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Black Calypso Beans with Sage

I keep hearing about Rancho Gordo beans.  The first time I read about them was in this post on one of my favorite cooking sites, 101 Cookbooks.  I checked out the website and was intrigued by the different varieties of heirloom beans.  I added "order Rancho Gordo beans" to my to do list.  I didn't get around to doing the actual ordering, but carried it over from list to list.  Then, a few weeks ago, I opened the New York Times magazine and saw that the entire recipe page was devoted to Rancho Gordo beans.  The article described how Steve Sando, Rancho Gordo's owner, came to be a bean collecter, and his quest to collect forgotten beans that had originated in the Americas.  It was a great article, but I think that the picture of Sando with his children eating a pot of beans is what really hooked me.  Hoping that my morning started earlier than that of most New Yorkers, I got right on line hoping to order my beans before they sold out.

So we all huddled around the computer and ordered beans.  Chloe chose some Santa Maria Pinquitos, Olivia chose the Yellow Indian Woman beans, and Oscar chose the Midnight Black Beans.  I think they all chose by the colors, which are quite appealing.  Throw in a few more that I wanted to try, like Borlotti frequently used in Italian minestrones, Flageolet which the French often serve with lamb, and the Vallarta that is the favorite of Thomas Keller from the fabled French Laundry in Napa Valley, and we soon had ourselves a houseful of beans.  

The kids were eager to try them, and we first chose to make the Black Calypso beans.  I didn't want anything too complicated because I wanted to be able to taste the flavor of the bean.  The package said that these beans have a potato-y flavor and recommended trying them with sage.  That sounded perfect to me.

 
Well, now I see what all the fuss is about.  The beans were smooth and creamy, and they definitely had a potato flavor to them.  Their broth, especially cooked with the sage,  made an aromatic stew.  As Chloe so aptly put it after two bites, "These beans are delicious!"

The beans are dried, but because they are fresher than supermarket dried beans, they take less time to cook.  The flavor is also fresher.  If you don't use Rancho Gordo beans, pinto beans would make a reasonable substitute, or you may be able to find another interesting heirloom bean near you.

This recipe is very simple to make.  The preparation just requires chopping garlic, onion, and sage.  The beans could use a 6 hour or more soak, but if you haven't time for that, just factor some extra simmer time.  The beans retain their beautiful speckles throughout cooking, although the spots go from black to brown.

Black Calypso Beans with Sage

Serves 6
15 minutes preparation time, plus soaking time
approximately 2 hours cooking time

1 pound Black Calypso Beans (or dried pinto beans)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 of a large onion, chopped (approximately 1 1/2 to 2 cups)
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons sage, chopped
2 teaspoons salt

Soak the beans for 6 or more hours in enough water to generously cover them, or bring them to a boil and let them simmer until tender (1-2 hours).

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil, then add the onion and garlic and cook until they are soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the sage and cook for another 2 or 3 minutes.  Add the beans with their soaking/simmering water and let simmer until the beans are soft, at least 15 minutes.

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Egg Salad with Tarragon and Shallots

Now that Easter has passed and our eggs have been decorated, hidden, and found, we have a refrigerator full of eggs.  Fortunately, we all like egg salad.  We found a delicious recipe in the Gourmet Cookbook a few years ago that uses tarragon and shallots, and the combination is wonderful.  We have adapted the recipe to suit ourselves, and it is now one of our regular weeknight meals.  The hint of tarragon adds an unusal freshness and the shallots add a subtle onion flavor and texture without being overpowering.  Although fresh tarragon is best, when it is not available at the store (like today), dried tarragon still works well.  Because we often have it for dinner, this recipe makes enough to serve all five of us for dinner, with a bit left over for lunch. 

The egg salad is very quick to prepare.  If you have hard boiled eggs in the refrigerator, it will only take 10 or so minutes.  Even if you have to cook the eggs, you can chop the shallots and tarragon while they cook, and you will have a delicious, filling meal in no time.

The children were a great help in preparing the dish.  They love to use the egg slicer, and Olivia was a good peeler.  We served the egg salad with thick slices of lightly toasted crusty bread and some wonderful microgreens from Chesapeake Greenhouse's stand at the Takoma Park farmer's market.  These tiny greens are a mix of lettuces, harvested when they are small and tender.  The mix includes arugula and red leaf lettuce and it added a great flavor and crunch to the creamy egg salad.

Today I planned to use up all of those Easter eggs, but the children wanted us to hide them for one last egg hunt.  Luckily, I had an extra dozen.  I think we'll be eating a lot of egg salad.

