Christmas Lima Bean & Butternut Squash Stew Recipe

One of my new year's resolutions is to use more of the food stored in my pantry. My shelves are overflowing with packages of grains, heirloom beans, dried pasta, Asian sauces, jams, mustards, sardines, cans of tomatoes and more. My goal is to cook with something that is languishing in the pantry or my equally stuffed-to-capacity freezer, every single day. Yesterday I chose some Christmas lima beans to transform into a vegetarian main dish. Eat less meat and more vegetarian food! That is yet another new year's resolution.

Christmas lima beans are sometimes called chestnut lima beans. When uncooked they are beautifully speckled like a calico horse, and when cooked they are more uniformly brown like chestnuts--but they really don't taste like chestnuts, despite what you may have heard. They have a texture a bit like russet potatoes and a mild earthy flavor but none of the characteristic sweetness or dry crumbly texture of chestnuts.

Beans are often used in salads or soups, but Christmas lima beans are the perfect bean for making a stew because not only are they large and "meaty" but the liquid they soak and cook in becomes a rich brown gravy when reduced. I combined the beans with silky sautéed onions and chunks of sweet squash to make a satisfying meatless main dish. It's a mild but hearty dish and the toppings jazz it up considerably.

Note: I get Christmas lima beans from bulk bins at Rainbow Grocery, you can also get them online.

Christmas Lima Bean & Butternut Squash Stew
Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients

2 cups Christmas lima beans
4 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, sliced into thin half moons
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2-1 teaspoon red chili paste or harissa
1/4 teaspoon minced peeled ginger

Toppings:
Extra virgin olive oil
Wedges of lemon
Crumbled soft goat cheese, optional
Chopped cilantro, optional

Instructions

Place the beans in a large dutch oven and cover with water. Water should rise at least one inch over the top of the beans. Let soak overnight.

Do not drain the water! Simmer the beans gently until tender, probably an hour or so. Add the butternut squash and more water if necessary, cover and gently simmer for 15 minutes or until the squash is cooked.

Meanwhile in a separate skillet heat the olive oil and add the onion. Add the salt to the onions and cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally. Add the cumin, chili paste and ginger. When fragrant, add the onion mixture to the beans and squash. Simmer without the lid until the remaining liquid thickens to make a velvety gravy. Taste for seasoning.

Top each serving with a drizzle of olive oil and lemon and any other toppings you like. 

Enjoy!

Polenta Stuffed Artichokes Recipe

My recipe for polenta stuffed artichokes came about thanks to winning some heirloom artichokes from Ocean Mist. When I was working on my first cookbook I needed artichokes and it wasn’t quite artichoke season. Fortunately Ocean Mist came to my rescue and kindly shipped me a whole carton full and I’ve been a fan ever since. I've found each of the varieties of artichokes they grow to be particularly plump and meaty with great flavor and not overly bitter. I'm a subscriber to their newsletter (join the free Artichoke Club) which alerts me to when and where artichokes are on sale locally and sometimes also gives away artichokes.

Most recipes use just the artichoke hearts or they call for stuffing the whole artichoke with bread crumb stuffing. I decided to try an entirely different kind of stuffing — lemon and goat cheese polenta. Artichokes tend to make other ingredients taste sweet, so the tangy and salty flavor profile of lemon and cheese complements it perfectly. It will seem like a lot of polenta, but it's what makes the dish so hearty. Use as much or as little of the polenta as you like. 

This is a very satisfying vegetarian main dish. If you don't have a microwave oven, you can prepare the artichoke and the polenta any way you prefer. Artichokes can be steamed on the stove and polenta can be cooked on the stove or in the oven, see instructions on the package. Note: This recipe requires that you trim off the stem. But don't throw it away! Steam it and peel it, and you'll find it has the same flavor and texture of an artichoke heart. 

Polenta Stuffed Artichokes

Single serving, easily multiplied 

1 large globe artichoke

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup medium polenta

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1 Tablespoon grated Parmigiano Reggiano

2 Tablespoons fresh goat cheese

1/2 teaspoon minced parsley

Remove the tough outer leaves of the artichoke and cut off top 1/2 inch of the leaves so the top is flat and no thorny tips remain. Trim the stem so the artichoke will stand upright. Cook the artichoke, as desired until tender. To steam in the microwave: Place the artichoke stem side up with 1/4 cup of water in a microwave safe soup mug or bowl, cover with plastic wrap and microwave at 1000 watts for 6 minutes).

