The Benefits of Friends with Gardens: Butter Beans and Greens

I feel truly blessed that I have so many friends and colleagues who were kind enough to share the fruits of their gardens with me this Summer.

My dear friend and colleague, Elaine, brought me this gorgeous bounty from her brother's garden.  Elaine's brother's garden is his livelihood, so this is more than just a backyard patch of tilled soil with  His vegetables are featured throughout Farmer's Markets in the East Bay all Summer long, and Elaine has her pick of all vegetables, anytime.  I am so pleased that she though of me!

I have to say, these tomatoes we the most, red, ripe and luscious tomatoes I have had in a while.  Nothing like Summertime!

I made this salad above for an afternoon lunch with my dear friend, Neil.  The WHOLE salad looked spectacular, but alas, I lost the picture of the full platter on Instagram, due to an iPhone glitch.  Here are the leftovers I took to lunch the next day, which, I think, still looked good.

My folks are living in Italy for the next few months, so I was feeling a bit "Mediterranean".

Butter Beans and Greens
Here we have:
1 can of Butter Beans (cleaned out mom's pantry before her trip, thank you)!

Rinse and drain beans, then toss with:
2 chopped scallions
1 minced fresh red chili pepper, seeded (from the Farmer's Market)
2 roasted red peppers, chopped (another score from mom's pantry)
olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper to taste.
Set aside

Salad:
1 organic heart of romaine, chopped
2-3 cups fresh arugula (from the Farmer's Market)
1 large cucumber, seeded and chopped (from my dear friend, Tara's garden)
2 large garden tomatoes (from Elaine's garden)
1/3 cup kalamata olives (clean out the fridge)

Dress the salad greens with some olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper.  Toss with remaining vegetables, and then top with the beans.

We enjoyed this with a fresh baguette, and some pasta with roasted zucchini, eggplant and sweet peppers (pictured above) and tomatoes.  Buon Appetito ^_^

Chilis from the Farmer's Market - the one I used was right in the middle :)

Humble Home-Cooked Beans

I do love the convenience of canned beans, but a while back, I figured I'd get my tail in gear and learn how to make them from scratch.  Here was the first recipe I ever tried.

About the time I get home from work, Jamie Oliver's show, JAMIE AT HOME is usually on the Cooking Chanel.  I find myself drawn to this show because I am a HUGE fan of Jamie's simple and rustic style, and his drop-dead GORGEOUS garden (which he probably does not tend himself, but, oh well...)  Even thought there is meat on most of the plates he creates, I still find there is a lot of inspiration to be had here.

So when a vegan recipe comes along on his show, I get a little excited!

"My first thought when I saw these beans on a menu in Italy was "Beans on toast?" But then I tasted them. I felt pretty humbled that such a simple dish had been made to taste so gorgeous". Jamie Oliver


I don't think I'll ever buy white beans in a can again. I LOVE the flavor in this recipe!! It's finally nice and refreshing to see a bean recipe on network television, cooked from scratch, with OUT using bacon, salt pork or pancetta in the base :) This makes a wonderful side dish to a Mediterranean meal, or served as bruscetta over toasted garlic bread.

I did find his use of cherry tomatoes in the cooking liquid a bit out of the ordinary.  I had read TONS of cookbooks and blogs about cooking beans from scratch, and they all had the general consensus that acidic foods should NOT be used when cooking beans... But, I figured if it works for Jamie (and he has a cooking show, restaurants and cookbooks deals) it can work for me.  Plus, what's the harm in two cherry tomatoes with their skins on anyway...