Egg Salad with Tarragon and Shallots
Adapted from the Gourmet Cookbook

Serves 6
10 minutes preparation time
20 minutes cooking time

1 dozen eggs
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh tarragon or 1 teaspoon dried, or more to taste
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
1/3 cup mayonnaise
3 teaspoons white wine or champagne vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Bread for serving
Microgreens or other garnish for serving

If you need to cook the eggs, place them in a suacepan and cover generously with water.  Bring the water to a boil, and let it boil for 1 minute.  Turn off the heat and let the eggs sit for 15 minutes.  Drain the water and run cold water over the eggs for a few minutes until they cool.

Peel the eggs and dice them into small pieces.  Add the remaining ingredients, taste to see if you need more seasoning or tarragon, and serve.  Enjoy!

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Rao's Meatballs

As promised, here is a recipe for spaghetti and real meat meatballs (as opposed to the vegetarian ones I posted last week) from my friend Laura.  Obviously, I haven't tried these, but I completely trust Laura's judgment because she is a great cook, a discerning eater, and creater of the wonderful blog, cherrypatter.  If you live in New York, find yourself up that way, or just love reading about the city, it is a great resource for places to eat, shop, or linger.  The text and photos are all Laura's.

I am excited to guest host on Margy’s fantastic blog Hide The Cheese, and I’m thrilled that she took me up on my offer to contribute some occasional meat-focused recipes. 

One of our family cold weather favorites is this recipe for super rich and tasty meatballs from the very famous, very exclusive restaurant called Rao’s located in Harlem that has been serving celebrities for ages.  A good friend of ours who is a great cook tipped me on to the recipe and I have been using it ever since.

What is particularly great about this recipe, in addition to how it tastes, is the opportunity for smooshing, mashing, oozing and squeezing.   Both of our kids love playing in the muck that becomes the meatballs.  Just recently, Simon, who is just two, helped out by sticking his fingers into the tomatoes that needed to be strained and broken up.   Now, his contribution was somewhat offset by the resulting mess of sauce down the table, the stool, his onesie and his legs but we had fun and quickly took a much needed bath. 

Katie, although she won’t touch these things once cooked (she is not the most adventuresome eater), loves mixing together the meats, cheese, egg and water mixture into a truly irresistible ball of gloop.  After the pile is thoroughly combined, she and I form the two-to-three inch meatballs, and then they are off to get fried, drained, and doused in some delicious tomato sauce. 

The meatballs are wonderful that first day, but they are also incredibly great keepers.  They keep in the fridge for about a week, and, as an added bonus, they freeze well too.  The amount of marinara sauce below is just enough, though we like lots of extra sauce so I have been doubling the amount.  I am sure there are plenty of tomato sauce recipes that would do the trick here, but I definitely would not modify the meatball recipe.  Be sure to get the pork, beef and the veal – it is the trio that really makes them extra special.  Also be sure to use pecorino romano (rather than just straight parmesan) and fresh bread crumbs (see my note below). 

Rao's Meatballs
Adapted very slightly from  Rao's Cookbook by Frank Pellegrino

Serves 6
30 minutes preparation time
1 hour cooking time

For the marinara sauce:
2 28-ounce cans imported Italian plum tomatoes with basil (preferably those labeled “san marzano”)
1/4 cup fine-quality olive oil
3 tablespoons minced onion
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
salt to taste
6 leaves fresh basil, torn
pinch dried oregano
pepper to taste

For the meatballs:
1 pound ground lean beef
1/2 pound ground veal
1/2 pound ground pork
2 large eggs
1 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 cups fresh bread crumbs*
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup lukewarm water
1 cup fine-quality olive oil

1 pound spaghetti, optional

First, make the tomato sauce.  Place the tomatoes and their juice in a large bowl.  Using your hands, carefully crush the tomatoes.  To prevent major spills, gently remove and disard the hard core from the stem end and remove and discard any skin and tough membrane.  Set aside.

Put oil in a large, non reactive saucepan over medium-low heat.  Add the onion and sauté for 3 minutes or until translucent and just beginning to brown.  Stir in the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds or until just softened.  Stir in the tomatoes with their sauce and add the salt.  Raise the heat, and bring the sauce to a boil.  Immediately reduce the heat to a very low simmer and cook for at least one hour.  If you prefer a thicker sauce cook for another 15 minutes or even another hour.

Stir in the basil, oregano, and pepper and cook for an additional minute. 

