Back to the Future

Now that I'm no longer stressing about Thanksgiving I can go back to focusing on making easy dinners. The holiday leftovers lasted for one long week despite how hard we tried to incorporate them into every single meal (including bag lunches). I think I've had more turkey in the last 8 days than I have in my entire life, and I'm not happy about it. I've never been a fan of turkey and even the delicious garlic-cream pasta with spinach that I made last week for dinner seemed to mind that I deigned to add in some leftover turkey. But now all that has passed and I'm ready to go back to cooking from scratch. Unfortunately, while I was in the fifth circle of leftover hell, the majority of late fall's appetizing seasonal ingredients seem to have disappeared from most farmers markets. Some brussels sprouts can be found lingering and there are still plenty of winter squashes to be had, but other than that I'm left mostly with tubers and roots, which is when I predictably turn to soups and stews. It's not completely hopeless (yet) for a seasonal locavore such as myself, but until my winter CSA starts up in two weeks, I'll have a little bit of a challenge.

One of the things I can always count on regardless of the season is my pantry, the one little cheat that I allow myself when what's is season just doesn't satisfy. Cannellini beans can most often be seen coming to my rescue. They're a great bit of added protein that can really pull together a meal if you have a few ingredients that still need a little "something". I had a big bag of carrots still going strong and a few turnips and potatoes that I knew I needed to be used soon. These ingredients wouldn't amount to much on their own since they're in the same flavor and texture range, but with the addition of a little texture and an injection of flavor, you could really make all of the ingredients sing harmoniously. In the way of texture I popped open two trusty cans of cannellini beans, which would bring in a creamy mouth-feel and a slight legume nuttiness that would contrast really nicely with the firm, potatoes and sweet carrots. For added flavor I browned up some spicy sausage that I knew had smoked paprika and cayenne pepper, which would also lend some color to the dish.

I originally thought of making a hash, but the thought of having to chop everything teeny tiny or grating all of those vegetables after a log day at work made me change my mind. Instead I decided I'd make a winter vegetable soup with sausage and serve it with a side of arugula salad. The most time consuming part was preparing the vegetables, but it really only took me about 20 minutes total to wash, peel and chop everything (I did a rough 1/2 inch dice on all veggies--it didn't really need to be too perfect). I don't like the way onions feel in soup but love the flavor, so I just quartered mine and sauteed them in extra virgin olive oil with two cloves of garlic (smashed) and all of the vegetables. Before anything browned I removed the onions and garlic and added in a few cups of chicken stock. While everything came up to a boil and the vegetables cooked in the chicken stock (and added flavor to it) I began to brown the sausage in a separate skillet. Once the vegetables were tender I added the sausage and the beans and let them cook at a low boil until warmed through. That's all it took and it was hearty without being heavy, and all of the fall/winter veggies played their part. You could do this easily with any of your favorite veggies, not to mention you could even toss in some greenery like spinach, chard or turnips greens (ooh, ooh, or kale, yeah, kale!). It's a great way to make use of veggies or beans, and you could even switch up the type of beans. Once I get my slow cooker under control (after the holidays) I hope to start cooking dry beans en masse so I can forgo the canned ones for a while. But for now, they're still my pantry saviors. Here's how to make this soup yourself:

Winter Veggie Soup

3 small carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 medium potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
3 large or 5 small turnips, peeled and roughly chopped
1 onion, quartered
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 cans of cannellini beans, rinsed
4 spicy sausages (like hot Italian, andouille or chorizo), casings removed
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
8 low sodium cups chicken stock
salt
pepper

1. In a large pot, sweat onion and garlic in olive oil until slightly softened and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add carrots, potatoes and turnips and sauté briefly (about 30 seconds) before removing onion and garlic from pan (you can discard them). Cover with stock and cook until vegetables are tender.

2. Meanwhile, brown sausage in a skillet and set aside. When the vegetables are cooked, add beans and sausage to the pot and cook on medium low until beans are heated through and the sausage has colored the soup (about 5 minutes). Serve and enjoy!

