I eat beans year-round but I can certainly tell that they’re showing up more and more in my meals now that it’s not so hot. Lots of ideas here this week to incorporate them with our veggies. More beautiful escarole coming your way! If you still have a delicata squash (like I do) you could roast it in chunks and then toss it with chopped escarole, lightly pickled onions and a good strong vinaigrette maybe with some Dijon-style mustard for a nice hybrid of cooked and raw vegetable salad. Happy cooking!
Roasted Sweet Peppers Stuffed with Ricotta
Calabrian-style Peppers and Potatoes
Lentils with Roasted Peppers and Parsley
Escarole Barley Risotto
Stewed Cabbage, Leeks and Beans
Stovetop Scalloped Potatoes and Leeks
Kale Salad with Chickpeas and Tahini Dressing
Pasta with Kale and Hot Peppers
Roasted Sweet Peppers Stuffed with Ricotta
–inspired by the Annie Somerville collection on Culinate.com
These are beautiful, delicious and fun and actually easy especially if you think to roast and peel the peppers in the morning before work then all you have to do is mix together the filling and bake them. Serve with some garlicky braised kale and roasted potatoes on the side for a beautiful fall supper.
Serves 4
4-5 sweet Italian roasting peppers
Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste–the filling should be well seasoned
1 ½ cups fresh ricotta
1 large egg
1 tablespoon each chopped parsley, tarragon and chives (or mince some scallions)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Place peppers on a baking sheet and broil until the skins are blistered and the flesh is soft, turning often. This will take about 7-10 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel the peppers, keeping the peppers as in tact as possible. Remove the stem and seeds and make a cut down the length of the pepper and scrape out any remaining seeds.
Mix together the ricotta, eggs, herbs, salt, and plenty of pepper in a small bowl. Gently fill the peppers and place them, seam side down, in a small, lightly oiled baking dish. Bake until the filling is set, about 20-25 minutes. Serve hot with a big green salad, maybe some polenta, . ..
Notes: You can roast and peel the peppers the day before. You can also make the filling and stuff the peppers a few hours ahead of time so they’re ready just to pop in the oven.
Calabrian-style Sweet Peppers and Potatoes
Sweet, salty and a bit charred . . .This was one of my very favorite things to eat when I lived in Calabria (the toe of the Italian boot) more than 20 years ago. It doesn’t really get any simpler but you need to be brave with the heat and have good ventilation. And don’t skimp on the oil either.
Serves 3-4
3-4 sweet red peppers, washed, cored and seeded and cut into chunks about 1 ½ – 2 1/3 inches
3-4 medium firm fleshed yellow potatoes, well scrubbed (no need to peel) and cut into bite-sized chunks
3 tablespoons olive oil (or a bit more if things dry out)
Sea salt
Heat the oil in the largest, heaviest skillet you have. When it’s hot but not smoking add the peppers and potatoes and toss well to coat with oil. Cook on high heat, stirring frequently until the both potatoes and peppers are tender and almost blackened around the edges. Season liberally with good sea salt. Serve hot.
Lentils with Roasted Peppers, Parsley (and Sausage)
You chop up the garlicky roasted red peppers (from a previous post–link below) and mix them with French green lentils, plenty of parsley and maybe some sausage for a delicious, hearty and pretty dish.
Serves 4
1 ½ cups small green or brown lentils (they hold their shape better than the more common, larger brown ones)
1 bay leaf
1 clove of garlic, peeled
A few parsley sprigs if you have them
1 carrot, scrubbed and cut into a few pieces
Salt
2-3 teaspoons red wine or sherry vinegar (more to taste)
2 sausages of your choice (I like Pastaworks’ Italian pork sausages best)
Olive oil
Roasted Peppers
Put the lentils, bay leaf, garlic clove, parsley (if using) and carrot in a large saucepan. Cover generously with water and add ½ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cook, partially covered for about 20-22 minutes. Check frequently at this point for doneness. You want tender lentils that are still more or less holding their shape. It make take a bit longer.
While the lentil are cooking roast the peppers and toss with garlic and parsley and olive oil.
Drain the lentils when they are tender and discard everything but the carrot. Chop it up more finely and add it back in. Add the vinegar and a bit of olive oil and taste for salt.
Meanwhile slice the sausages into rounds and sauté in a bit of olive oil until cooked through and browning a bit. Mix the sausages into the lentils.
Chop up the roasted red peppers and stir those into the lentils as well. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Escarole Barley Risotto
–inspired Food and Wine via smittenkitchen.com
This is creamy, delicious and robust.
You can certainly use risotto rice but the barley is a fun alternative. You can also vary the vegetables to suit your tastes and what you have on hand. You could add a diced sweet pepper to the onions at the beginning or use spinach instead of escarole, skip the beans and use diced winter squash. . . you get the idea.
Serves 4
5-6 cups vegetable broth (or homemade veggie bouillon broth) or chicken stock
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 cup red or white wine, optional (I used red in the one photographed)
1 cup pearled or semi-pearled barley (if you have hulled, not pearled barley, par boil it for 20 minutes and then proceed with the recipe)
1 cup cooked beans (pinto, borlotti, white, etc. )
4-5 cups chopped escarole
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Asiago Stella cheese, plus more for serving
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Bring the stock or broth to a low simmer. In a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and thyme and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 6 minutes. Add the barley and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the wine if using and cook, stirring until mostly absorbed, about one minute. Add a couple of ladlefuls of stock and cook, stirring occasionally, until nearly absorbed. Continue adding the stock a ladleful at a time when the barley starts drying out.