While the sauce is cooking, make the meatballs.  Combine the beef, veal and pork in a large bowl.  Add the eggs, cheese, parsley, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste.  Using your hands, blend the ingredients together.  Mix the bread crumbs into the meat mixture.  Slowly add water until the mixture is moist.

Shape the meat mixture into balls (usually 2 ½ to 3 inch balls).  Heat the oil in a large sauté pan.  When the oil is very hot but not smoking, fry the meatballs in batches.  When the bottom half of  each meatball is very brown and slightly crisp turn it and cook the top half.  Remove the meatballs from the heat and drain them on paper towels.

Lower the cooked meatballs into the simmering marinara sauce and cook for at least 15 minutes.  Serve over pasta or on their own.

*My favorite way to make fresh bread crumbs is to buy a loaf of wheat, white or sourdough bread, cut off the outside, and then just put all the inside bits into the food processor for a minute or two.  Any extras can be kept in the freezer.

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Spaghetti and V-Balls

  I have been a vegetarian for many years now, and I rarely crave meat.  I’ll admit that the occasional whiff of barbeque can make me hungry, but the smell is really better than the taste anyway, so I don’t find it hard to resist.  One major exception was when I was pregnant with our third child.  For some reason, my constant craving was for a good beef ragu or spaghetti and meatballs.  It may have had something to do with all the Sopranos episodes that we were watching (naturally, I was drawn to the food) or maybe it was a comfort food craving for the sauce that my mother used to make.  I tried a few times to make tofu “meat” balls, but didn’t come up with a recipe that made flavorful balls that held their shape.  Time passed, Chloe was born, and my cravings subsided. 

Then my friend Laura told me that her children were enjoying meatballs of the traditional meat variety. (Laura has her own fantastic website about great places to go, eat, and shop in New York  and has kindly offered to share her recipe here, so stay tuned for her guest post).  A few days later, I saw the cover of the January issue of Gourmet, which featured a mouthwatering bowl of spaghetti and meatballs.  That double whammy led me to develop this recipe for spaghetti and vegetarian non-meat balls, or as Oscar dubbed them, V-balls.  They have a robust, hearty flavor, and the cheeses help them hold their shape.  Even for meat eaters, these are a delicious treat. 

This is not a super quick dish to prepare, but if you keep several pots going at once, it is not too time consuming.  It makes a wonderful Sunday dinner.  Alternatively, you could easily prepare the meatballs in advance.  Store them without the sauce, and when you are ready to eat them, heat them in the oven for 15-20 minutes (while the pasta water boils) before adding them to the sauce.  However you do it, it is well worth it.  This recipe is generous, so depending on how many V-balls you eat with your pasta, you should have some leftover for V-ball sandwiches.  Buon appetito!

Spaghetti and V-Balls

Serves 6
30 minutes preparation time
40 minutes cooking time

For the V-balls:
1 pound silken (soft) tofu
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
2 cups chopped onion
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 eggs
3/4 cup grated mozzarella
2/3 cup parmesan
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2/3 cup chopped parsley

Canola oil for frying

For the tomato sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
3-4 garlic cloves
3 28-ounce cans of tomatoes, chopped or mashed

1 1/2 pounds spaghetti

Spoon the tofu into a strainer or colander and let it drain while you prepare the other ingredients. In a medium-sized bowl, mash the tofu with the breadcrumbs, add the milk, and mix.  Mix in the remaining V-ball ingredients.

Meanwhile, begin the sauce. Heat the oil in a medium-sized saucepan, add the onion and garlic, and sauté until they are soft, about 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes along with the juice from one of the cans. Put the sauce aside to simmer while you prepare the V-balls.

Pour enough canola oil in a deep skillet so that it is 1 to 2 inches deep. Heat the oil until a small bit of the V-ball mixture dropped in the oil fizzles. While the oil is heating, shape the V-ball mixture into golf ball sized balls. The mixture should be stiff and hold together well, but if they do not stick well, add a few more tablespoons of breadcrumbs. Prepare a large plate with newspapers topped with a couple of paper towels. When the oil is hot, fry the V-balls in batches, turning them frequently so that they turn a golden brown. Drain them on the paper towels.

When the V-balls have all been fried, gently place them into the sauce pot while you boil the pasta.  Don't leave them in the sauce for too long because if they absorb too much sauce, they will lose their shape. Before serving, scoop out the V-balls with a slotted spoon. Toss the remaining sauce with the pasta and top with the V-balls.

NOTE:  If you prefer a healthier recipe, bake the V-balls in a 350 degree oven until they turn lightly brown, about 20 to 25 minutes, before mixing them in with the sauce. This will save the time of frying and reduce the fat in the recipe, but you will lose some of the rich flavor that comes with the frying. 