-Laura

The 200 Mile Brunch

I am so excited, I just might burst. I need to relieve the pressure. May I boast for just a moment? I promise to keep it short. This weekend I had my friend Gloria over for a simple birthday brunch. It was a gorgeous, sunny Sunday morning, a welcome break from the gloomy, depressing, if not apocalyptic weather of the past two weeks here in New York. I'd been looking for a reason to make a delicious frittata from my brand new cookbook, and this was clearly it. I normally don't eat breakfast or bother to cook lunch on the weekends, so this was the perfect occasion to bust out the dish. Before I even started with the eggs I popped some country style biscuits into the oven, perfuming the entire apartment with buttery goodness, and made some fresh iced tea oozing with lemon juice and garnished with paper thin lemon slices.

But it's not the iced tea, or the biscuits, or even the frittata itself that have me giddy. It's what went into the frittata. Every single element with one exception was local and organic, something that I've been trying very hard to make the norm in my house for quite some time. The eggs were local and free-range, the spring onion and green garlic that flavored the beans were from my CSA, and the thyme came right from my little urban garden, making the long trip from my living room windowsill to my kitchen, not 20 feet away. The beans are my only downfall. They are organic, but I imagine not local, since I have yet to see white beans at any farmers market (except the occasional French flageolet bean--used in cassoulet--that costs about 18 bucks a pound). But I am proud of myself nonetheless, especially when I realized that I hadn't gone supermarket shopping in about 8 months. Sure, I stop in for a random specialty ingredient every now and then, and pantry staples like oils and such, but otherwise I lived primarily off of the farmers market when cooking at home. It's a small step for mankind, but a massive leap for my diet and the quality of my food.

But enough about me, lets get back to the delicious food at hand. This is a stove-top frittata, so no need to bust out the oven-safe pots and pans. It's on the thin side, but very tender and with added crunch from crispy beans. They're cooked first on their own with spring onion, garlic and thyme (all things not included in the original recipe) in a few drops of olive oil. They're allowed to crisp and brown as the oil is absorbed and the pan dries up, all before adding the egg. The inside remains soft while a light and crispy crust forms on the outside, giving the beans more flavor and excellent texture. After pulling them aside to rest on a plate, all you have to do is start the eggs in a non-stick skillet as if starting an omelet. Once the eggs are almost entirely cooked through on the bottom and edges, add the beans and cook until the eggs are fully done (the recipe suggests leaving them runny, but I don't really like that for this preparation). Here's the recipe with my changes, which also reduces the quantity so it's one large frittata (about 10 inches in diameter) instead of the 4 smaller ones in the book. It's more than enough for one person, but could also be split for two with a side of home fries or a salad.

Crispy White Bean Frittata
adapted from Made in Spain: Spanish Dishes for the American Kitchen

1 cup cooked white beans like cannellini, or half of 1 15 oz can of white beans, drained
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 spring onion, thinly sliced
1 small head of green garlic, minced, or 1 clove regular garlic, minced
1/4 tsp thyme, coarsely chopped
extra virgin olive oil
salt
freshly cracked pepper

1. Heat 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Add spring onions and garlic (reserve a few for garnish), cooking for one minute until fragrant (do not brown). Add beans, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring infrequently so they get a chance to brown on both sides. Once browned, remove beans to a plate and set aside.

2. Add more oil to the pan (just enough to keep the frittata loose) and the eggs. Season with salt and pepper and swirl the pan so the eggs are spread in a thin, even layer. Once they're cooked through on the bottom, add the beans. Keep swirling the pan occasionally to keep frittata from sticking, and remove to a plate once the eggs are cooked. Garnish with remaining spring onions and enjoy!

-Laura

Patience Is A Virtue

While it's not always true, sometimes good things are worth the wait. I often times have an ingredient at home that I'm dying to use. Maybe because it's I've been waiting months for it to be in season, or because I had it at a restaurant, or because it's new to me and I want to play with it. Other times it's something that I love that I just don't see being used often enough. That's exactly what happened months ago when I realized that I loved Israeli couscous, but rarely saw it in use. I'd occasionally see it pop up under a flank steak or lamb shank, but otherwise it was pretty much absent from any menu. So, I took matters into my own hands and headed over to the Greek spice shop that hides in the shadow of Port Authority. Inside were grains, spices and beans sold by the pound at very affordable prices. After scooping a few pounds of Israeli couscous into a brown paper bag I paid for my purchase and happily headed home. 

