Fagioli again

A rainy Seattle day combined with finally getting to those domestic tasks I have had on the to do list meant I wanted something really simple and basic for this meal. Pasta with beans (pasta e fagioli) is a traditional meatless Italian soup that is hearty and cheap. This variation did not include tomatoes, instead relies on the strong flavor of rosemary and garlic. It turned out quite nicely along side a rosemary loaf from Essential Baking Co:

Pasta e fagioli

2 cups dried white beans (great northern or cannellini), soaked overnight

6 cups water

1 head garlic, whole, top 1/2" cut off

3 fresh sage leaves

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

2 large carrots, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups dried whole wheat pasta (rotini or elbow)

2 tsp dried rosemary

salt and pepper to taste

In a pot bring 6 cups water, soaked beans, the head of garlic, and sage leaves and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook for 1-1 1/2 hours until beans are fully cooked. Turn off heat and allow beans to rest in the water while you do the remaining. In a soup pot heat olive oil and cook onions, celery, carrots and garlic until onions are translucent. Add rosemary and cook 2-3 more minutes. Add broth and pasta and bring to boil. Simmer until pasta is cooked. Add beans and cooking liquid. Take off heat, salt and pepper to taste.

Magical Fruit

Tonight I wanted to do something with black beans but wanted to try something that didn't too closely resemble chili. I have seen a few recipes for Cuban Black Bean soup so I investigated further. Its a pretty basic recipe: onion, garlic, black beans, something spicy and something herb-y. Some call for oregano, some for thyme. Some call for habanero, some call for jalapeno. Some call for tomatoes to be added, some don't. I chose oregano, habanero, no tomatoes (i felt like the addition of tomatoes made it too chili-like). I would say the end result was pretty satisfying. It was hearty, spicy, and very very simple, but still very much like chili. Side note - black beans are also called turtle beans - and are apparently high in antioxidants (yay!)

Cuban Black Bean Soup

2 tbsp canola oil

1 med onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 bell peppers (a variety of colors is prettiest), diced

1 habanero pepper, seeded and minced

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp dried oregano

4 cups black turtle beans, cooked

6 cups vegetable broth

salt and pepper to taste

hot pepper sauce

chopped fresh cilantro

plain yogurt or sour cream

In a soup pot heat canola oil over medium high heat. Saute onions, garlic, and peppers until softened, about 5 minutes. Add cumin and oregano and cook a few minutes more. Add black beans and broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes until thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add hot pepper sauce if you would like a spicier soup. Garnish with fresh cilantro and yogurt, and a dash of hot pepper sauce if you are a glutton for spice.

The Kitchen Sink

So the Italian version of tortilla soup turns out to be Minestrone. So vague is the definition of this soup I have yet to find a codified recipe nor an agreed upon pronunciation. Is it Min-e-stron-ee, rhymes with knee? or Min-e-stron rhymes with throne? I really couldn't say. All I know is that making Minestrone is a dangerous endeavour. Dangerous because when including everything but the kitchen sink, one is likely to make far too much soup, which is what happened tonight. Seriously, if anyone in the area needs some soup, feel free to stop by. So Jay and I had many arguments (err, conversations) about what exactly constitutes Minestrone. He seemed to have more rules than me. Must have pasta. Must have tomatoes, but not a tomato broth. I looked at probably 4-5 minestrone recipes and have created the following. A few recommend garnishing with pesto, which I store bought (I know, for shame):

Minestrone with Pesto

2 tbsp olive oil

1 med onion diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 celery stalks, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 small potato, cubed

2 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried marjoram

2 dried bay leaves

1/2 lb green beans, stemmed and cut into 2 in pieces

1 red bell pepper

1 zucchini, chopped

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained

8 cups vegetable broth

1/2 cup red wine

1/2 lb whole wheat rotini pasta

1 15 oz can beans (great northern, kidney, or cannellini will all work)

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup pesto, homemade or store bought

In a large soup pan heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, celery, carrots, and garlic and sweat for 3-4 minutes. Add potatoes and cook for 2 minutes more. Add thyme, marjoram and bay leave and cook for 1 minute. Add green beans, bell pepper, zucchini, tomatoes, broth, wine and dried pasta and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until pasta is cooked. Add beans and cook for a few minutes to heat through. Salt and pepper to taste. To serve, ladle into bowls and garnish with a dollop of pesto.

Spicy Hot

Since Jay and I make chili often, I wanted to try something different for chili night. With the lack of chili powder in this recipe one could even question if this even qualifies as chili, but nonetheless it is definitely different from the kind we usually make. I perused somewhere around ten chili recipes and more or less created my own, what one could call a green chili. A word of warning about chipotle chili in adobo sauce: These are extremely spicy and depending on your tolerance to spice use accordingly. I generally blend the contents of the can in a food processor and then add as needed. Jay and I like spice and I would estimate I used about 3-4 tbsp. It ended up with an extremely potent, latent spice.

