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White Beans with Tomatoes, Garlic, and Sage - make your own with a twist

White Beans with Tomatoes, Garlic, and Sage - make your own with a twist

October 02, 2019
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Dried beans come in a range of color, shapes, and sizes, with flavors from earthy to nutty. They have a far superior texture and better flavor than canned beans, but while it’s not difficult to cook dried beans, it does
take some time. For a simple but hearty bean recipe, we started by giving dried white beans a gentle simmer on the stove and then letting them sit off heat to finish cooking for a perfectly creamy texture. Onion, carrot,
and bay leaves simmered with the beans to help impart a subtle flavor. Simmering a whole head of garlic also gave us softened cloves with a mild, sweet garlic flavor that we then stirred into the beans. Sautéing more garlic and sage in olive oil before adding tomatoes gave us a potently flavored base. Adding the cooked beans and simmering let the traditional Italian flavors meld into a simple and satisfying dish.

Ingredients


  • 1 pound (2½ cups) dried cannellini, great Northern, or navy beans, rinsed and picked over to remove any small stones and beans that are broken or shriveled
  • 1 onion, unpeeled and halved through root end
  • 1 carrot, cut into 2-inch lengths
  • 1 garlic head, outer papery skins removed and top third of head cut off and discarded, plus 4 cloves, sliced thin
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 6 cups water
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh sage
  • 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley


Procedure


  1. Bring beans, onion, carrot, garlic head, 1 teaspoon salt, bay leaves, and water to boil in large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, partially cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until beans are almost tender, 1 to 1¼ hours, adding more liquid if necessary. Remove pot from heat, completely cover, and let stand until beans are fully tender, 30 to 60 minutes. Drain beans in colander, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Discard onion, carrot, and bay leaves. With a slotted spoon, transfer head of garlic to cutting board. Using tongs, squeeze cloves out of skins and return softened cloves to pot with beans; discard skins.
  2. Heat oil, thinly sliced garlic, and sage in 12-inch skillet over medium heat. As oil begins to sizzle, shake pan back and forth so that garlic does not stick (stirring with wooden spoon will cause garlic to clump). Cook until garlic turns very pale gold and sage darkens, about 4 minutes. Add tomatoes and ½ teaspoon salt and simmer, stirring occasionally, until tomato juices have evaporated and tomatoes look shiny, about 10 minutes.
  3. Stir in beans and reserved cooking liquid. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated, 18 to 20 minutes. Off heat, stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, accompanied by extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling at table.

WHEN DRIED BEANS ARE WORTH IT

The biggest considerations when choosing whether to use dried or canned beans for a recipe are how much time you have and how central the beans are to the dish. Canned beans are undeniably convenient, but when the beans are the star of a dish, we prefer the firmer texture and cleaner flavor of dried beans. In long-cooked, slow simmered applications, dried beans also help create their own broth, as they do in our White Beans with Tomatoes, Garlic, and Sage. Canned beans are a great option for quicker recipes and dishes where texture is less important, such as when the beans will be pureed.

Buy “Fresh” Dried Beans

When shopping for beans, it’s essential to select the freshest dried beans available. Buy those that are uniform in size and have a smooth exterior. When dried beans are fully hydrated and cooked, they should
be plump, with taut skins, and have creamy insides; spent beans will have wrinkled skin and a dry, almost gritty texture.

Make Dried Beans a Pantry Staple

Uncooked beans should be stored in a cool, dry place in a sealed plastic or glass container. Beans are less susceptible than rice and grains to pests and spoilage, but it is still best to use them within a month or two. Always pick over dried beans to remove stones and debris, and rinse them before cooking to wash away any dust or impurities.

Substitute Canned Beans with Caution

Most recipes that call for dried beans require the beans to cook slowly with the other ingredients so that they release their starches and thicken the dish. When you replace dried beans with canned beans and shorten the cooking time (canned beans are fully cooked and need to cook only long enough to warm through and soak up flavor),you sacrifice both the flavor and the texture of the finished dish. But if you’re short on time and need to swap in canned beans, a general rule of thumb is that 1 cup of dried beans equals 3 cups of canned beans.