For months the bag sat on my pantry shelf, looming over me and begging to be used. Try as I might to work it into the many recipes I make a week, it never seemed to make the cut, and I suddenly understood why I wasn't seeing much of it elsewhere either. Fortunately, I never allowed myself to forget about it, because all I needed was the right inspiration to come up with an idea. Flipping through a few back issues of Real Simple, I came across a story about easy dinners. One of them was a lemony shrimp dish with white beans over traditional couscous. It was the perfect dish to serve over Israeli couscous, and just like that, I'd found a great use for my secret ingredient. The one thing I knew I had to do was to add a little more zip and flavor to the Israeli couscous. While I do like it plain, simply salted and drizzled with olive oil, the shrimp and beans were in such a light and simple sauce (lemon butter sauce), that I wanted something that would bring added flavor to the dish and not just come off as a bland carb component. So, I added a little saffron to the water I cooked the couscous in to give it that little extra Mediterranean flair and flavor. It also gave it a gorgeous amber hue that looked great against the coral shrimp and pale beans. 

The dish wasn't quite done in 20 minutes as promised (those fresh jumbo shrimp weren't going to peel themselves), but it certainly was very fast in light of how much you get for the 30 minutes or so it actually takes to prepare. It's super well rounded, very tasty, and great to make for company. Not to mention, it's a very light and complete meal that does a great job of ushering in warmer weather (I can totally imagine eating this outside with a glass of great white wine). I switched up a few other minor things, like using less scallions (4 seemed excessive for the portion) and adding a little olive oil to the butter to keep it from burning, and also to use a little less butter. Everything else was great, and the dish stands to become a new staple for me. The beans were a great idea, and a great bit of added protein and sweetness. I could even see the dish working with other types of beans, even black beans or another legume like chick peas. You could dress it up a number of ways, maybe by adding fresh tomatoes in the summer and a little white wine in the sauce. Olives or capers would add a tasty bit of sour bite, too, not to mention what anchovies would add to the simple butter sauce. In the end, it was more than worth the wait for my couscous to finally flourish into the perfect, easy dish. Hopefully others will have the same epiphany, and in the meantime, I'll keep using this wonderful ingredient as much as possible. Here's what I ended up doing:

Lemon-Butter Shrimp with White Beans and Saffron Scented Israeli Couscous

1 1/2 cups Israeli couscous

3 cups of water

3-4 strands of saffron

2 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 scallion, chopped

1 lb medium or jumbo shrimp, peeled

1 15.5 oz can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

juice of 1 lemon

salt 

pepper

1. Bring salted water to a rolling boil and add Israeli couscous and saffron. Cook uncovered until couscous is done (soft but still al dente), about 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat butter, olive oil, garlic and scallions in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook for 30 seconds, then add shrimp and cook until pink and done, about 2 minutes. Add beans, lemon juice, and parsley, season everything with salt and pepper to taste, tossing to combine. Cook until warmed through, about 1 minute.

3. Drain couscous (you can reserve the liquid for a soup, rice or regular couscous) and plate, topping with shrimp and bean mixture. Enjoy!

-Laura

Mon Petit Chou, Part Deux

I'm not sure about where you live, but the weather here in NYC has slowly been getting milder, and with it my impatience for spring and it's culinary bounty have hit an all-time high. My last visit to the farmers market for fresh produce was met with little more than the remnants of winter roots, and I left with a bag full of cabbage and the hope that my new herb plants could tide me over until conditions improved. So this week, as the temperature rose to a lovely spring-like 60 degrees, I found myself wishing for something more than the ugly reminders of winter sitting in my fridge. But since that's what I had and I didn't want it to go to waste, I figured I'd just have to find a way to work with what was hopefully the last of my winter supply. Inspired by the recent festivities of St. Patrick's Day, I figured I could take my leftover tiny head of cabbage and make a modern (and significantly tastier) cabbage soup. And since I don't believe in simply boiling bacon (how could they mess that one up?), I decided to make mine chock full of meaty goodness.

