Warm Balsamic Bean and Spinach Salad

To my delight, I discovered the bag of CSA spinach from last week hiding in the back of the fridge. It was as fresh and beautiful as if it had just been picked. The Coconut-Cashew Greens from Moosewood Celebrates came to mind, but then I discovered a recipe for warm bean salad with balsamic vinegar and bacon--two things that go splendidly with spinach. I am not above muscling a major ingredient into an existing recipe! A few other alterations resulted in a quite delicious main dish.

If using bacon or garlic in a dish, I like to add them near the end of cooking so the bacon has more texture and the garlic retains its fresh flavor.

I served this salad as an entree, but the recipe would work well as an accompaniment to meats if you left out the beans and upped the quantity of onion and spinach. The bay leaf adds an interesting layer of flavor under the balsamic and bacon.

Update: Despite the unassuming nature of this dish's appearance, it is very good. Second-helping-by-husband good. And leftover-for-lunch-the-next-day good. Too good not to add this update!

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WARM BALSAMIC BEAN AND SPINACH SALAD
Adapted from A New Way to Cook by Sally Schneider

4 slices (about 2 ounces) natural bacon
2 cloves garlic

1 large CSA onion, halved and sliced thinly
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
A few generous grinds of black pepper

12 ounces or so CSA spinach leaves, washed, with large stems removed

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 bay leaves

3 cups cooked beans (I used the CSA nine-bean mix I cooked and froze earlier)

Peel and chop the garlic finely. Place in small dish. In large skillet, fry bacon pieces until crisp. Remove to bacon pieces to small dish with the garlic.

To same skillet, add onion, crushed red pepper, salt, and black pepper. Saute onions for about 10 minutes or until they soften and start to turn golden.

Add spinach, stir well, and cover. Cook for five minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until spinach is wilted.

Add balsamic vinegar, 3 tablespoons water, bay leaves, and beans. Stir, and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in bacon and garlic and heat through.

Makes four generous servings.

Warm Yam and Chickpea Salad with Tahini Dressing

Wow. Thanks to my friend Stephanie, who split a jar of tahini with me a while back (who can use a whole jar, we thought?), I had a few tablespoons left, and all the ingredients to make this salad. Wow. It's a blockbuster, and may even be cause to buy a whole jar of tahini for myself. I can see this salad happening again and again.

I substituted yams for the originally-called-for butternut squash, and increased the salt a little.
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WARM YAM AND CHICKPEA SALAD with TAHINI DRESSING
Adapted from this website.

Salad
2 pounds yams, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoon allspice (optional; I didn't use it)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups cooked CSA chickpeas
1/4 of a CSA red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped cilantro or parsley (I recommend cilantro)

Dressing
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons tahini, stirred
2 tablespoons olive oil, more to taste
2 tablespoons water
1/8 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, combine the garlic, allspice, olive oil and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Toss the yam pieces until evenly coated. Roast on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat for about 40 minutes, or until soft. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. A little hotter is fine.

Meanwhile, make the dressing and taste for seasoning. There should be a definite hint of lemon below the tahini taste. Add water to thin if necessary.

In a large bowl, combine yams, chickpeas, onion and cilantro. Add dressing to taste, keeping a bit aside if you think you'll have leftovers. The salad tastes best when the dressing is added fresh.

Serve immediately. If serving leftovers, reheat slightly in microwave and add reserved dressing.

Beet Soup with Nine CSA Legumes

Yesterday I started craving raspberry-nectarine pie, so I know that it's season-shifting time. Could be that's why this soup, with its absolute orgy of greens, attracted me. A bunch of parsley! Spinach and chard! A bunch of scallions! Fresh mint!

I have a low tolerance for recipes that call for "one scallion, sliced" or "a tablespoon of chopped parsley." I had to trust Deborah Madison again on this one, but when I saw that I could use all the types of CSA legumes (chickpeas, lentils, 7-bean mix) , I was in. It was icing on the cake to read that "... the aromatics are added at the end, breaking the clean surface with a net of golden speckles."