Broiled Eggplant with Basil and Tahini Sauce | Spanish Style

Broiled Eggplant with Basil and Tahini Sauce | Spanish Style

October 02, 2019
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Many people complain that eggplant is either tough, bitter, or oily. This is not inevitable. The challenge is dealing with eggplant’s texture; it contains a lot of water but is also porous and drinks up oil, causing the
exterior to become greasy and charred while the interior remains tough and bitter. A simple fix was salting: The salt drew water to the eggplant’s surface, where it could be wiped away so the eggplant only needed a few minutes per side under a blazing hot broiler. Broiling rather than frying meant we could use just a light brushing of oil for less greasy results. While it’s good simply seasoned with basil, broiled eggplant really shines with our Tahini Sauce, which perfectly complements the eggplant’s concentrated roasted flavor. Make sure to slice the eggplant thin so that the slices will cook through by the time the exterior is browned.

Serves: 4
Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

TAHINI SAUCE
¼ cup tahini
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and pepper
EGGPLANT
1½ pounds eggplant, sliced into ¼-inch-thick rounds
1 tablespoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Procedure


  1. FOR THE TAHINI SAUCE Whisk tahini, water, lemon juice, and garlic in bowl until smooth (mixture will appear broken at first). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 4 days; bring to room temperature before serving.)
  2. FOR THE EGGPLANT Arrange eggplant on baking sheet lined with paper towels, sprinkle both sides with kosher salt, and let stand for 30 minutes.
  3. Adjust oven rack 4 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Thoroughly pat eggplant dry, arrange on aluminum foil–lined baking sheet, and brush both sides with oil. Broil eggplant until tops are mahogany brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Flip slices over and broil until second sides are brown, 4 to 6 minutes.
  4. Transfer eggplant to platter and season with pepper to taste. Sprinkle with basil, drizzle with sauce, and serve.

BROIL IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT

To use a broiler effectively, it’s important to understand how it differs from regular oven cooking. While roasting relies on convective heat (air molecules surround the food), a broiler cooks food primarily with
radiant heat, a form of invisible infrared light waves. The broiler element can reach 2,000 degrees, making it a powerful but challenging cooking tool to use with precision. The way most broilers operate doesn’t make it any easier.

Waves Must Hit the Food

The waves should directly hit the food. The food should be just far enough away from the element that the heat is intense but also evenly hitting the food. Pay close attention to recipe instructions about how to position your oven rack in relation to the broiler.

Preheating Is Unreliable

Most broilers have no ready signal, so you’re left guessing when the broiler is preheated. Those that heat quickly may cycle off during cooking, while slow-to-heat broilers will be too cool and won’t cook the food in the given time. Getting to know your broiler takes time and experience.

If a Broiler Cycles Off, Browning Suffers

If the broiler is on for too long, most ovens will exceed a maximum air temperature and the broiler will temporarily switch off. The food will continue to cook by convection, but without radiant heat, browning will
slow dramatically. Take that into account and keep an eye on your food when cooking with the broiler.

Nutritious Roasted Root Vegetables - Vegetarian's favorite meal

Nutritious Roasted Root Vegetables - Vegetarian's favorite meal

October 02, 2019
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Few techniques transform humble root vegetables into something rich and complex more effectively than roasting, and this recipe provides an easy way to roast several kinds at once. Roasting vegetables is a lot like roasting meat: You need high, dry heat and a low-sided pan large enough to accommodate the food without crowding, which would inhibit browning. You also need some fat. We liked butter for its great flavor, but you can also use vegetable oil or a combination of butter and oil. (Chicken or duck fat, if you have any, is also wonderful.) We also added whole garlic cloves and halved shallots, which added deep flavor to the finished dish. We liked a mix of hearty potatoes, sweet carrots, and peppery turnips in this recipe, but you can substitute other root vegetables such as parsnips, sweet potatoes, or rutabagas; just make sure you cut them into even pieces.