To make the polenta in the microwave: Combine the water, milk and polenta in a microwave safe 2 quart casserole with a lid. Cover partially and microwave at 500 watts for 8 minutes. Stir then microwave, uncovered, for another 2 minutes or until thick and creamy. Stir in the salt, lemon zest, Parmigiano Reggiano and the goat cheese until smooth.

Stand the artichoke on a plate. Gently pull the leaves back and spread them to make room for the stuffing. Spoon the polenta into the leaves using a small dessert spoon or teaspoon. Sprinkle with parsley. 

Enjoy!

Roasted Garlic and Potato Dip Recipe

Greek cuisine features many great snacks and nibbles from olives to pastries and dips. An easy dip to make is skordalia. Recipes vary regionally, but generally feature garlic, extra virgin olive oil and potatoes though sometimes egg yolks, almonds or bread as well. The problem for me is raw garlic which gets more and more potent over time. The solution? Roast garlic.

Roast garlic is sweet and soft and most important, mellow. It won't overpower most dishes like this skordalia inspired dip made with potatoes, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and roast garlic, instead of raw. Not only is this dip good for Passover, it's vegetarian (vegan if you use vegan mayo) and gluten free! That is if you use a gluten free mayonnaise, which adds additional creaminess to the dip.

I have been experimenting with "roasting" garlic in the microwave oven, but whatever technique you want to use is fine. The main thing is not to overcook it. It should be soft and creamy but not too darkly caramelized. I use 3-4 cloves, but feel free to use as much as you like. Serve it with fresh vegetables for dipping.

Roasted Garlic and Potato Dip

1 russet potato
4 cloves roasted garlic (use any method you like)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 Tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Water
Salt

Bake or microwave the potato until thoroughly cooked. You are not going to use the skin so however you prefer to cook it is fine. When cool enough to handle, slice open and scoop the potato out of the skin. Place the potato in a bowl with the garlic cloves and mash. Mix in the olive oil, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Add enough water to make a thick dip. Season to taste with salt.

Enjoy!

Bok Choy Salad Recipe

Recently I learned that bok choy is the number one vegetable in China. It seems to be the number one vegetable in my CSA box lately. It's a very healthy vegetable with a ton of vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin K plus and is even a good source of calcium and iron, but I have to admit, after serving it steamed or sautéed again and again, I was looking for a new way to prepare it.

As luck would have it, at a Chinese New Year's dinner I stumbled upon a terrific dish at Fang restaurant. It was served raw, as a salad with a soy and sesame vinaigrette alongside some chunks of short rib. Bok choy is very mild flavored but it has great texture. The leaves are tender and somewhat herbal without being bitter, and the stems are very juicy and crisp. I had never considered using bok choy in salad but after trying that dish, I couldn't stop thinking about it.

Looking around online I found plenty of Asian inspired recipes for bok choy salad, and a few takes on coleslaw and even a chopped salad. My idea was to make a more Italian style salad using extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and Parmigiano Reggiano. The result is a salad at once familiar and yet fresh. It's a great choice for a potluck or dinner party, because it is very sturdy and won't easily wilt. You could mix in other greens, add cherry tomatoes or even fresh fava beans when in season.

Bok Choy Salad
1 serving (multiply for as many servings as you like)

Ingredients

1 cup sliced bok choy
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Parmigiano reggiano, preferably young less than 18 months
Croutons
Freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Toss the bok choy in a bowl with the lemon juice and olive oil and a tiny pinch of salt. Shave long strips of Parmigiano using a vegetable peeler and add those and about five or so croutons to the bok choy. Season with pepper before serving.

Enjoy!


More inspiring bok choy salad recipes:

Bok Choy and Avocado Salad

Thai Steak and Bok Choy Salad

Bok Choy Salad with Corn & Edamame

Turkey Bacon & Bok Choy Salad with Shaved Parmesan (chopped salad style)

Bok Choy with Sesame Soy Vinaigrette

Bok Choy Salad (with ramen noodles and almonds)

Crunchy Bok Choy Slaw (like coleslaw)

Smoky Tomato Soup Recipe

It's easy to get so caught up in the idea of eating seasonally that we forget that there are certain things that aren't necessarily seasonal, for example vegetables grown in hothouses or greenhouses like Belgian endive, cucumbers and mushrooms, also preserved produce--jams, pickles, chutney, frozen and canned foods. Which brings me to canned tomatoes, which are a great choice for recipes since fresh tomatoes are in season for a fairly short period of time.

