October 31, 2014

fall session: beans, white bean and escarole soup


Today in family table cooking we made beans.  A lot of them.  A lot of different ways.  I cooked pinto beans 3 ways: in the crock pot, over night for 7 hours on low; in the pressure cooker for 3 minutes after coming to full pressure (then letting natural release happen for 15 minutes after); and in a plain old pot, for about 1 1/2 hours at a simmer.  Conclusion: pick the method that fits with your personality.  Planning ahead and cooking in a crock pot is not for everyone, more for advanced thinking people.  Using the slightly scary pressure cooker is also not for everyone, you have to follow timing and directions very precisely and have to trust the times as you can't look and stir.  Maybe the good old fashioned pot cooking is a happy medium, although you have to be home for the time it cooks to test bean doneness.


We also made bean burgers.  You can make them with any type of bean, add any type of herbs, but here is the  basic recipe to launch from:

1 1/2 C cooked beans of choice
1 1/2 egg
1/2 C chopped herb of choice
1/4 C grated cheese of choice (parmesan, gryuere, combo of two)
2 tsp. dijon mustard
salt, pepper
squeeze of lemon juice
3/4 C breadcrumbs, mix of fine and panko
panko breadcrumbs for dusting patties with

Mash the beans with a potato masher or fork.  Add in egg, herb, cheese, salt, pepper and lemon squeeze, mix.  Add bread crumbs and test for consistency, adding more breadcrumbs or lemon juice to make it drier or wetter.  Shape into patties, dip into a bowl of panko to coat.  Put in fridge until ready to saute or put in the freezer if you are planning to eat them later.  When ready to cook, heat up a couple of Tbl olive oil, get the pan and oil hot, add in the cakes and brown on both sides.  Remove to a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes at 325.  Serve on a bed of greens with a squeeze of lemon and mashed avocado relish.

I had a very hard time choosing the recipes and the bean types, there are so many good ones around.  I am going to attach a lot of links to some great recipes, so anyone wanting to have a bean bonanza can have fun.

Herbed White Bean and Sausage Stew

Giant Lima Beans with Stewed Tomatoes and Oregano Pesto

Giant Lemon Fennel Beans

Giant Crusty and Creamy White Beans

Porotos Granados
(yummy Chilean bean soup with winter squash, green beans, corn and smoked paprika)

Enjoy this recipe for White Bean and Escarole Soup


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October 24, 2014

fall session: quiche


I love a flaky quiche, homemade crust with oozing cheesy insides and tasty fillings.  I have a recipe I adapted from the smitten kitchen blog, which she in turn adapted from Julia Child and Marth Stewart.  The dough is all made in the food processor so that really cuts down on the time and mess.
The fillings can be so varied, they can use leftovers, they can be mixed and matched.  Some of my favorites are: sauteed leeks with fontina cheese, crispy bacon and caramelized onions with gruyere cheese, blanched broccoli with cheddar, roasted mushrooms with tarragon and chevre, oven roasted cauliflower with smoked gouda...you can really put your cooking creativity to work.



The two lovely Y.O.U. cooks, Amanda and Ellen, showing off their knife skills:


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October 17, 2014

fall session: pot roast with honey roasted root vegetables


A rutabaga:


A cross between a turnip and cabbage.  The farmer's market is brimming with them and I found a recipe for making farm fresh rutabagas and multi-colored carrots meld into a pot roast with chuck roast.  Cook in the crock pot for 5-6 hours on high, perfuming the whole house.



Serve with a wheatberry salad and you have dinner.


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October 10, 2014

fall session: coq au vin



Coq au Vin is not as complicated as people anticipate. I think it is just the fancy name that throws them: "Coq au Vin". No one says "old chicken in wine", who really would want to eat old chicken in wine? Yet the name "Coq au Vin" evokes parisian bistros, waiters with long aprons, beaujolais nouveau and chocolate mousse (or it does to me).

Coq au Vin is perfect served for a fall dinner with buttered egg noodles, a simple green salad and crusty bread to lap up the sauces.  And, like all braises, make extra as it even tastier the day after.  Bon appetit.


The Green City Farmer's market was the perfect place to buy the lovely cippolini onions, the multi-colored carrots, the fresh grown celery and garlic and all the lovely wild and button mushrooms.

This was slab bacon from Fresh Farms in Morton Grove.  It was fantastic.  It added a smoky flavor and was so tender.

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