having to buy a whole large package of an ingredient that I would never use otherwise (applewood-smoked bacon? whaa?) just to use as an accent flavor. Otherwise, I think calling this a "stew" might be stretching it, it was a little too thin to be a stew. Much more of a soup.

Twist on Pasta Arrabiata

One week you read that salmon's the best thing you can eat, and the next it's full of mercury, and then it's ok again. Very confusing. One of the few things that I've read nutritionists agree on, along with almonds and whole grains, is beans. Since we already don't really get enough protein (I think I've made maybe three things with meat in them), I've trying to work legumes into our diet more and more. They're also cheap and full of fiber. Good things!

Today I added a can of cannelloni beans (white kidney beans) into my usual Pasta Arrabiata. We both gave it a big thumbs up. The beans added a nice creamy texture. I just added them in with the tomatoes.

You may be wondering why I'm not posting more often as of late. The truth is, I'm not really cooking all that much with all the vegetables and fruit that taste pretty great just on their own. Yesterday I sat down with some watermelon I bought on Saturday and I think I must have eaten 3 cups before I made myself stop for fear of gastrointestinal distress. It's also just too stinking hot to cook up big productions. So, maybe in a few weeks I'll get the cooking bug again.

In other news, I made an appointment to have my eyes checked on Friday. Chris has been saying for years that I squint when I read, and yesterday I caught myself holding a letter at arm's length. This is very distressing. Needing reading glasses is, to me, a sign of age, whereas simply having bad eyesight since childhood is a genetic thing. I think I really did the eyes in with all the reading I had to do in graduate school and 8 hours on the computer every day since hasn't helped them any. As Indiana Jones says, it's not the years, it's the mileage. Sigh! Cross your fingers for me, I don't want glasses!

Venezuelan black beans and rice

From Cooking Light Magazine:

Venezuelan White Rice
Introduced by the Spanish, rice is a common starch in South America and the Caribbean. The sautéed aromatics make this a natural partner with earthy Simple Black Beans, but it is an appropriate side at any Venezuelan meal.

1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups uncooked long-grain white rice

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and pepper to pan; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add 4 cups water and salt; bring to a boil. Stir in rice. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 18 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup)

---

Simple Black Beans
Frijoles is the generic Spanish term for beans, but caraotas refers specifically to black beans, the most common variety on South American and Caribbean tables. These beans cook down to create a thick and rich sauce—good to serve over Venezuelan White Rice. Make the beans up to a day ahead; you may need to add a little water when reheating, as the mixture thickens with time.

1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup water
2 (15-ounce) cans 50%-less-sodium black beans, undrained
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper to pan; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in sugar, garlic, black pepper, and cumin; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in 1 cup water and beans; bring to a boil. Partially cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, and stir in vinegar.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 2/3 cup)


RESULTS: This was another of those recipes that fell flat. I'm not sure why, it's pretty hard to mess up beans and rice. The rice was actually pretty tasty (I used brown rice and cooked it for longer), but the beans had zero taste. Maybe it was the beans I used, or maybe they just needed more salt, or some other seasoning... I'm not sure. Personally, I would have put a bay leaf or two in the beans as they simmered, and I probably would have put some heat in there, too. Not a keeper.

Honestly, the best thing I had for dinner last night was a tomato, mozzarella, and basil salad, with some of the extra raw green onions and peppers from the beans and rice thrown in. I sprinkled it with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, some salt and pepper, and parsley. The basil and parsley was from my "garden" (by garden, I mean my collection of pots in the backyard). I'll get around to posting about the Great Herb Project of 2008 sometime this week, hopefully. It's been near constant thunderstorms here since yesterday morning, and I hear them starting up again, so if I can't be outside working with the plants, I might as well write about them.


QUESTION: Has anyone tried making the friendship bread, replacing the oil with plain yogurt? There's at least a half a cup of oil in each loaf, and that's just too much. Also, I always thought it was a little on the greasy side, so I thought of reducing the oil, but maybe it's better just to replace it. Thoughts?

Spicy black-bean cakes

INGREDIENTS

• Lime Sour Cream:
• 1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 1 small fresh jalapeno pepper, minced
• salt to taste
• 
  
• Bean Cakes:
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced
• 6 cloves garlic, pressed
• 2 fresh jalapeno peppers, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 cups grated raw sweet potato
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup plain dried bread crumbs

DIRECTIONS

1. To prepare lime sour cream, mix the sour cream, lime juice, 1 small minced jalapeno, and salt together in a small bowl. Cover, and refrigerate.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook green onions until softened, about 1 minute. Stir in garlic, 2 diced jalapenos, and cumin; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Transfer contents of skillet to a large bowl. Stir in black beans, and mash with a fork. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix in sweet potatoes, egg, and bread crumbs. Divide into 8 balls, and flatten into patties.
4. In the oven, set cooking rack about 4 inches from heat source. Set oven to broil. Lightly grease baking sheet with 1 tablespoon oil.
5. Place bean patties on baking sheet, and broil 8 to 10 minutes. Turn cakes over, and broil until crispy, about 3 minutes more. Serve with lime sour cream.

RESULTS: I don't tend to have much luck with "____ Cakes." They tend to fall apart in the pan and taste greasy, even my beloved Crab cakes are more like crab crumble. (I read that one way to help this is to put the mixture in the fridge for an hour before forming the cakes, so the bread crumbs can help everything stick better, but I haven't tried it yet.) I thought these might do the trick since they're broiled, so there's not much flipping. Neither Chris nor I hold much with sour cream (although I think you could substitute yogurt cheese for sour cream), so I served with cheddar cheese and taco sauce. I also cut the garlic waaaay back, since I have to talk to people at work tomorrow. Turned out not bad. One of my favorite parts were the scallions, so don't leave those out. Definitely don't skimp on the salt, it needs it.

One thing that could have been better is that it really wasn't very moist. I guess when I think beans, I think a thick sauce, plump beans, etc, and this was dry. We used a lot of taco sauce. But short of adding more egg or soaking the breadcrumbs in milk beforehand, which might work-- or might be awful, I'm not sure what to try. Suggestions?

Texas Caviar

In a large bowl, toss together 1 can (16oz) black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained, 3 Tbs minced roasted red peppers, 1 small diced tomato, 1 diced jalapeno (seeded, if desired, for less heat), 1.5 Tbs chopped fresh parsley, 1 Tbs olive oil, 2 tps Worcestershire sauce, .5 tps chopped fresh oregano, 1 tps balsamic vinegar, and a dash of hot sauce. Season with coarse salt and ground pepper. Drizzle with a little more balsamic vinegar before serving. Serve with a slotted spoon. Serves 6.

Results: Meh. This is a cold dish, and Chris wasn't thrilled with that. I wasn't thrilled with how bland it was, although I admittedly left out the jalapeño due to fear. Legumes, esp. black-eye peas and black beans, are some of the few "healthy" foods that Chris and I both love, so I'm always trying to find better ways to prepare them, and this didn't make the cut. Any suggestions?