While I wouldn't use a canned tomato on a sandwich, they are a must for most tomato based sauces. Lately I've come to appreciate canned fire roasted tomatoes for their lovely smoky flavor. They are great in stew or chili and a sneaky shortcut when making this zippy soup. A nice option in this shoulder season when somedays still feel like Winter, it's something you can make from pantry staples--a few aromatics, cans of tomatoes and broth. Having tried many brands of fire roasted tomatoes, I like Hunt's best and while I prefer homemade, Swanson's is the only canned chicken broth I use.

Another little trick in this soup is the addition of cream cheese. I don't typically keep heavy cream on hand so I am always looking for other ingredients to add creaminess to recipes. In this case a tiny bit of cream cheese adds a lot of richness. But in all honesty this soup is really wonderful even without it.


Smoky Tomato Soup
Serves 4-6

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

2 14.5 ounce cans fire roasted tomatoes
2 14.5 ounces chicken broth (or homemade)
2 Tablespoons cream cheese, optional

Instructions

Heat a soup pot over medium heat. Add the oil, onions and carrots and cook, stirring frequently for 8 minutes or until soft and golden, but not brown. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the smoked paprika and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or until fairly thick and saucy.

Add the cream cheese if desired. Blend the soup in batches or use a hand blender. When the soup is smooth, it's ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Mango Cucumber Salad Recipes

Ok here's a crazy idea, one basic salad that can be either sweet or savory. I was trying to think of what to do with some mangoes coming my way from the National Mango Board this week and then I saw a tweet from @SimpleGourmetLA with the idea for a "mojito cucumber, mango and strawberry salad." It occurred to me that both cucumber and mango could go either way--sweet or savory.

I'm always looking for ways to use common ingredients in slightly unexpected ways. Here the twist is using cucumber in a sweet fruit salad and using sweet mango in a savory salad. English cucumber is available year round and does not need to be peeled. It has a very mild flavor and a fine texture without big slippery seeds. Best of all, it has a terrific crunch! I used the most commonly available mango, the Tommy Atkins variety in both salads. It's not a very tropical, luscious or creamy mango, but more of a workhorse, with citrus-like flavor, able and willing to stand up to whatever you demand of it. It's a bit on the firm side so it's particularly good in salads.

For the sweet salad I combined cucumber, mango and strawberries and for the savory version, cucumber, mango and radishes. You might recognize the ingredients from the savory salad as being similar to what you find Mexican street vendors selling. Each salad is flavored with lime, but the sweet salad gets a touch of honey and mint, the savory salad, a pinch of salt and green onion. Both are bursting with juiciness, crunch and Summery flavors and would be great at a picnic. I'd serve the savory salad with grilled fish or chicken. I'd serve the sweet salad with a scoop of sorbet or just a couple of cookies.


Mango, Cucumber, Strawberry Salad
Serves 4

Ingredients

1 Tommy Atkins mango, peeled, pitted and cut into chunks
1/2 large English cucumber, cut into chunks
1 pint strawberries, trimmed and cut in chunks
Juice of a fresh lime, squeezed
2 teaspoons honey
2 sprigs chopped fresh mint leaves, about 12 leves

Instructions

In a mixing bowl combine the lime and honey and stir until smooth. Add the mango, cucumber, strawberries and mix. Sprinkle with mint and taste for seasoning before serving.


Mango, Cucumber, Radish Salad
Serves 4

Ingredients

1 Tommy Atkins mango, peeled, pitted and cut into chunks
1/2 large English cucumber, cut into chunks
1 bunch radishes, trimmed and cut into chunks
1 green onion, thinly sliced
Juice of a fresh lime, squeezed
Pinch kosher salt

Instructions

In a mixing bowl combine the lime and salt and stir until dissolved. Add the mango, cucumber, radishes and mix. Sprinkle with green onions and taste for seasoning before serving.

Enjoy!