This is a really great way to use up an entire head of cabbage without feeling as if you're going to OD on the stuff. I don't really know anyone that looks forward to a big, fat plate of cabbage, so a soup is a natural vehicle for making it more palatable. The first time I had cabbage soup was during a cold and rainy trip through Ireland. I was a college student at the time and was told that the best way to see Ireland in a weekend was to take a bus tour. And so, I spent two and a half days on a bus that improbably wound it's way through dirt roads and up the many rolling green hills of Ireland, spilling gas and exhaust all over the ruins and ancient abbeys where we paused. There was almost no food and lots of Irish whiskey, until our last day when the tour guide/bus driver/purveyor of whiskey insisted we eat a proper Irish dinner at a proper Irish pub. The options seemed bleak (has no one in Ireland heard of frying?), but ever the intrepid foodie, I went full force, ordering the cabbage and boiled bacon soup. Needless to say, it was bland and managed to make bacon look and taste worst than the sole of my shoe. I was put-off from any soup containing cabbage for years, but have recently redeemed the poor vegetable as one that needs a little more TLC to reach it's full potential.

And so I began by browning the sausage (chicken-apple) then removing it and sauteing the cabbage in the sausage oil and brown bits until it was slightly wilted. Then I added thinly sliced garlic, rosemary, and a hint of salt and pepper. Once it was reduced in volume (by half) and half cooked, I added some tomato paste, parsley and a hint of paprika. Then I added the beans and chicken broth, bringing the whole thing to a boil until the cabbage softened a bit more, but still had a tiny bit of bite (no mushy cabbage here!). The sausage went back into the pot and the whole dish was ready to be served. I made this as a quick after work dinner (all done in 30 minutes), with canned beans, but you could certainly use fresh beans for that slow cooked taste and thick, starchy consistency. It's really well rounded with the tiniest hint of spice, and could be even more filling and hearty for colder days with the addition of a few potatoes. Here's my recipe, I hope it helps tide you over until Spring is officially here!

Cabbage Soup With Sausage, Chorizo And White Beans

1 small head of cabbage, cored and thinly sliced

1 15 oz can of white beans (cannellini beans or great northern), rinsed and drained

4 cups of chicken broth

2 mild flavored sausages (I used chicken-apple), sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 dry chorizo, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

2 Tbsp fresh parsley

1/2 Tbsp tomato paste

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp fresh rosemary

extra virgin olive oil

salt

pepper

1. In a soup pot, brown sausage (not chorizo) in olive oil until dark and crispy on the outside. Remove to a plate and set aside. Add cabbage to the pot and saute until slightly wilted and reduced in volume by half. Add garlic and rosemary and saute until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

2. Stir in tomato paste and paprika and  cook until dissolved, about 30 seconds. Add beans, chorizo and broth and bring to a boil. Cook until cabbage is done (not mushy, with a little bite), and add the sausage before serving. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

-Laura

Recession Special Recipe: Pasta with Sausage, Greens and White Beans

Today we have a nice treat in the second installment of the Recession Special: a super tasty restaurant recipe that is as affordable as it is easy to make. During a recent trip to Mia Dona (chef Michael Psilakis and restauranteaur Donatella Arpaia's place), one dish on the rustic Mediterranean menu sounded plain but just seemed to scream "winter". It was a simple pasta dish of orecchiette, kale, sausage, and white beans. There was no particular sauce, nothing gloppy or saucy to overpower the lovely pieces of the dish. Instead, it was all held together by the sum of it's parts: fresh ingredients working together in perfect balance. The sausage was spicy, but not overpowering, and the kale was cooked perfectly, providing a little toothy bite. The white beans were unexpected in pasta, but sweet and delicious, adding a lovely contrast to the heartiness of the kale and the heat from the sausage.

