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Archive for the ‘beans’ Category

Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011

White Bean and Sage Soup

It has become painfully (pardon the pun) obvious to me that at the moment, my ankles and knees are just not up to doing triathlons. I wish that this had occurred to me sooner. That I had stopped trying so that I could avoid re-injuring myself over and over, but sometimes I guess I’m slow (or maybe stubborn).

With this realization, I have re-embraced swimming. It was always my favorite of the three sports anyway. I had been swimming at the local community pool. For my occasional swims it made sense to be on a pay as you go $5 a swim type plan, but I never really enjoyed that pool. I hated swimming inside in the middle of summer and it seemed like the pool was always closed at times when I wanted to be swimming. Plus, I have never been a fan of community locker rooms.

A couple of months ago I finally took the plunge and joined a swim club that is just a half-mile from our house. For as often as I wanted to be swimming (3-4 times a week) the private club was just a few dollars more a month.

I cannot begin to describe just how much I love it. I mean, for one thing, they have an adult-only locker room with private showers. That alone is worth the few extra dollars a month. My favorite thing about the club, however, is that they have an outdoor pool that they keep heated to 80 degrees year round. It’s a funny experience to make a run from the heated indoors so that you can jump in the pool to warm up.

I’m usually a morning swimmer, but on occasion it is just impossible for me to get out of bed early for a swim. Yesterday was one of those days. Instead, I waited for my husband to get home (since we share a car) and then went for a late afternoon swim. Of course a late afternoon swim at this time of year in Seattle means the sun has gone down.

Surrounded by darkness, I hopped into the fog-covered pool. I put my headphones on and suddenly, even though I was sharing the pool with a swim team, I was transported to my own underwater space. Save for a few shadows, I was alone with my music and my thoughts.

Tired and hungry, it was eventually time to go. I came home to a house redolent with sage and garlic and was quite pleased to remember that I had left a pot of soup simmering on the stove. Simple yet delicious, it brought me back to reality and filled me up at the same time.

White Bean and Sage Soup

Author: ChefDJen, Notes from Home Plates

Recipe type: Soup

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 3 hours

Total time: 3 hours 15 mins

Serves: 4-6

Simple and inexpensive, this soup requires very little hands on time. Make it a meal by adding a simple salad and some crusty bread.

Ingredients

1 pound navy beans, picked through and rinsed (no need to soak)
8 cups water
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
6-8 ounce salt pork
2 sprig fresh sage, wrapped in a cheesecloth sachet
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Parmesan cheese rind (optional)

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a stockpot. Do not add salt as the salt pork will add a lot of saltiness to the soup. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 3-4 hours or until beans are tender.
Using tongs, remove and discard sage sachet and cheese rind. Move salt pork to a cutting board and cut the meaty portion of the piece into small pieces. Discard the fat. Add the meat back to the soup.
Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if desired.

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Posted by ChefDJen in beans, dinner, gluten-free, pork, soup | 1 Comment »

Friday, April 8th, 2011

Mashed Garbanzos, Roasted Beets, Harissa

Although it is completely out of the way, I adore a trip to Melrose Market on Capitol Hill in Seattle. I’ll stop by Rain Shadow Meats for naturally raised, local meat (essential for my Charcutepalooza endeavors) and eggs. Then I’ll visit The Calf and Kid for yummy, hard to find cheeses from very knowledgeable staff. Then I’ll check the vegetable selection at Marigold and Mint (and sometimes buy myself some flowers).

Lastly I’ll stop by Sitka and Spruce for lunch. They have a communal bar table right off of the open kitchen (one of the quietest kitchens I’ve ever seen). Every meal that I’ve eaten there has been just outstanding. The last, a couple of weeks ago, has stuck with me so that I wanted to try a hand at something like it at home.

The dish consisted of three parts, garbanzo beans blended into a thick, textured mash, beets that had been roasted, then dressed with a vinaigrette, all topped off with a generous dollop of harissa.

xxx

For the Harissa, I used this recipe from Saveur (minus the mint).

The recipe is pretty straightforward, so I won’t really go into it here, but I can add, make sure to wear gloves while you seed the peppers or you will really regret it later when you rub your eyes.

The harissa can be made way in advance. and then stored in the refrigerator until meal time.

xxx

Here’s the ingredients for the Beets.