Green Chipotle Chili

2 tbsp canola oil

1 med onion, diced

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

1 lb ground turkey or meat substitute

2 small poblano chili peppers, diced

1 small green bell pepper diced

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp coriander

2 tsp oregano

1-3 tbsp chipotle in adobo sauce, blended

4 cups cooked pinto beans

3 18 oz cans whole tomatillos, drained and finely chopped

1 can beer or 1 1/2 cup water or broth

2 tsp sugar

salt to taste

Heat oil in a deep soup pot and saute onion, garlic, and jalapeno for 2-3 minutes until just soft. Add ground meat (or sub) and cook until the meat is not pink. Add chipotle, bell pepper, poblano, cumin, coriander and oregano and cook until peppers are slightly soft. Add tomatillos, beans, and beer and simmer 20-25 minutes. Add sugar and salt to taste and cook 5 minutes more. Serve with a garnish of grated cheese and chopped fresh cilantro.

For Luck!

When I asked Jay last night how we should start our 31 Days of Soup he politely listened to my 25 ideas and then pointed out, "You don't have anything with black eyed peas? That’s what we are supposed to eat on New Year's Day..."
I had never heard this. I will blame it on being raised Californian and apparently divorced from the southern belief that this meal is considered good luck. A little research revealed the tradition to be Jewish, dating back to the year 500. Apparently the tradition was brought to the southern United States by Sephardic Jews who immigrated to Georgia starting in the 1730s. The practice was adopted by non-jews around the time of the civil war when Union Soldiers, destroying or taking all the "edible" food or crops, left alone the black-eyed peas thinking them only suitable for livestock.
Traditionally black-eyed peas are prepared with pork fat and served with collard greens. The peas symbolize prosperity while the green of the collards symbolize money. I want prosperity and money and am not one to question 1500 years of wisdom so to start 2010 out right...

Black-Eyed Pea Soup with Collard Greens

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely diced
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 small yellow or orange bell pepper, chopped
3 cups cooked black-eyed peas
6 cups vegetable broth
Tabasco to taste
salt to taste
coarsely ground black pepper to taste
1 small bunch collard greens
4-5 oz cooked bacon (or soy bacon) chopped into small pieces
4 scallions, whites and half the greens, diced

Saute onions in olive oil for 2-3 minutes until soft. Add garlic and jalapeno and saute another few minutes to release the flavors. Add bell peppers and cook until soft. Add cooked black-eyed peas and 4-5 cups broth. Season to taste with Tabasco, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

While you wait, braise collards in remaining broth. Cook until the greens are soft but still bright green, maybe 3-4 minutes. Drain remaining liquid and season with salt, a pinch of sugar, and some Tabasco to taste. Serve soup with a dollop of collards and garnish with bacon and scallions.

AIG Chili

According to Wikipedia chili is said to be "the food of forgiveness and reconciliation". Knowing that, I think that one solution to assuage the country's mutual frustration at the leaders of AIG might be that, using those "huge bonuses", they throw one giant chili cook off for the entire country. With the myriad of varietals - Cincinnati, Louisville, and of course the classic, Texas chili - everyone in the country can have their chance at forgiveness and reconciliation. Being almost vegetarians we make a chili con frijoles rather than chili con carne. While I know that to all you purists chili isn't chili without meat, fake meat can only carry a stew so far. J is a master chili man, either a result of Texas upbringing or his constant need for forgiveness and reconciliation, so he is the chili chef in the house. I closely watched the last time he made it so that I could accurately post the recipe here. Its filing and makes a lot so be prepared for some leftovers:

Chili con frijoles

2 tbsp canola oil

1 med yellow onion, diced

2 bell peppers (preferably red and green)

2-3 small carrots, diced (optional)

1 med zucchini (optional)

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup good chili powder (the New Mexico chili powder you bought to make red chili sauce works great)

2 tbsp cumin

2-3 tsp red pepper flakes

2 tsp oregano

1 tsp coriander

2 15 oz. cans black beans

2 15 oz. cans pinto beans

1 large (28 oz) can diced tomatoes

1-2 cups beer

1 pkg soyrizo (8 oz) or other meet substitute

Heat oil in a large soup pot. Saute onion, peppers and optional carrots or zucchini on high heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic, cumin, chili powder, red pepper flakes, oregano and coriander and cook until vegetables are just slightly soft. Add beans, tomatoes and beer and lower heat. Heat through and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Add soyrizo and salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with chopped cilantro and shredded cheese.