Ingredients

12 ounces carrots, peeled and cut into 1¼-inch pieces
12 ounces red potatoes, unpeeled and cut into 1¼-inch pieces
12 ounces turnips, peeled and cut into 1¼-inch pieces
4 shallots, halved and peeled
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Salt and pepper
1 garlic head, cloves separated and peeled

Procedure


  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss carrots, potatoes, turnips, shallots, butter, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper together in bowl.
  2. Spread vegetables into single layer on rimmed baking sheet and roast until vegetables are tender and well browned, about 45 minutes, adding garlic cloves during final 20 minutes.
  3. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve warm or at room temperature.


Variations

Roasted Carrots and Red Onion with Balsamic Vinegar

Omit red potatoes and turnips. Increase carrots to 2 pounds. Substitute 1 medium red onion, peeled and cut into 1-inch wedges through root end, for shallots. Add 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar to carrots with butter.

Roasted Turnips, Shallots, and Garlic with Rosemary

Omit red potatoes and carrots. Increase turnips to 1½ pounds. Add 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary to turnips with butter.

Delightful Pan-Roasted Potatoes | Restaurant Style

Delightful Pan-Roasted Potatoes | Restaurant Style

October 02, 2019
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The key to roasting potatoes is achieving a crisp exterior and perfectly done interior at the same time. The process typically takes a while, especially with sturdy potatoes. To speed things up, some recipes call for partially boiling the potatoes before roasting, but we found that zapping them in the microwave proved even faster and more convenient. Once partially cooked, they needed only 10 minutes in a hot skillet to crisp up and become tender. We found that low-starch, high-moisture red potatoes yielded crisp yet delicate crusts and moist, dense interiors. These potatoes are great served either plain or with one of the simple herb, spice, or aromatic variations listed. We prefer to use small or medium potatoes (1½ to 3 inches in diameter) here because they are easier to cut into uniform pieces, either halved or quartered depending on their size.

Ingredients

2 pounds small or medium red potatoes, unpeeled
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper

Procedure


  1. Halve or quarter potatoes into 1-inch pieces. Toss potatoes with 1 tablespoon oil and ¼ teaspoon salt in bowl.
  2. Microwave until potatoes soften but still hold their shape, about 10 minutes, gently stirring twice during microwaving. Drain potatoes thoroughly in colander.
  3. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add potatoes cut side down in single layer; cook, without stirring, until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes.
  4. Using tongs, turn potatoes skin side down if using halved small potatoes or second cut side down if using quartered medium potatoes; cook, without stirring, until deep golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.


Variations

Pan-Roasted Potatoes with Lemon and Chives

Toss potatoes with 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives and 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest before serving.

Pan-Roasted Potatoes with Southwestern Spices

Combine ½ teaspoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon paprika, ¼ teaspoon ground cumin, and ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper in bowl. Toss pinch of spice mixture with potatoes before microwaving. Stir remaining spice mixture into potatoes before browning on second side.

Pan-Roasted Potatoes with Garlic and Rosemary

Combine 1 teaspoon olive oil, 2 minced garlic cloves, and 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary in bowl. After browning potatoes, push potatoes to sides of skillet, add garlic mixture, and cook, mashing garlic into skillet, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir garlic mixture into potatoes.

Healthy Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic and Herbs

Healthy Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic and Herbs

October 02, 2019
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Sautéing is not as simple as it seems, especially when it comes to fresh vegetables. When we just cooked fresh green beans in hot oil, it resulted in blackened exteriors and undercooked interiors. For more even cooking, once the beans were spotty brown, we added water and covered the pan to let them steam. When the beans were cooked through, we lifted the lid to evaporate any remaining water and continue browning. Garlic-thyme butter added flavor and promoted further browning and fresh lemon juice brightened things up. This recipe yields crisp-tender beans. If you prefer a more tender texture (or are using large, tough beans), increase the water by a tablespoon and increase the covered cooking time by 1 minute. You will need a 12-inch nonstick skillet with a tight-fitting lid for this recipe.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch lengths
Salt and pepper
¼ cup water
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Procedure

Combine butter, garlic, and thyme in small bowl; set aside. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until just smoking. Add green beans, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until spotty brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Add water, cover, and cook until green beans are bright green but still crisp, about 2 minutes.