I defy any adventurous cook to resist "a net of golden speckles."

Smugly, I pulled my gallon-size freezer bags of cooked chickpeas and cooked 7-bean mix that I froze from the last couple of CSA boxes. If you didn't cook extra, you'll have to start earlier to make this soup.

The finished soup is quite bracing, with the mellow but spicy onion topping a wonderful sweet contrast. All the greens and parsley give this soup a hint of spring ... and only the faintest echo of its sturdy winter cousin, borscht.

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BEET SOUP WITH NINE CSA LEGUMES
Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison

4 medium beets, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/3 cup CSA lentils, sorted and rinsed

1-1/2 cups cooked CSA 7-bean mix
1 cup cooked CSA chickpeas
2 cups chopped chard or beet greens
2 teaspoons salt

1 bunch scallions, including green parts, sliced
2 cups coarsely chopped spinach
1 small bunch parsley, finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground black peper

Garnish:
3 tablespoons butter, preferably ghee
1 CSA onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/2 cup yogurt

Put beets, lentils and 7 cups water in a soup pot. Bring to boil, lower heat and simmer, partly covered, for 25 minutes.

Add the 7-bean mix, chickpeas, chard, 2 cups water, and 2 teaspoons salt. Cook about 5 minutes or until chard is tender.

Add scallions, spinach and parsley, and cook until spinach is wilted and bright green. Grind a little black pepper in. Taste for salt and turn off heat.

For garnish, melt butter over low heat. Add onion, turmeric and cayenne; cook until onion is soft, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in fresh mint.

Ladle soup into bowls. Top each serving with a spoonful of garnish and a dollop of yogurt.

Bean, Barley and Salmon Bake

Once I blurted out about a dish, "And it's vegetarian except for the meat!" Of course I have never been allowed to forget that.

This casserole turns out to be quite satisfying and tasty. Remember when cooking your beans and barley, that they won't cook much further in this casserole, so make sure they're done to a texture you like.

When sorting beans, I've found that a white plate works really well. Tip a single layer of beans onto the plate and pick out any rocks or broken beans, then tip into a rice washer. I use my rice washer all the time; it rarely makes it into a cupboard. It's great for rinsing lentils, berries, beans, cherries, cherry tomatoes ... and generally for holding chopped vegetables waiting to go into soups or stews.

Soaking beans overnight in cold water, then rinsing and draining, and cooking them in fresh water, will preserve the skins and the beans' shapes the best, and renders them maximally digestible. Fast heating will split the skins and they'll separate from the bean, unless you've presoaked.

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BEAN, BARLEY AND SALMON BAKE
Adapted from this recipe

2 cups cooked CSA beans (7-bean mix)
2 cups cooked CSA pearl barley
2 6-ounce cans wild salmon, drained
1-1/2 cups shredded goat cheddar (smoked goat gouda adds a nice flavor, too) or cheddar cheese
1 cup diced CSA red onion

1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons dried dill
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt

Chopped parsley, green onions, or other greenery

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, combine beans, barley, salmon, onion, and 1 cup of the cheese.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk thoroughly the egg, milk, lemon juice, dill, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, and salt.

Stir egg mixture into the bean mixture, and pour into an oiled or buttered 3-quart casserole. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese on top and bake 40 to 50 minutes or until cooked through. Scatter some parsley across the top before serving.

Serve with fresh CSA Cameo apples and yesterday's muffins!

To cook presoaked beans: I cooked 4 cups of the CSA beans, used 2 cups in this recipe and froze the rest for soups. Place presoaked, rinsed and drained beans in a pot and fill with water to 2 inches above the beans. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer about 45 minutes to an hour, or until beans are soft. The texture of the beans when you stop cooking will be the texture of the beans in the finished casserole.

To cook pearl barley: For this casserole, place 2/3 cup rinsed and drained barley in a pot with 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook about 30 minutes or until barley is tender. Texture of the barley when you stop cooking will be the texture of the barley in the finished casserole. You should end up with about 2 cups of cooked barley.

