2 tablespoons olive oil
1-1/2 cups chopped onion
8 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup chopped jalapeños with seeds (optional)
2 cups dried beans (black or other), soaked for a couple hours and drained
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
8 cups (or more) chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
Lime wedges

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic and optional jalapeños; sauté 5 minutes. Mix in beans and spices. Add 8 cups stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until beans are tender, stirring occasionally, about 1-2 hours. Working in batches, puree soup with cilantro in blender (or in pot with an immersion blender). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring soup to simmer, thinning with more stock if necessary. Ladle into bowls. Serve, passing lime wedges separately.  (Can be prepared 1 day ahead).

- www.epicurious.com

 

There are endless variations on the basic, satisfying theme of beans and rice.  This is just one way to get started with dry beans.  

2 tablespoons butter, oil or lard
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 pound beans, soaked (soak for a few hours if you have time, then drain off the soaking water, then cover the beans again with enough water to go over the top by an inch or two)
1 small shallot or scallion or garlic
1 pound smoked sausage, cut into 2-inch pieces
Salt and black pepper to taste
Parsley, chopped (optional)

Sauté onions, shallot, and garlic in oil until softened.  Add the beans and second soaking liquid, bring to a boil, and simmer for an hour or so.  Check occasionally to make sure there is enough liquid and add more as necessary.

Add salt and continue cooking until beans are soft.  Remove one cup of beans;  drain and mash them in a bowl.  Return to the pot and combine beans thoroughly.  Add the sausage and continue simmering until the sausage is heated through.  Check for seasonsong.  Add parsley and serve over rice.

- The Rancho Gordo Heirloom Bean Grower’s Guide by Steve Sando

 

 

The classic British dish that can be made a myriad of ways, of which this is only one basic way.  Said to be named after the sound the cabbage and potatoes make when frying.

1 lb russet (baking) potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter (you can do it with less or substitute olive oil for part of it)
1 lb Savoy cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Cover potatoes with cold salted water by 1 inch and bring to a boil, then boil, uncovered, until tender when pierced with a sharp knife, about 18 minutes. Drain in a colander.

Heat butter in a 10-inch heavy nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté cabbage with salt and pepper, stirring frequently, until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add potatoes, mashing and stirring them into cabbage while leaving some lumps and pressing to form a cake. Cook, without stirring, until underside is crusty and golden, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

-www.epicurious.com

 

It’s great to read on epicurious.com the comments from all the CSA members, nation-wide, who go there in search of what to do with their collard greens.  This recipe seemed to be a big hit!

1.5 pounds potatoes, scrubbed and cut into one-inch cubes
1 bunch collards, coarse stems discarded and the leaves washed well and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1/3 cup (or less) olive oil
6 slices of lean bacon, cooked until crisp, drained, and crumbled
1/4 cup diced onion

In a pot, combine the potatoes with enough water to cover them by 2 inches, bring the water to a boil, and simmer the potatoes 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are tender. Meanwhile, sautee the oinions until transluscent in a tablespoon of the olive oil.  Transfer the potatoes with a slotted spoon to a colander, reserving the cooking liquid, and in the reserved cooking liquid boil the collards, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Drain the collards in a sieve, refresh them under cold water, and squeeze them dry in a kitchen towel. In a bowl whisk together the mustard, the vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste, add the oil in a stream, whisking, and whisk the dressing until it emulsified. Add the collards, pulling them apart to separate the leaves, the bacon, and the onion and toss the salad well.

- www.epicurious.com

 

 

This is my standard winter salad.  I store both cabbage and carrots in plastic bags in our fridge and they stay crisp and firm for months.  The bright purple of the cabbage and the orange of the carrots makes for a little ray of sun on the dinner table in mid-winter!

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, or to taste
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, red wine vinegar, or freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh chile to taste (optional—I use a little cayenne powder instead)
1/4 cup peanut oil or extra virgin olive oil
6 cups cored and shredded Napa, Savoy, green, and/or red cabbage
2 medium carrots, shredded
1/3 cup chopped scallion, more or less
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro leaves

1. To make the dressing, whisk together the mustard and vinegar in a small bowl, along with the garlic and chile. Add the oil a little at a time, whisking all the while.
2. Combine the cabbage, bell pepper, and scallion and toss with the dressing. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and refrigerate until ready to serve. (It’s best to let the slaw rest for an hour or so to allow the flavors to mellow; the cabbage will also soften a bit and exude some juice. You can let it sit longer, up to 24 hours, if you like. Drain the slaw before continuing.) Just before serving, toss with the parsley.

- Mark Bittman, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

 

 

1/2 pound Brussels sprouts
2 large garlic cloves
1-1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons pine nuts

Trim Brussels sprouts and halve lengthwise. Cut garlic into very thin slices. In a 10-inch heavy skillet (preferably well-seasoned cast iron) melt 1 tablespoon butter with oil over moderate heat and cook garlic, stirring, until pale golden. Transfer garlic with a slotted spoon to a small bowl.