I roasted the beets whole a couple of days prior to dinner. I wanted to keep the flavors simple so I made a really basic vinaigrette, tossed the beets in it and then set it aside. This could easily be stashed in the fridge for a couple of days.

xxx

And for the garbanzos.

I put a little olive oil in a pan and sauteed the onion until it was soft and translucent.

Then I tossed in the garlic and smoked paprika and cooked it for another 30 seconds.

Then I added two can of garbanzos with just enough of the liquid from one of the cans to not quite cover the beans. I let this mixture simmer for ten minutes or so.

Then I took the stick blender to the mix and pureed it a bit. I wanted quite a bit of texture, so I didn’t go to crazy with the blender. This too, could be cooled and then stashed in the fridge.

Finally all of the elements of my meal were ready. I spooned some of the mashed garbanzos into a shallow bowl then layered on some of the beets and a dollop of harissa.

While I’m not sure this was an exact replica of the meal at Sitka and Spruce it was mighty similar and extremely delicious. It takes a bit of time to assemble all the parts of this meal, but the work can be spread out and then the meal can be assembled quickly when it is time to eat. Sitka and Spruce served their version at room temperature. I served mine hot (though the beets were at room temperature) and then enjoyed the leftovers cold, right out of the refrigerator. All three temperatures were good.

MASHED GARBANZOS, ROASTED BEETS, HARISSA
serves two generously, with leftovers

I highly recommend a hunk of crusty bread to serve alongside the meal. Everything on the plate is a natural for dipping and scooping. The Harissa recipe from Saveur is great, but commercial Harissa is also available if you are interested in a shortcut.

for the garbanzos:
1 onion, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 cans garbanzo beans, drained, juice reserved

In a saucepan, heat a little olive oil and saute the onion until it is soft and translucent. Add the garlic and smoked paprika and saute for another 30 seconds. Add the beans and enough of the reserved juice to almost cover the beans. Simmer for 10 minutes then use an immersion blender to puree the beans slightly. Set aside.

for the beets:
1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
1-2 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
salt and pepper
6-8 beets, roasted, peeled and diced

Whisk together all of the ingredients to create a vinaigrette. Toss the beets in the vinaigrette. Set aside.

Assemble your plate by spooning some of the mashed garbanzos onto a plate or shallow bowl. Spoon on some of the roasted beets and add a dollop of Harrisa.

xxx

Posted by ChefDJen in beans, beets, condiments, dairy-free, dinner, gluten-free, vegetarian | No Comments »

Sunday, October 17th, 2010

Beans and Greens Soup

Lately I’ve been in the mood for soup. Maybe it’s because of the change of seasons (fall is, after all, the season of soup) but I think it’s more likely because I’ve been a little under the weather for a coupe of weeks. A bowl of soup can be a big bowl of comfort, warming you up and making you feel better from the inside out.

This soup could really not have been much easier. Throw some stuff in a pot. Cook for a couple hours. Throw some more stuff in the same pot. Cook for another hour or so. Eat.

xxx

I used purple and white carrots but that’s just because that is what I had in my crisper, orange carrots will work just fine. Same goes for the leeks, I could have used plain-ole onions but I was completely out of those, so leeks instead. Here’s the lineup.

To start, I threw the beans and a ham hock in a stock pot with a bunch of water. It’s a myth that beans need to be soaked overnight (they just take a little longer to cook if you don’t soak them).

I added a generous dose of salt to the pot after about an hour and let it continue to simmer for another hour or so (I kind of lost track of time after being sucked in to a movie). Once the beans were soft I dumped in everything else and let this simmer for another hour.

Once the collard greens were tender I took the ham hock out of the pot, let it cool for a while (until It was cool enough to handle) and then set to picking all the tasty goodness from the bones. I pulled all the meat from the hock, shredded it and then discarded the fat, gristle, bones and what not.

That shredded meat went back in the pot just to heat through and then It was time to eat. I decided to top the soup with a bit of pesto from the freezer (I had mixed herb pesto, but any pesto would work) and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. The pesto adds a nice bit of brightness to the flavor of the soup so I highly recommend this addition.

xxx

Served with a nice bit of crusty bread, this was a wonderful fall dinner. Warm, delicious and exactly what my beat-down body was craving.

xxx

BEANS AND GREENS SOUP
serves 6-8 as a main dish

This makes a ton of soup but it freezes well. Ham hocks and dried beans are very inexpensive ingredients so this soup is easy on the pocketbook.