Yellow Split Pea Soup

More paradigm smashing! Split pea soup (green) has been a staple of my life since childhood. So for years I've been using a yellow split pea recipe and substituting green split peas. This time, because of the CSA yellow split peas, I used them instead, and honestly, if you close your eyes you can't tell the difference from green.

The original recipe called for a smattering of green peas (frozen ones, thawed and cooked! Bleah!) to be strewn across the top of the soup. Completely superfluous! This soup is complete and wonderful with no garnish whatsoever.

I believe I have perfected this soup, but of course you will probably want to play around with it. Use caution. It is really, really good.

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YELLOW SPLIT PEA SOUP
Adapted from Vegan Planet by Robin Robertson

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow CSA onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, diced
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock (I used chicken)
2 cups water (wait to see if you really need this)
1-3/4 cups dried yellow CSA split peas, picked over and rinsed
1 teaspoon minced fresh summer savory, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt (wait to see if you need this; your broth might be salty enough)
A pinch or two of crushed red pepper

Heat olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add onion and carrot, and saute about 10 minutes. Stir in all the remaining ingredients except the water and salt.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook, stirring now and then, until the peas are soft and are thickening the soup. Add some water if the peas absorb all the stock before softening. Taste, and add salt if necessary. Remove bay leaf and serve the soup with something grainy, like corn tortillas, cornbread, or whole wheat flatbread, and put some raw veggies on the side, or a green salad.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Extra hints:
I always triple this recipe, using my 9-quart Dutch oven. This soup freezes wonderfully, and what a treat to pull it out of the freezer after a busy day and heat it up for dinner.

Sometimes I hang a Lapsang Souchong teabag over the side of the pot for about 10 minutes during the simmering phase. This gives the soup a mysterious, smoky flavor that will have people searching around in their soup for the ham that isn't there.

Roasted Garlic Hummus

It's tempting to think that something this simple and ordinary (hummus, for heaven's sake!) would taste simple and ordinary, too. But it does not. I'd been making hummus for years with raw garlic, but it wasn't until tasting my friend Stephanie's hummus made with roasted garlic that I realized the profound difference in flavor roasting the garlic makes.

Our local Slow Food convivium held a potluck here last night with the theme "Comfort Food," and I was assigned an appetizer. So, roasted garlic hummus, made with my CSA chickpeas, it was.

Pita chips are the expected accompaniment to hummus, but all manner of crackers and vegetables alongside are equally wonderful.

You may want to double or even triple this recipe. Hummus tends to evaporate quickly!

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ROASTED GARLIC HUMMUS
Adapted from Eating Well magazine

1 head garlic
2 cups cooked CSA chickpeas
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon tahini (sesame paste)
2 tablespoons water
Salt to taste (I used 1/2 teaspoon)
Chopped parsley for garnish

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Slice the top 1/4-inch or so off the top of the garlic head; don't separate the cloves. Wrap in a small square of foil and roast about 30 minutes or until the garlic is very soft. This process makes your kitchen smell wonderful.

Let the garlic cool enough to handle, then turn the head on its side and place a spatula vertically on the head, just above the roots. Hold the garlic in place and press the spatula down firmly, drawing it toward the top of the garlic as you press out the roasted garlic from inside the cloves.

In food processor, combine roasted garlic, chickpeas, lemon juice, soy sauce, olive oil, tahini, water and salt. Puree until the hummus reaches the texture you like. It's good smooth, but is also interesting and tasty if it's a little grainy. Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley and drizzled with a little olive oil.

Chickpea and Pear Olla

Exploring ideas for a dish that would combine my CSA pears and onions, I happened upon one that would also include my CSA chickpeas. An olla is a "soupy legume stew," and has many versions depending on the region of Spain in which it originates.