Remove cover, increase heat to high, and cook until water evaporates, 30 to 60 seconds. Add butter mixture and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until green beans are crisp-tender, lightly browned, and beginning to wrinkle, 1 to 3 minutes longer. Off heat, toss with lemon juice and parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Variations

Sautéed Green Beans with Paprika and Almonds

Substitute ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika for thyme. Omit parsley garnish, but sprinkle cooked green beans with ¼ cup toasted slivered almonds before serving.

Sautéed Green Beans with Ginger and Sesame

Combine 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger, and 1 tablespoon Asian chili-garlic sauce in small bowl and substitute for butter mixture. Substitute 2 teaspoons vegetable oil for olive oil. Omit lemon juice and parsley. Sprinkle cooked green beans with 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds before serving.

Sautéed Green Beans with Roasted Red Peppers and Basil

Combine 2 teaspoons olive oil, ⅓ cup jarred roasted red peppers, cut into ½-inch pieces, 1 minced shallot, and ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes in small bowl and substitute for butter mixture. Substitute 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar for lemon juice and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil for parsley.

Sautéed Green Beans with Tarragon and Lime

Substitute 2 thinly sliced scallions and ½ teaspoon grated lime zest for the garlic and thyme. Substitute 1½ teaspoons lime juice for lemon juice and 2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon for parsley.

Best Side Dish | Braised Winter Greens - Make your own at home

Best Side Dish | Braised Winter Greens - Make your own at home

October 02, 2019
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Braised hearty greens, such as kale or collards, are excellent as a side dish or stirred into pasta or grains. Don’t be afraid of braising; it’s a very approachable and forgiving cooking method. The challenge is getting the sturdy greens tender but not washed out and dull. Cooking the greens in just a cup each of broth and water—which we simply seasoned with garlic, onion, and red pepper flakes—allowed the greens to absorb all the flavorful liquid. Most of the liquid was absorbed or evaporated by the time the greens became tender. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end brightened and balanced the dish. Don’t be alarmed by the volume of raw greens: They cook down a lot, and wilting half of them in the pan first makes room for the rest. For best results, be sure the greens are fully cooked and tender in step 2 before moving on to step 3.

Ingredients

2 pounds kale or collard greens
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
5 garlic cloves, minced
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup water
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons lemon juice

How to (Procedure)


  1. Cut leafy portions of greens from either side of stems. Discard stems. Stack several leaves and chop them into 3-inch pieces. Rinse chopped greens until they no longer release any dirt and dry thoroughly in salad spinner.
  2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened and beginning to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in half of greens and cook until beginning to wilt, 1 minute. Stir in remaining greens, broth, water, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Quickly cover pot and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until greens are tender, 25 to 35 minutes for kale and 35 to 45 minutes for collards.
  3. Remove lid and increase heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid has evaporated (bottom of pot will be almost dry and greens will begin to sizzle), 8 to 12 minutes. Off heat, stir in lemon juice and remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl and serve.


Variations

Braised Winter Greens with Chorizo

Cut 8 ounces chorizo sausage into ¼-inch-thick half-moons. Add chorizo to shimmering oil in step 2 and cook until lightly browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer chorizo to paper towel–lined plate. Proceed with recipe, cooking onion and garlic in remaining oil and substituting 1½ teaspoons ground cumin for red pepper flakes. Stir reserved chorizo into greens before serving.

Braised Winter Greens with Coconut and Curry

Substitute 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger and 1 teaspoon curry powder for red pepper flakes and 1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk for water. Substitute 1 tablespoon lime juice for lemon juice and sprinkle greens with ⅓ cup toasted cashews before serving.
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