recipes: more things to do with beans
At long last, the sequel to the bean soup post. See also notes on dealing with dried beans.
white bean salad
adapted from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
This is my single favorite thing to do with beans in the summer; it's great for picnics. It also makes an excellent first course for a vegetarian dinner party, whatever the season, because getting the protein issue taken care of in the salad frees up options for the main course. It keeps nicely, and thus can be made well in advance, although the basil will darken a little; bring back to room temperature before serving.
3 cups cooked white beans (rinsed if canned); I like a mix of cannellini and navy beans
tomato vinaigrette (see below)
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 c basil, thinly sliced
salt and pepper
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
for the tomato vinaigrette:
1 garlic clove, minced
1 shallot, finely diced
2 Tbs red wine vinegar
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
4 to 6 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
3 roma tomatoes, diced; or 1/2 c cherry tomatoes, quartered
In a small bowl, combine the garlic, shallot, vinegars, 1/4 tsp salt, and pepper to taste. Let stand for 15 minutes (I use this time to chop the scallions, etc.), then whisk in the oil and add the tomatoes. Taste and adjust ingredients as necessary; the dressing should be tart and a little sweet but not oily.
Put the beans in a large bowl or serving dish, pour on the vinaigrette, add the scallions, basil, salt, and pepper, and mix gently. Just before serving, add the chopped egg.
For picnics, eat as-is. For dinner party presentation, place a small heap of salad on a few leaves of lettuce, escarole, or mixed greens, and serve with bread and olives on the side; if you want to get really fancy, go for bruschetta smeared with olive paste.
h.l's favorite hummus
This is a fairly basic hummus recipe, although heavier on the lemon and lighter on the garlic and tahini than some; as with any recipe, make notes of whatever adjustments you want to make. I much prefer roasted garlic to raw, but then I tend to have roasted garlic on hand most of the time, which many people don't; either will work.
If I'm making this as a dip or sauce, I use more water and serve it with olive oil and paprika on top; if I'm making it as a sandwich filling, I use less water.
A note on equipment: hummus is one of those things for which a standard-sized food processor comes in really handy. However, before I inherited my grandmother's ancient but still functional full-size Cuisinart, I used one of the little baby Cuisinarts you can get for $30. It was a much slower process, but worked just fine. A blender will also work in a pinch, although it's not ideal.
3 c drained canned chickpeas (I get the Westbrae Natural 25oz can)
2 medium cloves garlic, pref. roasted
1/2 c tahini
6 Tbs olive oil
6 Tbs lemon juice
1 1/2 Tbs ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 - 1/2 c water
Dump everything but the water in a food processor and let it run until you've got a nice smooth paste. Still processing, add water until the hummus reaches the consistency you want. Taste and adjust lemon, salt, cumin, etc. as needed.
chickpea pancakes
adapted from Bon Appetit
A vegetarian friend of mine made these for me for dinner one right and since they were damn tasty I of course scammed the recipe. She serves them with a yogurt-feta sauce; I'm not a big fan of feta, personally, so I tend to just add a spoonful of lemon juice to a half-cup of yogurt, maybe throw in some chopped cucumber or some dill, and use that instead.
15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbs chopped fresh rosemary
3 large eggs
2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs lemon juice
2 Tbs water
3 Tbs flour
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp baking powder
Dump chickpeas, garlic, rosemary, eggs, olive oil, lemon juice, and water in a blender or food processor and let it run until you've got a smooth batter. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until blended. The batter should be fairly runny, but thick; add a bit more water or flour if necessary.
Fry in small puddles (2 - 3 inches in diameter, roughly an eighth of a cup of batter) in olive oil over medium-high heat. (I use a heavy, well-seasoned cast-iron griddle, which means I can use very little oil; alternatively, a nonstick pan would work well.) Cook on one side until the top starts to set but is still a bit shiny in the middle, then flip; they should be golden but not too brown underneath.
potato-chickpea stew
adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's World of the East Vegetarian Cooking
This is one of my favorite comfort foods. Everything in it is stuff I always have in the pantry, so it's perfect for evenings when for whatever reason I don't have leftovers on hand but am too tired to do more than throw a bunch of stuff in a pan. I can chop the onions while the pan heats, chop the potato while the onion cooks, and collapse on the couch with the cats and a cup of tea while everything simmers. Perfect.
I normally use Yukon Gold potatoes in this recipe, but I've used red, russet, and white, and they work fine as well.