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Cacio e Pepe

I love this dish.  I admit that my love for it is wrapped up in a memory of a trip to Italy.  Gabe and I were staying with a friend of his mother's in Trastevere, a neighborhood in Rome with twisting narrow streets and ancient buildings.  We went to dinner one night with our hostess, Ciu Ciu.  In an alley near her house we approached one of those old stone buildings.  She entered, and the next thing we knew, the door was thrown open, tables and chairs were being carried out of the door into the alley, and we were being seated.  It was an instant neighborhood restaurant, and it was fascinating to watch it materialize in an alley that we had passed through several times without any hint of what lay behind closed doors.

I ordered this traditional Roman pasta dish and, although it is made with only a few ingredients, it is superb.  The tangy pecorino romano is the perfect complement to the heat of the black pepper.  At its essence it is pasta with parmesan, the favorite of many children.  But mix in an additional cheese, add some pepper, and you have an entirely different and much more complex dish that appeals to adults as well.

I usually add some pepper into the pasta with the cheese, but try not to overdo it so that I don't overwhelm the children.  Then I add lots more onto the adult plates.  Because it has so few ingredients, its flavor is best if you use the highest quality ingredients you can find:  a true pecorino romano, high quality pasta, and lots of freshly ground black pepper.  And while you're eating it, picture yourself in a restaurant tucked into an alley in Rome.  These photos may help. 

Cacio e Pepe

Serves 6
25 minutes preparation and cooking time

2 cups grated pecorino romano
1 cup grated parmesan
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 pounds spaghetti
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

Set a large pot of water to boil.  Meanwhile grate the cheeses and cut the butter.  When the water boils, generously salt it and add the pasta.  Cook the pasta to your desired degree of tenderness.  I usually find that one minute less than the package directions is enough to make the pasta nicely al dente.

Before you drain the pasta, scoop out about 1/2 cup of the pasta water and set it aside.  Drain the pasta and toss it immediately with the cheeses, butter, and the black pepper.  If you would like the cheese a bit saucy, add the pasta water a tablespoon or two at a time and mix it in (if you add too much at once, the cheese tends to form large clumps).  Add more black pepper at the table, if desired.

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Cuban Black Beans

We love our black beans around here. Gabe is Cuban and although we have given up many traditional Cuban meat dishes, we still eat this classic.  Gabe’s mother gave me this recipe soon after Gabe and I started dating, and we have made it many, many times since.  The beans have a robust, multi-layered flavor that intensifies as they cook and makes them a perfect main course.  Our children love them and most everyone we have served it to -- young or old -- enjoys it too.  The best is serving it to toddlers and watching as they get that fabulous, purple-black sauce all over their faces and hands as they eat. 

There is very little work to this recipe, but the beans need to cook for a long time.  It is best to cook them when you will be home for a good part of the day, or you can cook them over consecutive days.  When making them, be sure not to skip mashing the beans into the onion-green pepper mixture.  I am convinced that this step enhances the flavor of the beans as they cook.

It is very easy to double this recipe so I usually make a double batch and give some to a friend or freeze half for a night when I don’t have time to cook.  Serve the beans over rice.  White rice is more traditional, but brown rice is delicious, too.

 

Cuban Black Beans

Serves 6
15 minutes preparation time, plus overnight for soaking beans
3 hours cooking time

1 pound dried black beans
8 cups water
2 large green peppers, chopped and divided
1/3 cup olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons dry white wine
2 tablespoons olive oil (optional)

Cooked rice for serving

Wash the beans and soak them overnight in the water with half of the green pepper. Alternatively, you can do a quick soak:  bring the beans to a boil, let them boil for two minutes, then turn off the heat and let them sit for 2 hours. After the beans have soaked, bring them to a boil in the same water in a large stock pot. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until they soften, about 1 hour.

While the beans are simmering, heat the oil in a large sauté pan and sauté the onion and garlic. After a few minutes, add the remaining green pepper and sauté for a few more minutes. When the beans are soft, scoop out approximately one cup of the beans, and pour it into the sauté pan with the garlic, onions, and pepper. Mash these beans thoroughly with the garlic, onions, and pepper. Pour the entire contents of the sauté pan back into the stock pot with the rest of the beans. Add the salt, pepper, oregano, bay leaf, and sugar. Let them simmer uncovered for about another hour.