Cook until the barley is tender then add the beans and a bit more broth–you want it a bit soupy as the beans will absorb some liquid and you want it nice and creamy. Cook for a couple of minutes and then add the escarole. Cook for another minute or two until wilted and tender and then stir in the cheese and butter and taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Stewed Cabbage, Leeks and Beans
This dish makes me never tire of cooler season vegetables. I love this combination and it can be varied to use onions instead of leeks, more or less garlic and tomato, with or without bacon, etc. It’s inspired by the cooking of Tuscany and farther north where beans are king and cabbage is a standby. You can make a meal of this and serve it on polenta if you’d like.
This recipe makes quite a bit but it keeps well and is delicious the following day with an egg, salad, good bread, or just as is.
Serves 6 or more
2 slices bacon, chopped (optional–you can also use a crumbled pork sausage or no meat at all)
2-3 medium leeks, well washed, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise and then crosswise into 1/2-inch slices (you can use a combination of onion and leek or just onion if that’s what you have)
2-5 cloves garlic (to suit your taste–it all cooks for plenty of time so you don’t get a sharp garlic bite if you use the larger amount)
1/3 – 1/2 cup roasted or canned, roasted tomatoes or a few sundried ones (can omit in a pinch but I love the acidity and richness the tomato adds)
1/2 medium head green cabbage, cored and sliced into about 1/2-inch strips
3 cups cooked pinto or borlotti beans (white beans work too)
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
In a large, heavy skillet heat a little olive oil over medium high heat. Add the bacon and cook for a few minutes. Add the leeks and garlic and stir well. Cook, gently for about 10 minutes, covered, until the leeks begin to break down. Add the tomato and a few pinches of salt and cook for a few more minutes. Add the cabbage and a bit more salt and toss well. Cover and cook over medium heat for another 10-15 minutes until it is quite tender.
Now add the drained beans and about 1/2 cup of bean cooking liquid (or a bit or water if you don’t have any bean cooking liquid) and let simmer for another 5 minutes until all is heated through and the flavors have had a chance to marry. It shouldn’t be at all watery so increase the heat and remove the lid if it is and cook until thickened a bit. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve drizzled with good olive oil, hot, warm or at room temperature.
Stovetop Scalloped Potatoes and Leeks
I love the flavors and texture of this dish–it’s much quicker than real scalloped potatoes–and it’s plenty hearty for a main dish in my book. You could add or substitute celery root for some of the potatoes. Cooking times will vary a bit but I don’t mind if the vegetables get quite soft and begin falling apart.
Serves 4, generously
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 slices bacon, diced (optional but good)
3 good-sized leeks, well washed, trimmed and sliced into thin rounds
5 medium firm-fleshed potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced
2 1/2 cups meat or vegetable broth
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper
In a large casserole heat the oil over high heat. Add the onions, bacon and leeks and stir well. Turn down to medium and cook, covered for about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and the broth and salt and pepper (salt according to the saltiness of your broth/stock) and bring to a boil. Cook on high heat, stirring occasionally so the potatoes don’t stick until the potatoes are just about tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed/evaporated, about 8-10 minutes. Add the cream and stir carefully to incorporate. Cook for another 5 minutes or so until the dish has thickened. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper. Serve hot.
Kale Salad with Chickpeas, Tahini Dressing and Crispy Bread Crumbs
This salad is so surprisingly good, quick, hearty and adaptable. You can add grated carrot and some toasted sunflower seeds or different beans or spices. Adapt to suit your taste and pantry.
1 bunch kale, washed
2 cups cooked chickpeas
1 garlic clove
1 slice good, crusty bread, well toasted and torn into small bits (optional)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt or more to taste (you’ll likely need more)
3 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste)
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon olive oil
Freshly squeezed juice of one lemon
1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1-3 tablespoons water to loosen dressing if it gets too thick
Trim the bottom few inches off the kale stems and discard. Slice the kale into ½-inch ribbons. You should have 5-6 cups. Place the kale in a large bowl.
Use the side of a chef’s knife, pound or mince the garlic and 1/4 teaspoon of salt into a paste or grate the garlic on a micro-plane. Transfer the garlic to a small bowl. Add the tahini, yogurt, the oil, lemon juice, pinch of salt, pepper flakes and whisk to combine. You may need to add some water to loosen the dressing a bit. Pour the dressing over the kale and toss very well (the dressing will be thick and need lots of tossing to coat the leaves) or work it in with your hands. Then add the chickpeas and the toasty crumbs, if using. Let the salad sit for 5 minutes or more to soften.
Pasta with Kale and Hot Pepper
Serves 4-6
1 – 2 bunches kale
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or a 2-inch piece of dried Joe’s Long Cayenne pepper (or other hot pepper), broken up a bit (my batch this year (2014/2015) from Ayers Creek farm is not very spicy so be sure to taste yours before you decide how much to add. You want a little kick but not too much.
3/4 lb stout pasta like orecchiette, penne, fusilli (pictured with orecchiette) or the like
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, Pecorino or other hard cheese
1/3 cup hot, starchy cooking water reserved when you drain the pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Wash the kale and do not dry, remove any tough stems and chop the greens fairly finely (it will cling to the pasta better than in larger pieces). Heat a little olive oil in a large pot and add the greens and stir well. Add the greens with any water still clinging to them and stir well. Add a pinch or two of salt and the garlic and hot pepper. Cover and cook over medium to medium-high heat for about 7 – 15 minutes. Sometimes I like them softer than others. Check occasionally to make sure there’s enough moisture to keep them from sticking and burning. Add a little water if there isn’t.
Cook the pasta in plenty of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain but reserve 1/3 – 1/3 cup of the cooking water. Toss the hot pasta with the kale and add the cheese and a bit of cooking water–starting with 1/4 of a cup, as well as a few tablespoons of good olive oil. Toss everything well. You should have a thin, silky sauce coating the pasta and greens. Add some black pepper, taste and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately.