Bean counting

Since we're into tax time, here are some real beans you can count ... on. Beans and their cousins, lentils, are excellent fat free, vegan and thrifty protein sources. Plus they are gluten-free. The Indians and Nepalis who eat them daily as dal believe adding a pinch of turmeric to the mix reduces problems with gas. All this means everybody can enjoy them. A year ago I posted bean recipes under the title, Spilling the Beans, so here are a few more colorful and tasty ways to make them into extra-ordinary meals.                                 

Roasted squash and chickpea soup

This is an easy vegan extravaganza suitable for the gluten free too. The pumpkin/squash seeds are nutrient powerhouses and the chickpeas have the protein you need. Serve it with good bread.
Serves 4-6

1 butternut squash, peeled and diced, reserving the seeds*

        1 tbsp cumin seeds

      1dried red chili, crumbled or 2 tsp aleppo pepper

3 tbsp olive oil

2 sticks celery, trimmed and finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and diced

4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, chopped,

2 small red onions, peeled and diced

5 c vegetable stock

2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/3 c finely chopped almonds or pecans

2 tsp. fennel seeds

3 tsp sesame seeds

2 tsp poppy seeds

    salt

fresh ground black pepper

2 lemons, zest only

1 tbsp fresh mint leaves chopped or 2 tsp dried mint

harissa paste or hot sauce

extra virgin olive oil

*if you don’t have squash seeds, use ½ cup packaged roasted unsalted pumpkin seeds

Heat oven to 400°F. Place the squash, cumin and chili on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.  Roast 45 minutes until the squash is tender.

Heat a med/large lidded pot with 2 tbsp olive oil in it over medium heat. Add celery, garlic, and one of the diced onions. Lower heat , cover the pot and cook until the veggies are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the roasted squash and blend it in Add the vegetable broth.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover the pot and cook 15 minutes. Add the chickpeas and simmer 15 minutes more.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tsp olive oi in a small frying pan. Toast the squash/pumpkin seeds, almonds or pecans, fennel, sesame and poppy seeds until they are evenly browned.

Season the soup with salt and pepper.  If you have a hand-held blender, whiz it a few seconds so it thickens, but there are still  chunky bits. Or pour half the soup into a food processor and whiz it into a chunky puree. Pour it back into the pot and blend. Keep the soup on simmer. 

Mix together the lemon zest, chopped parsley and mint. Add the remaining diced onion.

To serve, spoon ½ tsp harissa paste or hot sauce into each bowl. Divide the herb mixture between the bowls. Ladle in the soup and stir each bowl once with a spoon to blend everything. Sprinkle the toasted seeds and nuts on top, and finish with a drizzle of very good olive oil.

Bean Pie

You can serve this as dessert or breakfast or lunch.The recipe was concocted as a homemade celebration of beans, the healthy food oppressed peoples were encouraged to eat to uplift, strengthen and nourish them in their struggles for dignity. If you buy a pie crust, it's very fast and simple. You can also substitute vanilla for the lemon juice to get a whole different flavor. And no, I am not the one who concocted this.
 serves 6-8          
1 can navy beans (white beans)
7 oz evaporated milk (unsweeened)
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp cornstarch*
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c granulated sugar*
 2 lg or extra lg eggs
 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 9" pie crust (or see recipe below)   
* if you don't have cornstarch, you can substitute 1/4 c powdered/confectioners' sugar for the cornstarch and granulated sugar because powdered sugar is sugar with cornstarch.

Heat oven to 375º. Lightly butter/grease the bottom and sides of a 9" pie plate. If you have purchased pie crust, press it into the pan and crimp the upper edges. Otherwise make a crust this way:

 1 1/4 c all purpose flour
 8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vinegar
3 tbsp ice water  

In a mixer or food processor, combine the flour, butter and salt into  coarse meal. Slowly with your mixer running, add the vinegar then the ice water and blend just long enough to get dough. Remove it from the bowl and form it into a ball. If it is stick add a bit more flour. Roll the ball out (keeping waxed paper under it makes cleanup very easy) into an 11" circle. Fit this into the prepared pan. Crimp the upper edges.

Back to the pie itself:
In a blender or with an immersion mixer, combine the beans, butter, milk, eggs, spices and cornstarch if using. Blend. Add the lemon juice and sugars and blend into a thick puree. Pour this into the pie shell, leveling the top.   Bake one hour. The crust and top should be golden brown and a cake tester should come out clean.                                                                                        
Ful Mudammas

This Egyptian street food favorite is in my book Veggiyana, the Dharma of Cooking. which a very excited woman told me was the first ever Egyptian recipe she'd seen in America-- and she was married to an Egyptian. There are probably as many ways to make this satisfying breakfast, lunch, supper and snack as there are Egyptians. Some people like the beans mashed, some like half mashed for a thick soup, some leave them all whole. People eat this in a bowl like soup or stuff it in a grilled or roasted pita to which they might even add falafal. It's one of my favorite fast meals: nourishing, colorful and tasty--makes me feel virtuous.         

Fava beans are the ancient Mediterranean basin protein, prevalent in the cooking of every culture. In Puglia, they're famously made into a hummus like mash and served with bitter greens. In Greece, they're sauteed in garlic and olive oil. Because the raw ones usually have to be double peeled, many of us shun them. But you can buy them cooked and canned and ready to go. Just add flatbread and perhaps cheese to make a meal Serves 4

1½ tbsp olive oil
1 med onion, peeled and diced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
¼ tsp freshly minced green chili or 1/8 tsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 15 oz can fül or ful mudammas, small fava beans OR ½ cup dried fava beans, soaked overnight and boiled in salted water until soft.
1 lg tomato, chopped or 1/2 c boxes or canned chopped tomatoes
2-3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ tsp salt
3 tbsp best quality extra virgin, cold pressed fruity olive oil
¼ cup freshly chopped parsley or cilantro for garnish

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add onions, garlic, chili or chili powder and cumin. Sauté over medium heat 5 minutes, until onions are soft.