3 Tbs olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 medium potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch dice
15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 Tbs lemon juice
Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat; saute the onion and garlic until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add everything else plus a cup of water, bring to a boil, cover, lower heat, and simmer until the potatoes are tender, 20-30 minutes.
white bean salad
adapted from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
This is my single favorite thing to do with beans in the summer; it's great for picnics. It also makes an excellent first course for a vegetarian dinner party, whatever the season, because getting the protein issue taken care of in the salad frees up options for the main course. It keeps nicely, and thus can be made well in advance, although the basil will darken a little; bring back to room temperature before serving.
3 cups cooked white beans (rinsed if canned); I like a mix of cannellini and navy beans
tomato vinaigrette (see below)
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 c basil, thinly sliced
salt and pepper
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
for the tomato vinaigrette:
1 garlic clove, minced
1 shallot, finely diced
2 Tbs red wine vinegar
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
4 to 6 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
3 roma tomatoes, diced; or 1/2 c cherry tomatoes, quartered
In a small bowl, combine the garlic, shallot, vinegars, 1/4 tsp salt, and pepper to taste. Let stand for 15 minutes (I use this time to chop the scallions, etc.), then whisk in the oil and add the tomatoes. Taste and adjust ingredients as necessary; the dressing should be tart and a little sweet but not oily.
Put the beans in a large bowl or serving dish, pour on the vinaigrette, add the scallions, basil, salt, and pepper, and mix gently. Just before serving, add the chopped egg.
For picnics, eat as-is. For dinner party presentation, place a small heap of salad on a few leaves of lettuce, escarole, or mixed greens, and serve with bread and olives on the side; if you want to get really fancy, go for bruschetta smeared with olive paste.
h.l's favorite hummus
This is a fairly basic hummus recipe, although heavier on the lemon and lighter on the garlic and tahini than some; as with any recipe, make notes of whatever adjustments you want to make. I much prefer roasted garlic to raw, but then I tend to have roasted garlic on hand most of the time, which many people don't; either will work.
If I'm making this as a dip or sauce, I use more water and serve it with olive oil and paprika on top; if I'm making it as a sandwich filling, I use less water.
A note on equipment: hummus is one of those things for which a standard-sized food processor comes in really handy. However, before I inherited my grandmother's ancient but still functional full-size Cuisinart, I used one of the little baby Cuisinarts you can get for $30. It was a much slower process, but worked just fine. A blender will also work in a pinch, although it's not ideal.
3 c drained canned chickpeas (I get the Westbrae Natural 25oz can)
2 medium cloves garlic, pref. roasted
1/2 c tahini
6 Tbs olive oil
6 Tbs lemon juice
1 1/2 Tbs ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 - 1/2 c water
Dump everything but the water in a food processor and let it run until you've got a nice smooth paste. Still processing, add water until the hummus reaches the consistency you want. Taste and adjust lemon, salt, cumin, etc. as needed.
chickpea pancakes
adapted from Bon Appetit
A vegetarian friend of mine made these for me for dinner one right and since they were damn tasty I of course scammed the recipe. She serves them with a yogurt-feta sauce; I'm not a big fan of feta, personally, so I tend to just add a spoonful of lemon juice to a half-cup of yogurt, maybe throw in some chopped cucumber or some dill, and use that instead.
15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbs chopped fresh rosemary
3 large eggs
2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs lemon juice
2 Tbs water
3 Tbs flour
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp baking powder
Dump chickpeas, garlic, rosemary, eggs, olive oil, lemon juice, and water in a blender or food processor and let it run until you've got a smooth batter. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until blended. The batter should be fairly runny, but thick; add a bit more water or flour if necessary.
Fry in small puddles (2 - 3 inches in diameter, roughly an eighth of a cup of batter) in olive oil over medium-high heat. (I use a heavy, well-seasoned cast-iron griddle, which means I can use very little oil; alternatively, a nonstick pan would work well.) Cook on one side until the top starts to set but is still a bit shiny in the middle, then flip; they should be golden but not too brown underneath.
potato-chickpea stew
adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's World of the East Vegetarian Cooking
This is one of my favorite comfort foods. Everything in it is stuff I always have in the pantry, so it's perfect for evenings when for whatever reason I don't have leftovers on hand but am too tired to do more than throw a bunch of stuff in a pan. I can chop the onions while the pan heats, chop the potato while the onion cooks, and collapse on the couch with the cats and a cup of tea while everything simmers. Perfect.
I normally use Yukon Gold potatoes in this recipe, but I've used red, russet, and white, and they work fine as well.
3 Tbs olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 medium potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch dice
15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 Tbs lemon juice
Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat; saute the onion and garlic until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add everything else plus a cup of water, bring to a boil, cover, lower heat, and simmer until the potatoes are tender, 20-30 minutes.