1 pound dried white beans
1 smocked ham hock (may be sold as a ham shank)
10 cups water
4 leeks or 2 onions, chopped
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch collard greens, washed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cans diced tomatoes with juice
pesto (optional, but highly recommended)
Parmesan cheese (optional)

In a large pot combine the beans, ham hock and water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for two hours, or until the beans are tender adding a generous amount (a tablespoon or so) of salt about one hour into the cooking time.

Add the remaining ingredients to the pot and continue to simmer for another hour.

Remove the ham hock from the pot and let cool. Once it is cool enough to handle separate the meat from the bones and any large pieces of fat, then shred the meat. Return the shredded meat to the pot and heat through.

Ladle soup into bowls and top with Parmesan and pesto (if using).

Posted by ChefDJen in beans, dinner, fall, gluten-free, greens, pork, soup, tomatoes | No Comments »

Sunday, May 31st, 2009

The day before I got sick…

… I made this for dinner. Chicken and Black Bean Tacos (chicken marinated in spicy vinegar, cumin and chili powder plus black beans with cumin and red onion),

with Corn and Tomato Salsa (frozen corn, green bell pepper, tomato, red onion, lime juice),

and avocado relish (avocado, red onion, garlic, lime juice)

Delish.

Posted by ChefDJen in avocado, beans, chicken, Mexican | No Comments »

Saturday, March 21st, 2009

Chicken and Garbanzos over Lemony Chard and Tomatoes

A lot of the time I walk into the kitchen with no idea what I plan to make for dinner. This was one of those time. I basically just started pulling things out of the fridge (looking especially for things that were about to go wrong) trying to find items that would go nicely together.

I settled on a dish that took advantage of the one chicken breast and the half can of garbanzo beans that I had left over from earlier in the week. I also got some chard in my CSA box this week that I was ready to use and I had some cherry tomatoes that were starting to get wrinkly. For good measure I also decided to add a few sprigs of asparagus.

For the Lemony Chard and Tomatoes

1 bunch rainbow chard, stems separated, leaves and stems chopped
8 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 red onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lemon, juiced
1 tsp red pepper flakes

For the Chicken and Garbanzos

4 slice center-cut bacon, diced
2 small shallots, sliced
1 chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 clove garlic, minced
8 or so marinated artichokes
1/2 can garbanzo beans
2 Tbls fresh parsley, minced

For the Sauteed Asparagus

12 sprigs Asparagus
olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper

Now, I wanted all of this to finish up cooking at the same time, so that meant a bunch of pans and a bit of attention to timing.

In the chicken pan I sauteed the diced bacon, then removed it from the pan. Next I added the chicken and shallots to the pan and started them cooking. Meanwhile in the chard pan, I heated some olive oil then added my chard stems, tomatoes and red onion. Then, I heated olive oil in a third pan and tossed in the asparagus which I seasoned with salt and pepper.

Just as the chicken was finish cooking through I added the garlic, then I turned the pan down and added the artichokes and garbanzo beans to heat through. In the chard pan, I added a clove a garlic and the red pepper flakes let that saute for a few seconds and then added my chard leaves and the lemon juice. I let this saute until the greens were cooked through. While doing all this, I was tossing my asparagus occasionally so that it cooked evenly.

I added the cooked bacon and parsley to the chicken then checked everything for seasoning and plated it up. I started with a bed of Lemony Chard and Tomatoes, topped this with the Chicken and Garbanzos, then finished up with a few sprigs of asparagus and a sprinkle of parsley. I also made a bit of toast (buttered and seasoned with sea salt and black pepper) to accompany the meal.

The meal took on a definite Mediterranean feel. While I love bacon, in this dish it kind of vanished among all the other flavors, so I probably would leave this out and save the calories next time.

I loved the flavors of this dish. The chard had a bit of warmth from the chile flakes and a great tang from the lemon which contrasted nicely with the creaminess or the garbanzo beans. The husband said it was really good, but that it would have been “better without the leafy green stuff”. Fair enough, but I like the leafy green stuff and it’s good for us, so that’s what he is going to get. It pays to be the chef.

Posted by ChefDJen in asparagus, beans, chard, chicken | No Comments »

Thursday, March 12th, 2009

Lemony Lentil Soup

I was kind of tired tonight, and my sprained ankle is still bothering me, so I was looking for a lazy meal. Whenever I’m feeling lazy I turn to soup.