HUMBLE HOME-COOKED BEANS

Ingredients
For the beans:
11 oz dried cannellini beans, soaked in cold water for at least 12 hours (the 11 oz is translated from the English original: 300 grams.  I used 1 lb of dried beans, and it was just fine)
3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
A few sprigs fresh thyme
A sprig fresh rosemary
3 bay leaves
1 stick celery, trimmed
1 small potato, peeled and halved
2 cherry tomatoes
Extra-virgin olive oil
Red wine vinegar
4 slices rustic Italian bread

• Drain the soaked beans, then give them a good wash.
• Place them in a deep pot and cover them with cold water.
• Throw in the garlic, herb sprigs, bay leaves, celery stick, potato and tomatoes.
• Place the beans on the heat and slowly bring to the boil.
• Cover with a lid and simmer very gently for 45 minutes to an hour, until soft and cooked nicely. Skim if necessary, topping up with boiling water from the kettle if you need to.
• When the beans are cooked, drain them in a colander, reserving enough of the cooking water to cover them halfway up when put back in the pot.
• Remove the garlic, herbs, celery, potato and tomatoes from the beans. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins and pinch the skin off the tomatoes.
• Put the garlic, tomatoes and potato onto a plate, mash them with a fork and stir back into the beans.
• Season well with salt and pepper, and pour in up to 3 TBSP of extra-virgin olive oil and a few splashes of vinegar.
• Serve on some toasted crusty Italian bread. I brushed mine with olive oil and garlic

I have to say, this could very well be my request for last meal! ^_^

So, if you have yet to venture into the world of dried beans, I encourage you to give it a go!  Not only can you save yourself lots of $$$, but the taste and texture of a fresh batch of home cooked beans beats canned any day...

Home-Style Refried Beans - Viva Vegan

If you're as big a Mexican food fan as I am, you've probably spiced up a can or two of refried beans in your lifetime.  Don't get me wrong, in a pinch, a good can o'refried beans makes one mean burrito, BUT taking the time to make, season, simmer and mash them from scratch really, REALLY makes a difference.  My all-purpose, standby recipe for giving some kick to canned pintos can be found here.  But I'm a sucker for trying new recipes...

Not very photogenic, but delicious indeed...

Enter VIVA VEGAN by Terry Hope Romero.  Perhaps, one of my most greatly anticipated cookbooks.  I am proud to say this was the first book that I purchased in E-Book form for my NOOK Color.

But, before I was able to actually buy Viva Vegan, I found the recipe for the coveted refried beans here online.

Home-Style Refried Beans
2 tbsp corn, peanut or olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small yellow onion, diced small
1 to 2 jalapeno or Serrano chilies, seeded and minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground chili powder such as ancho or a blend
2 (15 ounce) cans pinto, black or pink beans, drained and rinsed, or 3 - 4 cups cooked beans
1 bay leaf
2 cups water
Salt and fresh pepper

1. In a large heave cast-iron skilled, combine the oil and garlic and cook over medium heat. Allow the garlic to sizzle for 30 seconds, then add the onion and jalapeno. Using a wooden spoon to stir occasionally, fry until the onions turn translucent, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle in the cumin, oregano, and chili powder, and fry for another 30 seconds.

2. Stir in the beans, bay leaf, and water, and increase heat to medium-high. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to medium again and allow to simmer for 20 minutes, or until more than half the liquid has been absorbed, but about an inch of liquid remains.

3. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Use a potato masher to mash the beans smooth, then stir to form a thick, moist paste, anywhere from 5 to 8 minutes. If refried beans appear to dry out, add a little water a few tablespoons at a time, until your desired consistency is reached.

I really like the authenticity of this recipe, and I REALLY like how fresh the beans taste.  Like, you can really taste the bean itself, as well as all the yummy onion, garlic and chili.  (hooray for chili, and please use the full two (2) that Terry's recipe calls for, don't be shy)!

The first time I made this recipe, I was fortunate enough to have JUST soaked and simmered a luscious pot of pinto beans from scratch:



In here, we have a pound of soaked beans, covered with fresh water 1-2 inches above the tops of the beans.  I then added to that, a white onion, halved, a bay leaf, 1 tsp each of whole cumin and coriander seeds, and finally, sprigs of fresh thyme and oregano, courtesy of the Farmer's Market.  Bring liquid to a boil, partially cover and reduce heat and then simmer beans for 1-1 1/2 hours, or until tender.  If any foam develops, skim surface as needed.

Once your delicious pot of beans is cooks, use Terry's recipe to spice them up, simmer, and MASH!  Use for burritos, nachos, tostadas or just serve warm over rice.