Reduce heat to low and arrange sprouts in skillet, cut sides down, in one layer. Sprinkle sprouts with pine nuts and salt to taste. Cook sprouts, without turning, until crisp-tender and undersides are golden brown, about 15 minutes.

With tongs transfer sprouts to a plate, browned sides up.  Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter to skilled and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until pine nuts are more evenly pale golden, about 1 minute.  Add garlic. Spoon mixture over sprouts and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper.

- www.epicurious.com

 

 

 

 

This is our new absolute favorite way to eat green beans!

This is the dish known as “Lubyi bi Zayt” in Arabic, or Green Beans in Olive Oil. Recipes vary widely – by cook, by village, by region of Lebanon. Sometimes a housewife might add a little chopped meat to the browning onions. Sometimes the dish might have a hot chili, or lemon juice, or allspice, or tomato paste. The basic idea is to saute and then braise green beans with tomatoes, onions, and garlic. The following recipe is a loose version of what I do.     – Leila Abu-Saba

1 1/2 pounds green beans, ends snapped, strings removed, beans snapped in half
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil (you can use less but it affects flavor and texture)
3 or 4 cloves of garlic, crushed or minced fine (some recipes use lots more garlic, peeled only, not cut)
1 1/2 pound tomatoes (4 large?), peeled and cut into chunks, or 1 28 oz can, drained
Salt
Pepper
Ground allspice
pinch of sugar

Saute the onion in olive oil on medium heat until translucent. Add green beans, saute until they get a bit of color and onion turns golden. Add garlic, saute another minute, then add tomatoes, salt (1/2 tsp? – to taste), black pepper, 1/4 tsp. allspice and a pinch of sugar. Okay the measurements here are to taste, very elastic. Bring the tomatoes to a boil, turn down heat, cover the pan and simmer until tender. Time is controversial – Middle Easterners like their green beans very soft. I go for 20 minutes, checking at 15; some Arabic recipes say 35 minutes. You be the judge.

- www.bedouina.typepad.com

You can use red beets if golden beets are unavailable, but your pasta will turn pink. 1/3 cup pine nuts 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 2 large onions, quartered lengthwise through root end, sliced crosswise (about 4 cups) 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 bunch golden beets with fresh healthy greens; beets peeled, each cut into 8 wedges, greens cut into 1-inch-wide strips 12 ounces farfalle (bow-tie pasta) 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving

 

Heat heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add pine nuts and stir until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Transfer to small bowl. Add 2 tablespoons oil and onions to same skillet and sauté until beginning to soften and turn golden, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to sauté until onions are tender and browned, about 30 minutes longer. Add garlic and stir 2 minutes. Scatter beet greens over onions. Drizzle remaining 2 tablespoons oil over; cover and cook until beet greens are tender, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook beets in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer beets to medium bowl. Return water to boil. Add pasta to beet cooking liquid and cook until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot.

Stir onion-greens mixture and beets into pasta. Add pasta cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls to moisten. Season with salt and coarsely ground black pepper. Stir in 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese. Divide pasta among shallow bowls. Sprinkle with pine nuts.

- Bon Appétit | February 2009

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 8 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan, divided
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 hard-boiled egg, peeled
• 14 ounces Tuscan kale or other kale, center stalks removed, thinly sliced crosswise (about 8 cups)

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a blender; purée until smooth. With machine running, slowly add oil, drop by drop, to make a creamy dressing. Transfer dressing to a bowl and stir in 1/4 cup Parmesan. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill. DO AHEAD: Dressing can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.

Separate egg white from yolk. Place egg white in a coarse-mesh strainer set over a bowl. Press egg white through strainer with the back of a spoon; scrape egg white from bottom of strainer. Repeat with egg yolk, using a clean strainer and bowl. DO AHEAD: Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover bowls separately and chill.

Toss kale and dressing in a large bowl to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan and sieved eggs.

- Bon Appétit, July 2011

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
4 small zucchini or zephyr squash, thinly sliced, plus long zucchini shavings for garnish
Kosher salt
3 cups water
2 tablespoons finely shredded basil
2 cups ice
Freshly ground pepper
2 cups purslane

In a large saucepan, heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook over moderate heat until translucent, about 8 minutes. Stir in the thyme and bay leaf and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the sliced zucchini, season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the water and bring to a boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Discard the bay leaf and stir in the shredded basil.

Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender until very smooth. Transfer the zucchini puree to a large bowl. Stir in the ice. Refrigerate the zucchini soup for at least 3 hours, until thoroughly chilled.

Season the soup with salt and pepper. Ladle into shallow bowls and top with a small handful of purslane and zucchini shavings. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

- www.foodandwine.com