FA-ji-TA

So Wednesday nights I take a class at my gym that involes lots of flailing about and by the time I get home I am in no mood to cook a big complicated meal, so I rely on easy fast and filling options like fajitas. I don't go in for those spice packets you buy at the grocery, instead I season my fajita veggies with a red sauce we make from New Mexico Red Chili powder. With that great sauce it's pretty easy to put together a fajita meal. I slice a big onion into wedges, slice a red bell pepper into strips, chop a zucchini and maybe a carrot into thick chunks and then saute them all in a cast iron skillet on high heat. After the veggies have cooked just a little I add a good dose of the Red Chili Sauce (maybe 1/4 cup). I usually serve the veggies with cheese and avocado in soft flour tortillas and side with spicy black beans. These recipes are staples in my kitchen:

Red chile sauce

3 tbsp canola oil

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

3 tbsp flour

4 tbsp New Mexico red chili powder (available at specialty stores and New Mexico)

2 1/2 c water

salt to taste

Heat oil over low heat in a saucepan. Add garlic and flour, cook until golden brown. Mix in red chili powder. Add water and whisk till lumps dissolve. Simmer 10- 15 minutes over medium heat. Salt to taste. You can store in your refrigerator up to two weeks.

Spicy Black Beans

2 tbsp canola oil

1 small onion, diced

3 cloves garlic

1 small bell pepper, diced

1 tbsp cumin

2 tsp mexican oregano

2 tsp ground coriander

1-3 tsp reed pepper flakes

1 15 oz can black beans, drained

1/4 cup veggie broth or water

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper to taste

Saute onions and garlic over medium high heat in oil till soft. Add cumin, coriander, oregano and red pepper flakes and fry to release the flavors. Add black beans, broth or water and bay leaves. Lower heat and simmer covered for 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Yumm!

A large number of us know each other because we went to school together in Eugene, OR. That bastion of commie-liberal-hippies not surprisingly produces a lot of truly excellent food fit for an almost vegetarian like myself. One such option was a wonderful little cafe that makes a meal out of simple rice and beans, Cafe Yumm. This place served bowls of brown rice topped with all the wonderful things in life - beans, cheese, salsa, avocado, olives - topped with a heavenly hummus-y sauce. Two friends wisely chose to serve this on night one (to get off to a good healthy start) using a recipe procured from friends of friends. It hit the spot:

Yumm! Sauce

1/ 2 c. canola oil

1/2 c. raw almonds

1/3 c. nutritional yeast

1/3 c. garbanzo beans

1/4 c. silken tofu

1/2 c. water

1/2 c. lemon juice

2 garlic cloves

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp dried oregano

blend nuts, beans and oil, then add remaining ingredients, one at a time, blending after each, until mixture is smooth. you can blend in blender or food processor.

Pasta with beans and greens

I traveled to the Piedmont region of Italy six years ago with a group of fellow students in order to study and document ancient stone building techniques. Overlooked by many, this northerly region combines the warmth of Italian hospitality with the crisp and clean simplicity of Switzerland. While there, we stayed in the small village of Canova - a collection of stone houses interconnected by stairways and alleys. Hosted by the husband and wife team who had renovated the medieval structures, we ate very well - hearty meals of pasta and fresh vegetables usually followed by espresso and little chocolate cookies. These days, when I want a quick but satisfying meal I copy a meal the lady of the house often served at lunch: Pasta with beans and greens.

When I make it in my kitchen I use whole wheat pasta (kamut, quinoa and spelt are nice as well). I find that these pastas don't weigh me down quite as much as traditional semolina pasta. I prefer a chunky shape to a noodle (rotini, penne or orecchiette). I alternate between using hearty greens (curly kale, collards, or rainbow chard) and other more "exotic" options (rapini, beet greens, or lacinato kale). Depending on what is in my crisper I will even make this pasta with something as simple as broccoli and peppers, as I did tonight. Regardless of the exact ingredients the recipe generally goes something like this:

Pasta with Beans and Greens

1 lb whole wheat pasta shapes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium red onion, cut in wedges
6 large cloves garlic cloves, minced
1 large bunch greens (curly kale is my favorite), loosely chopped
1 15oz can great northern or other white bean
1-2 tbsp red pepper flakes (depending on how much kick you like)
1 tbsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Boil water for the pasta and cook per instructions. Saute onion in 1 tbsp. olive oil till slightly cooked (2-3 min). add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and saute till onions are thoroughly cooked. add chopped kale and cook until just wilted. add beans, toss together and heat until beans are heated through. salt and pepper to taste.

When pasta is cooked strain and rinse with cold water. Put in a large bowl. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and salt and pepper pasta to taste. Add beans and greens, as well as the grated Parmesan. Toss until combined. Serve with crusty bread and a hearty red wine.