Category: Dry Beans

--adapted from Food Matters by Mark Bittman   The lightly pickled carrot garnish/relish adds a really nice, fresh element to this one-pot dinner. It’s better the second day (just keep the carrots separate until you’re ready to eat) and if you have already cooked beans on hand it’s a pretty quick dinner.    Serves 4-6... Read more »

--inspired by Chef Cathy Whims (Nostrana) who I believe was inspired by cookbook author Anne Bianchi   This is one of my favorite dishes and favorite uses for (basil) pesto--it's comfort food at its best with the simplest of ingredients. There's something about the toasted, garlicky bread melting into the warm beans and pesto . . . and "bastard soup" is so named because it uses black beans, which are called fascistini in Italy in honor of what some Italians call "that black shirted bastard who brought Italy to the brink of destruction during WWII." On the positive side, it is very easy to prepare. All you need are brothy black beans, stale bread, pesto and some good olive oil.    *If you have previously cooked black beans with their broth use those and cook them down a little to thicken the bean broth.  ... Read more »

This is a quick, hearty and classic Italian salad. It’s strongly flavored with robust flavors from vinegar, capers and red onions. It’s best with good quality canned albacore tuna.... Read more »

Beans, beans, beans... the humble and amazing dry bean is notably tastier and cheaper than canned beans and once you get in the habit, really simple to prepare. And since the dry beans you will find at the market or in your CSA are rarely more than a year or two old, they will cook quickly and evenly. You will likely encounter pinto, borlotti, black and a variety of white beans in the markets and CSAs with some farmers growing a much greater variety of beans.   Beans are a staple the world over and are used in every imaginable dish, from baked beans to bean and peanut stews in some African countries to Italian Ribollita or Pasta e Fagioli to Brazilian Feijoada to Cassoulet and Cuban Black Bean stew and Indian Dals. And of course when cooked from scratch with just a clove or garlic and bay leaf they are the perfect base for a hearty salad, soup, chili, taco, etc. Bean are delicious and good for you; they are an excellent source of soluble fiber as well as protein, complex carbohydrates, folate and iron.   I tend to soak and then cook my beans though I sometimes cook them without soaking, slowly, in the oven with delicious results as well. The links below offer many tips and recipes for preparing your dry beans.  ... Read more »

  This is endlessly adaptable and fresh and satisfying. It's a very distant cousin to tabbouleh. Don't by shy with the lemon or herbs.   Serves 4-6... Read more »