The trick to mastering this dish is taking advantage of an old restaurant trick that hasn't translated to every home cook quite yet: pasta water. Every chef-authored book or novel I've read so far has touted the many uses of pasta water in a restaurant kitchen. It quite literally becomes the glue that holds any noodle based dish together. The advantage in a restaurant is that the same water may be used over and over, infusing it with the wonderful starchy qualities that make it indispensable. It's also nice and salty, so seasoning is a cinch. The best explanation as to why we should never strain pasta and always remove it with tongs (for long noodles) or a slotted spoon or spider (for short pastas) that I've read is in Bill Buford's excellent book Heat. He explains the entire history of how we got into the habit of straining pasta and letting all that tasty, useful liquid go right down the drain. This is a very, very important trick for recreating any restaurant pasta dish. A truly great restaurant pasta dish is always light and fresh, even when it involves a cream or tomato sauce. Using the pasta water and the fat of your choice (olive oil, butter, etc...) to your advantage is the first and most important step towards making any restaurant quality pasta dish at home.

This recipe in particular is very accessible because the ingredients are fairly interchangeable to suit your needs. For example, you don't have to use kale if you can't find any or don't like it--any hearty green will do. I used rainbow swiss chard for added color in my dish, and just made sure to leave it a bit al dente to replicate that bite. As far as the sausage, the important thing is that it have a bit of spice. I used a spicy chicken and apple sausage, just to up the winter ante. A cheapy can of cannellini beans and your pasta of choice round out the dish, which shouldn't cost you more than 10-12 dollars total to feed 4. And since the dish is not sauce heavy, any noodle of your liking will do. Here's the basic recipe I came up with, so take it and make it your own!

Pasta with Spicy Sausage, Greens and White Beans

1 box dried pasta

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

3 large spicy sausages (removed from casing if fresh, sliced if fully cooked)

4 cups hearty greens (kale, swiss chard, mustard or collard greens)

1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

extra virgin olive oil

salt

pepper

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, reserving pasta water when done (about 2 cups).

2. Heat olive oil (about 2 tablespoons) in a very large non-stick skillet and add sausage. Cook until browned, then add cannellini beans and a pinch of salt, cooking about 2 minutes until heated through.

3. Add pasta to skillet, tossing to coat. Add 1/2 cup pasta water, butter, parmesan cheese and the greens (in batches) until just wilted. Toss to coat and season the entire dish with salt and pepper. Add more pasta water as necessary until the dish is moist but not runny. Top with parmesan cheese and enjoy!

-Laura 

Your Restaurant Is My Restaurant

Lately, my mind has been reeling with restaurant inspired dishes. I've been eating out a lot lately, and while eating great food from the comfort of a padded banquette without the inconvenience of washing dirty dishes is what people tend to love most about eating out, I'm otherwise inclined. Of course I enjoy being catered to as well, but what I really enjoy is picking apart each dish, tasting the subtlety of flavor combinations, and most importantly, figuring out if I can make it at home.The truth is that in 90% of the cases, anyone that loves to cook and studies food and flavors (even in the most elementary way) certainly can. While I understand that most people don't enjoy making food as cerebral an endeavor as I do, I also know that five minutes of thoughtful analysis can help all of us make the leap from just putting food on the table to making an enviably delicious meal. And if we're really honest, isn't the best part of cooking being told how amazing the meal you made was? I thought so.

While I'm still working out recipes for some of the most impressive dishes I've had recently, one dinner last week was inspired by a restaurant dish I had as a kid. My mother loves minestrone, traditionally made with heaps of veggies and tomatoes. I don't really care for it, but I do love pasta fagioli, because of the little tube-like noodles and beans. I don't love tomato based soups in general because I find that the tomato often overshadows all of the other ingredients that I much prefer. But some restaurants get the balance just right, where each ingredient gets it's equal time to shine. Years ago I had an amazing white pasta fagioli, and I've been searching for another one ever since. It had no tomato base, and was on the chunkier side, almost like a soupy pasta dish, with all of the ingredients resting in a light and spicy broth.