Soup is also a great way to empty out the crisper.

Here is what I found in the crisper (and the pantry).

1/2 leek, chopped
8 tiny yellow and orange carrots, peeled and chopped
4 really tiny russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes
4 cup chicken broth (veggie broth could be used)
2 cup water
1 cup french green lentils, rinsed
1 bunch of chard, leaves and stems chopped
2 zucchini, chopped
2 tablespoon sumac
1 lemon zested and juiced
2 tablespoon parsley, minced
1/2 cup sour cream

In a large pot I combined my leek, carrots, potatoes, garlic, tomatoes, broth, water, lentils and the chard stems. As this simmered I added the juice of half a lemon, the sumac and some salt and pepper. I let this simmer for about 40 minutes then added the zucchini and chard leaves. I let this simmer about 10 minutes longer.

While the soup was cooking, I combined the lemon zest and minced parsley with a bit of salt and pepper. I combined half of this mixture with the sour cream and then set them both aside.

I tested the soup for seasoning and decided to add the juice from the other half of the lemon and a bit more salt. To serve, I ladled my soup into a bowl and topped it with a dollop of the sour cream mixture and a sprinkle of the lemon zest-parsley mixture and sumac. I served the soup with a slice of toasty sourdough bread that I had sprinkled with olive oil, sea salt and black pepper.

While his was very tasty I think I may have liked it better without the potatoes, however the husband strongly disagreed. The soup was good on it’s own (very fresh tasting with the lemon), but the addition of the sour cream made it wonderful. The toasty bread was a very yummy accompaniment (way better than crackers).

Posted by ChefDJen in beans, carrots, chard, could be vegetarian, onion, potatoes, soup | No Comments »

Saturday, January 24th, 2009

Kale and Bean Ragout

Last night I decided to use the Lacinato Kale. I hadn’t ever used this type of kale so I did a little research before I started. I checked Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison for some ideas on how to cook the kale (and a bit of inspiration)

Here’s the ingredients

1 bunch kale, chopped
4 slices bread
oil
2-4 slices bacon, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 clove garlic, minced
red pepper flakes
1/2 cup or so marsala wine
1 can white beans
1 can diced tomatoes, drained (a last minute addition so they’re not in the photo)
leftover pork roast
lemon juice*

I started by blanching the kale in a pot of salted water. It took about 4 minutes until it was tender (much less than my reading said it should).

Meanwhile, I sliced my bread into cubes while I warmed up about a half inch of oil in a pan (I added a couple cloves of garlic to the oil to season it). Once the oil was hot I removed the garlic and added the bread in a single layer. After a few seconds I started tossing the bread with a slotted spoon so that it would brown on all sides. Once brown I removed the bread to a plate lined with paper towels and salted them immediately. A few of them got a little more crispy (read, burned) then I would prefer so I tossed them out, but my husband called the remaining croutons the best he’s had.

Now on to the main part of the dish. I started by cooking my bacon in a large skillet. One it was nice and crispy I took it out of the pan (leaving a bit of the fat) and then tossed in the onion, garlic, red pepper flakes and some salt. When the onions were translucent I added a couple of glugs of Marsala wine and my leftover pork roast. Now, obviously not everyone has pork roast just laying around and this could easily be substituted with some cooked chicken or it would make a lovely vegetarian meal (without the bacon of course). I let the wine reduce until it got a little thick than added my beans, tomatoes and blanched kale to heat through. Lastly I added a splash of fresh lemon and some salt and pepper.

To serve, I spooned the ragout into a bowl and topped it with my crispy bacon and a few croutons.

How was it? In one word, yummy. Excellent winter comfort food. Even my greens-hating husband called it tasty. I’d make it again in a heartbeat and I plan to add it to my repertoire for my personal chef clients.

*Last year I made lemoncello which only uses the rind of the lemons. I then juiced the lemons and froze the juice in an ice cube tray. I used one cube of juice (a couple of tablespoons).

Posted by ChefDJen in beans, could be vegetarian, kale, winter | No Comments »

Archive for the ‘beans’ Category

White Bean and Sage Soup

Mashed Garbanzos, Roasted Beets, Harissa

Beans and Greens Soup

The day before I got sick…

Chicken and Garbanzos over Lemony Chard and Tomatoes

Lemony Lentil Soup

Kale and Bean Ragout

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