Add fava beans with the juice in the can. If you’ve made your own beans, add ½ cup of the water they boiled in. Add tomatoes, lemon juice, salt and 2 tbsp best olive oil. Continue to cook over medium heat 10 minutes, stirring most of the time as it bubbles and thickens. Some people mash some of the beans toward the end to make this a thick puree: your choice.

To serve, add salt to your taste. Garnish each portion with chopped parsley or cilantro and a splash of best quality olive oil. Add a splash of lemon juice if you like it slightly sour. Serve in a soup bowl or in a roasted/grilled pita.


Chili Pot Pie
Fiery chili under a soothing cornbread crust: a very popular recipe from my catering and takeout business that we made up. It takes a little more effort than the other recipes in this post but the result will please you.
 serves 4-5 
  
2 tbsp corn oil
1 med onion, diced
1 med Poblano pepper, seeded and diced
1 lb lean ground beef 
2 cups (15 oz) cooked red kidney beans, drained
1 lg (28 oz can) whole tomatoes
2 lg garlic cloves, crushed and minced
1 Jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
2 tsps ground chili powder (chipotole will give it a smokier taste) 
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano 
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3 drops Tabasco or other hot sauce
1/4 tsp vinegar   
pinch of salt

In a large lidded skillet or heavy gauge casserole, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and Poblano pepper. Sauté 5 minutes to soften.  Add the ground beef. Continue to cook until it's browned, about 8 minutes.  Stir in the Worcestershire sauce , kidney beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, Jalapeno, and spices.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Stir in vinegar, Tabasco and salt. Simmer another 15 minutes while you make the crust.

Heat oven to 350º.
Crust
 6 tbsp unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c  + 2 tbsp cornmeal
1 egg white  
2 tbsp melted unsalted butter
1/2 c milk  
pinch of ground cayenne pepper
2 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

In a  med/sm bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and cornmeal.  

In a large mixer or mixing bowl,   beat the egg white until it's stiff. Fold in the melted butter and cheese. Gradually in a steady stream, add the milk and beat to retain some volume. Add in the dry ingredients, beating only long enough to combine everything. Do not over mix.               
Spread the chili evenly in a two quart baking dish. Spread the cornmeal mixture evenly across the top. Bake at 350º 20 minutes until the crust is golden and crisp. Serve with a green salad and tortilla chips.       


Aloo Bodhi Tama

Potatoes with black-eyed peas and bamboo shoots (fermented) is probably the quintessential traditional dish of Nepal’s Newar people, original inhabitants of the Kathmandu valley known for their amazing artistry. This combo of roots, shoots and seeds (beans) is startlingly simple, nutritious, energizing and tasty.

3 med red potatoes
2-3 tbsp veg oil
1 15 oz can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
½ c fermented bamboo shoots*
1 sm red onion, peeled and diced
1 tbsp garlic/ginger paste
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp cumin seed
¼-1/2 tsp chili powder
Salt to your taste

*Admittedly these are not widely available. The best I’ve found in a long search are the Chinese bamboo shoots packed in chili oil in a jar at Sun Oriental Market in Portland and maybe other Asian grocers as well. You can, as some Nepalese do ferment your own and keep them in a jar. The easiest substitute would be the canned bamboo shoots found in the Asian section of every supermarket, drained. They will lack the characteristic tang of the fermented variety so you can try soaking them in salt and lemon juice for a few minutes before adding them to the dish. Drain carefully though.

Boil the potatoes until they are soft. Run under cold water, cool and slip off the skins. Dice into bite-sized pieces.

In a medium saucepan, heat enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom. Add the onion and over medium heat soften it for 3 minutes. Add the garlic ginger paste, cumin, coriander, cumin seed, chili powder and stir to blend. Cook 60 second then stir in the potatoes and coat with the spices and onion.  Cook over medium heat 3-5 minutes to try to brown the potatoes lightly.

Add the black-eyed peas, salt and bamboo shoots. Stir to blend. Add just enough water to come ½ way up the contents of the pan. Continue to cook over medium heat until everything is hot, the flavors set and the water almost gone—about  8-10 minutes. Taste for salt and chili heat and adjust to your preference. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro leaves to serve. 

Persian lamb and bean soup

This is a perfect one-pot supper of great nourishment.
serves 6

2 tbsp unsalted butter or ghee
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 lbs stewing lamb (leg or shoulder) in 1" chunks
1 lg onion, quartered
6 oz tomato paste
1 bay leaf
2 limes, thickly sliced
1 tbsp bulghur
2 cups cooked chickpeas (14 oz can)
2 cups cooked red kidney beans
1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper or lg pinch of cayenne
lg pinch ground cinnamon (1/8 tsp)
salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste
3 medium boiling potatoes, peeled and quartered
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
0ptional: 4 cups beef broth

In a med soup pot or large saucepan, heat butter and oil. Brown the meat and onions. Mix the tomato paste with 8 cups of water or 4 cups beef broth and 4 cups water and pour over the meat. Add bay leaf, limes and bulghur. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook 1 1/2 hrs or until meat is just tender.

Add chickpeas, kidney beans, hot pepper, cinnamon, salt, pepper, potatoes and turmeric. Bring back to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. (This is imperative.) Squeeze the limes into the soup then discard them. Serve with lavash or pita.