There was no better time to make my own version than the present, when I was feeling a little kitchen lazy but very hungry. After a little research I discovered that I was not the only one that yearned for this type of recipe, and ended up taking a few tasty sounding renditions and making a hodge podge. The tastiest one was topped with pesto, an idea that I immediately appropriated as my own. The dish turned out great, and in fact became the disposal for my leftover veggies. I used white cannellini's and green beans, and then folded in some leftover arugula. The broth was spicy with red pepper flake, and the pesto added all the rest of the herbs and seasoning needed, not to mention a nice rounded, salty kick from the cheese. I don't see any reason why this wouldn't work with whatever you have leftover in your fridge, not to mention it's a great way to fool the kids into eating their veggies (especially if you top it with some extra cheese and pesto). I'll certainly be using it the next time I want something hearty that helps clean out my crisper, or when I want something hearty and easy that can use my freezer veggies. Here's how to do it:

White Pasta Fagioli With Pesto

1 1/2 cups ditalini or other short tube pasta

1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1/2 tsp dried red pepper flake

1 15 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup pesto (store bought is fine)

1 cup fresh, frozen, or leftover green beans

2 cups loosely packed greens like spinach or arugula

1. Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente, about 7 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of cooking liquid before draining.

2. Meanwhile, bring broth and red pepper flake to a simmer in a nonstick skillet. Add beans and cook until heated through, then add green beans and continue simmering until heated through.

3. Stir in pasta, greens and pesto, reserving 1 tsp of pesto to top each dish when plating. Stir to combine until greens are wilted. Taste for seasoning and add pasta water 1/4 cup at a time if more liquid is needed. Enjoy!

-Laura

Where You Bean?

There's a lot more to buying from a farmer's market than just getting the freshest, most seasonal produce. There's also an opportunity to encounter new foods and varieties of fruits and vegetables. Throughout the course of this summer, I've learned about at least 10 new types of produce that I was completely unfamiliar with (like purple beans, miniature heirloom sweet peppers and French radishes), by simply paying regular visits to my local greenmarket. Last weekend I came across a completely new strain (to me, anyway) of shell beans called cranberry beans. They look a lot like shell fava beans, only they're streaked with lovely magenta striations, hence their colorful name.

I'd never cooked with shell beans before, which are really just fresh beans that are still housed in their long pods. They cook much faster than dried beans and don't require any soaking time to rehydrate, not to mention that much like their dry counterparts, they're pretty dirt cheap (mine were 68 cents!). Once they're out of those cozy little pods, cranberry beans actually look a lot like white cannellini beans, but are slightly stronger in flavor, bringing a slight tartness to the party that mild cannellini's don't quite have. But that doesn't mean you can't apply the same cooking techniques to these little guys. I actually took a page from the white bean playbook myself, making a dish based on a combination of two classic Spanish dishes.

During the period of Lent in Spain, Fridays are usually reserved for fish dishes. One of the most well balanced and beloved dishes served during that period is cod fish with chickpeas (or beans) and spinach, which also tends to have a few potatoes thrown in for good measure. It's a great meat substitute even without the fish, since the spinach is packed with iron, and both beans and chickpeas are packed with low-fat, heart healthy protein. The potatoes balance everything out by bringing in some carbohydrates. This dish is a great way to eat vegetarian during the week and still have something delicious, filling and healthy. 

I changed up the way I made it this time since I had the benefit of using fresh beans. Taking a tip from Jamie Oliver's Humble Beans, I cooked them along with a few veggies and skin-on garlic. When the beans were done, I peeled the skin off of the tomatoes and garlic, mashed them in a bowl, and added them back to the drained beans. I then sauteed the beans with potatoes (cooked with the beans) and some frozen spinach (fresh would have been better but it's all I had). I added some reserved cooking liquid for moisture, red pepper flake for heat, a few good glugs of olive oil, and a splash of red wine vinegar. The dish turned out great, and I didn't even miss the fish. Not to mention, it'd be great on toast or crostini.

Cranberry Beans with Spinach and Potatoes

1 1/2 cups fresh or dried cranberry beans (or other medium size white bean)

2 tomatoes (or 1 very large one)

1/2 an onion

3 garlic cloves

3 dried bay leaves

1 large potato or 2 small, peeled and diced

1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained, or 2 cups packed fresh spinach

1/2 teaspoon ground thyme

1/2 teaspoon ground rosemary

1 teaspoon red pepper flake

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

olive oil

salt

pepper

1. Cover beans, tomatoes, onion, garlic and bay leaves with cold water and bring to a boil in a large pot. Simmer on medium-low heat until beans are almost cooked through, about 50 minutes (longer if you are using dried beans) then add potatoes to the pot. 

2. When the potatoes and beans are tender, reserve half of the cooking liquid and remove the tomatoes, onion, and garlic from the pot. Discard the onion, but keep the tomato and garlic on a plate. Peel the tomatoes and garlic and mash them with a fork. Drain potatoes and beans and set aside. 

3. In a skillet, heat up olive oil (about 3 Tbsp) along with the mashed tomatoes and garlic. Add the potato and bean mixture, thyme, rosemary, red pepper flake and black pepper. Saute for a minute then slowly add 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking liquid. Check for salt and season to taste. Add spinach and cook another 30 seconds (or until fresh spinach has wilted). If the mixture appears dry, continue adding cooking liquid (I used about 1/3 cup total). Add vinegar and cook another 2 minutes until flavors come together. Check one last time for salt. Enjoy!

-Laura

Cool Beans

Spain's recent success in the area of sports has provided me with several occasions for entertaining. From the first soccer gathering I posted my tapenade recipe, one of many no cook party dishes always kept in my back pocket. After all, the cramped spaces of a small New York City apartment are never pleasant in the sweltering summer heat, and no matter how strong your air conditioner, the oven and even the stove top are certain to become the enemy of any host. In order to avoid experiencing summer hostess meltdown, I keep a few easy to assemble, day ahead appetizers in my repertoire, and pepper my offerings with a new dish or two.

During the championship game last weekend I served a delicious new dish inspired by various experiences. As I planned the menu for the second gathering it became clear that even though there would be twice as many people in attendance, I couldn't simply serve last weekend's dishes. So, I kept the tapenade because it's always popular and, frankly, who celebrates Spain without olives? But, my white bean dip had been seen at more than one gathering and therefore needed to be replaced. In it's place I decided to make something that wasn't a dip, but would instead already be assembled and guests could just bite into or pop in their mouths. I love the ideas of little crostini's and bruschetta's because they're so easy to make, but always impressive (which is why I never order them at restaurants).

Because I love white beans and how prevalent they are in Spanish cuisine, I went with a white bean tostada (the Spanish equivalent of a crostini). It's really easy to make and can be done at least an hour or two ahead of time and reheated. And like any yummy bean or legume dish, it almost tastes better as a leftover. It's an almost effortless and ridiculously cheap dish, especially considering how great it looks and tastes. Not to mention, it actually tastes better with canned white beans (genius!), and my favorite brand (Goya) is only 89 cents a can. Chock full of spices, wine, and extra virgin olive oil, this tostada is full of flavor, and no one has to know you made it in 20 minutes.

White Bean Tostada

1 can white (cannellini) beans, rinsed and drained
1 shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flake
1/2 tsp rosemary, ground
1/2 tsp thyme, ground
1/2 tsp sage, ground
1/4 tsp cumin, ground
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 cup white wine
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
juice of half a lemon
good extra virgin olive oil
salt
black pepper

1. Heat olive oil (about 1/4 cup), shallot and garlic over medium low heat. Sweat until softened and do not allow to brown, about 5 minutes.

2. Add beans and cook on medium heat another 2 minutes until heated through, then stir in all of the spices and cook another minute. Add white wine and cook another minute, then add balsamic vinegar, a drizzle of olive oil and toss to coat. Serve on toasted country bread or spiced cheese crackers. Enjoy!

-Laura

How To Make Avocados Better Without Really Trying

Just like an underrated actor, some ingredients have a way of getting typecast. There is no better example of this than the avocado. I think very few people look at the avocado in their kitchen (because they should never go in the fridge) and think anything but "Guacamole tonight!" Sure, this delicious dip is an excellent showcase for the flavor and texture of the luscious avocado, but it hardly does the versatility of this delicious fruit justice. It's also a perfect topping for sandwiches, a wonderful emulsifier for dressings, and certainly my favorite part of any salad.

That's why, when I was offered some avocados leftover from a photo shoot, I jumped at the chance to bring one home. I was then, of course, faced with the dubious task of figuring out what to make that wasn't incredibly cliché (like, say... guacamole). After giving it some thought I was torn between one of my favorite sandwiches and a simple avocado and bean salad. It turns out that one avocado is actually more than enough to make both dishes, so I went for both. The sandwich was just toasted whole grain bread smeared liberally with chipotle mayo, a nice neat stack of bacon, and cool, tender slices of avocado. It was quick, easy, and perfectly balanced.


The salad was something I'd been eager to try for some time, since avocado is more often than not paired with black beans. I decided to pair it with one of my favorite beans, the soft, plump, and mild flavored cannellini. I threw in some chorizo, one finely chopped jalapeño, half an avocado and dressed the whole thing with lime juice and olive oil. It was simple and light with really clean flavors, and actually made a great companion dish for my sandwich. I served it at room temperature, but certainly you can chill it in the fridge for a bit, or even add some tomatoes and cilantro and make it a bean salsa (it would look great with blue corn chips in particular). Since the sandwich was basically just an assembly job, here's what I came up with for the salad:

Avocado and White Bean Salad

1 16 oz can cannellini beans, drained, rinsed and dried
1/2 cup cooked chorizo, chopped
1/2 an avocado, chopped
1/4 cup lime juice
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
extra virgin olive oil (to taste, but about 2 Tbsp)
coarse salt
pepper

1. Combine beans, chorizo and avocado in a bowl and drizzle with lime juice (this will keep avocado from going brown) and stir to combine. Drizzle with vinegar and olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine and serve. Enjoy!

-Laura

Bean And Not Heard

If you asked my grandfather what he wanted to eat, day or night, his answer was always the same: "I want beans." Beans are a little acknowledged staple in Spanish cooking, particularly in the winter. Many of the most well known soups from the north of Spain (like Fabada and Caldo Gallego) where I'm from, are bean soups and are extremely easy to make. But beans are good for more than just soups and stews. They make great salads, side dishes and purees, and are really good for you. They're a great source of lean protein (better than any meats) and have been proven to dramatically lower your cholesterol and risk of heart disease, which explains why they're considered by some to be a superfood.

I try to eat them at least once a week, and last week when I just couldn't muster up the strength to make a full meal after work, I decided to take a cue from my grandfather and make some beans and a side salad. Beans are incredibly affordable, especially if you buy them dried, but even the canned variety give you a lot of bang for your buck. I always keep the pantry stocked with at least three different kinds just for weeks like this one. I wasn't sure exactly what I'd make with them, but I wanted something quick and easy. After rinsing them under cold water for a minute (it's important to get that sugary, starchy liquid off of canned beans) I decided that I'd keep it simple and just sauté cannellini beans in really good extra virgin olive oil with garlic and a few dry spices. There are a million easy ways to make these beans, and I often cook them with bacon, artichokes, chorizo, or even red pepper flakes for heat, but this time I just wanted a nice glistening plateful of beans with clean flavors, and maybe a splash of lemon juice.

The dish turned out great. So good, in fact, that I'm thinking of making a simple puree with the leftovers to accompany another meal. I make several pureed soups out of cannellini's, in addition to many dips and spreads when I entertain. If you have a food processor they can be a huge time saver, and keep you from having to turn on your stove top. Just make sure you have some olive oil on hand and add in some of your favorite ingredients--sun dried tomato and basil make a great dip, or bliz it up with rosemary and sauteed onions, then add it to a pan with some rendered bacon and you have a great soup--the combinations are endless. Here's what I did to make my easy dinner beans:

Cannellini Beans with Thyme and Rosemary (enough for 2 people)

1 19 oz can cannellini beans
3 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
lemon wedges (for garnish)

1. Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil with garlic in a non stick skillet on medium heat.

2. Meanwhile, drain beans and run under cold water for a minute to remove starchy liquid. Make sure they're as dry as possible.

3. Add beans to pan along with salt and pepper to taste. Add the dried spices and cook until warmed through. Add more olive oil if the beans look dry.

4. Plate and top with another slosh of olive oil. Serve with lemon wedges for a little bit of acid. Enjoy!

-Laura