I simply cannot resist trying recipes with ingredients that are all over the map like this. The lure is the possibility of a new favorite dish, unusual and intriguing. Of course, the dish may also bomb. This olla did not. The flavors blended amazingly well into a savory, rustic stew with a subtle fruity tone and several layers of flavor. Very interesting technique to fry and chop the garlic, and add it just before serving. I'll definitely make this again.

I'd saved my two least-ripe CSA pears in the fridge, and they were still quite firm. Having no squash on hand of any type, I substituted sweet potato for the pumpkin/butternut squash. The CSA chickpeas, according the farmer's e-mail, are a special variety prized in Spain, and the seeds were brought from there. They are a tad more dainty than common chickpeas.
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CHICKPEA AND PEAR OLLA (Olla Gitana or "Gypsy Pot")
Adapted from The New Spanish Table by Anya von Bremzen

1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained
1 large carrot, cut into 1-inch chunks
9-10 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 pound pumpkin or butternut squash, cut into 1-inch chunks
10 ounces green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
2 small, slightly under-ripe Anjou pears, peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch chunks
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
10 whole blanched almonds (boil for one minute in water, then slip skins off)

3/4 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon sweet (not smoked or hot) paprika
2 medium tomatoes, chopped (or one 14-oz. can diced tomatoes)
1 medium pinch of saffron (a loose teaspoon), pulverized in a mortar and steeped in 3 tablespoons very hot water
About two teaspoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons slivered fresh mint

In a 5-quart pot over high heat, bring chickpeas, carrot and 6 cups chicken stock to a boil. Skim off any foam, reduce heat, cover, and simmer 1 hour or until chickpeas are tender.

Add 3 cups more stock along with pumpkin, green beans and pears. Season with salt and pepper to taste. I used 1 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Increase heat to medium and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until vegetable are soft, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until golden. Remove with slotted spoon to small bowl. Add almonds and cook until golden. Remove with slotted spoon to small bowl with garlic.

To skillet, add onion and cook 5 minutes, stirring. Add paprika and stir for a few seconds, then add tomatoes (undrained if using canned) and stir, cooking for a few minutes until liquid begins to reduce.

Add tomato mixture and saffron water to the chickpeas. Continue cooking until vegetables are very soft and the pumpkin is falling apart, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add chicken broth if stew seems too thick.

Finely chop the almonds and garlic in a small food processor. Stir them into the chickpea mixture. Add two teaspoons vinegar, and taste for salt, pepper and vinegar, adjusting as necessary.

Let stew cool for 10 minutes. Sprinkle mint over the top and serve the olla with crusty bread.

Braised Lentils with Saffron

I'm not sure what variety my CSA lentils are, but they're petite and brown .. I'm guessing they're French.

We first tasted this unusual combination at Taverna Tagaris. When I decided to try to make it at home, I found online that the combination of saffron and lentils isn't unusual at all. Some recipes include meat and vegetables, but I like the simplicity of the just the lentils and seasonings. The saffron seems to lift and compliment the flavor of the lentils. And that's no small feat ... lentils are quite mild flavored.

This recipe is adapted from several I found online. Red lentils give a lovely final presentation, but brown lentils work, too. The important thing is not to overcook the lentils. They should not break down, but remain whole, swimming in just a bit of broth.

This recipe makes 5 or 6 hearty servings.

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BRAISED LENTILS WITH SAFFRON

1-3/4 cup lentils
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
1/4 cup white wine
1 teaspoon saffron threads
2-4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
salt

Sort and rinse the lentils. Place them in a bowl and soak for about 6 hours, then rinse again and drain.

Heat chicken stock in a separate pan. The amount of stock needed will vary depending on the lentils.

Heat the olive oil or butter in a skillet over medium heat, and add the drained lentils, stirring to coat. Heat for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, then stir in the wine and saffron. After the wine has mostly evaporated, add hot chicken stock to just cover the lentils. Cover and simmer gently for 12 to 20 minutes, adding broth if the lentils become dry. Taste for salt and texture. The lentils should retain their shape and be slightly chewy, but not hard. Remember that they should be swimming in just a bit of broth. Serve immediately in individual ramekins.
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