Add the vinegar and wine. Let the beans cook uncovered for about another hour over a low flame until they are soft. The beans should be fairly liquid, but if you prefer them thicker, there's no harm in letting them simmer longer. Adjust the seasoning to taste. If you're using the additional olive oil, add it just before serving.

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Roasted Tomato and Onion Rotelle

At about this point in the winter, I am craving a good tomato.  Of course no such thing is available in the stores near us in February.  But this dish is enough to remind me of how good it can be. 

Roasting even mediocre grape tomatoes brings out their sweetness, softens their firmness, and mellows their acidity.  I tossed those sweet tomatoes with Vidalia onions that had also been roasted until they caramelized and added a creamy ricotta.  The result was a dose of summer.

We used rotelle pasta because I thought the wheel shapes would nicely complement the shape of the tomatoes and the onions and would be a fun shape for the children. But you can substitute any short pasta. Roasting the onions is the only time consuming part of this recipe.  If you did those on the weekend, you could roast the tomatoes and prepare the dish in the time it takes the pasta to cook - a perfect weeknight dish.

Roasted Tomato and Onion Rotelle

Serves 6
15 minutes preparation time
45 minutes cooking time

1 pint grape tomatoes
1 large sweet onion, such as Vidalia, sliced
2-4 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ricotta
1 pound rotelle or other short pasta
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In separate roasting pans, toss the tomatoes and onions with salt, pepper and a tablespoon or two of olive oil.  Roast the pans in the oven, stirring occasionally until they have softened.  The tomatoes will take about 15 minutes, or until they begin to brown and some have started to deflate.  The onions will take about 45 minutes, until they have developed a rich brown color.

While the tomatoes and onions are cooking, set a large pot of water to boil.  Put the ricotta in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Cook the pasta and before draining it, scoop out about a cup of the pasta water and reserve it. When the onions and tomatoes are done, use a bit of the pasta water to loosen any of the caramelized bits that adhere to the pans.

After draining the pasta, toss it in the bowl with the ricotta, and add a bit of the pasta water to create a creamier sauce.  Gently toss in the tomatoes and onions with any liquid and serve immediately.

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Rosalyn's Trinidadian Chickpea and Potato Curry

I learned how to make this curry from our children’s babysitter, Rosalyn, who is from Trinidad.  It offers a wonderful balance of chewy chick peas with soft potatoes and the spices and herbs give the curry a robust, rich flavor. When I was cooking this dish most recently, Chloe closed her eyes, inhaled deeply and said softly, “It smells so good.”  The smell alone seemed to take her to a heavenly place.

Rosalyn has been cooking for so long that she doesn't measure anything.  To learn how to make this curry, I followed her around the kitchen, measuring and timing as she cooked.  I have now made the curry several times from this recipe and the children don't seem to notice that it's not Rosalyn's. If you can find a Trinidadian curry, use it, but a traditional Indian curry will also work well. The curry can be doubled or tripled for a large crowd and it can also be frozen for several weeks and thawed in a pan on the stove. 

The dish is traditionally served with Trinidadian roti, a recipe I previously posted here. Tortillas or pita are reasonable substitutes, or the curry may be served over rice. If you do use a flat bread, the meal is eaten by scooping up the curry with pieces of bread. No utensils are necessary. Our children love the flavors and the free pass to eat with their hands.

Rosalyn’s Trinidadian Chickpea and Potato Curry

Serves 6
15 minutes preparation time, plus overnight for soaking beans
45 minutes cooking time

1 cup dried chickpeas (or 2 15-ounce cans, drained and rinsed)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 small onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons curry powder
2-3 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 scallion, sliced
2 sprigs fresh parsley, chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
11/2 cups boiling water
salt and pepper to taste
hot sauce for serving (optional)

If using dried chickpeas, soak them overnight.

In a medium pot, boil the chickpeas until they are tender, approximately 25 minutes, and drain them. Set a kettle of water to boil.

Heat the oil in a heavy stockpot, and add the onion and garlic. Sauté until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Mix the curry powder with the cold water, and add to the pot. Add the thyme, spring onion, and parsley. Cook until the sauce is thick. Add the potatoes and stir them to coat with the curry. Add the boiling water and cook until the potatoes are almost tender, approximately 20 minutes. Add additional hot water, if necessary, to maintain a simmer.

Mash a few potatoes against the side of the pot to thicken the sauce. Add the drained chickpeas and mix. Cook until the water cooks down, the potatoes and chickpeas are tender, and the sauce is thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If you like spicy food, serve the mixture with hot sauce.

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Sage Risotto with Wild Mushrooms

The farmer’s market in winter is a far cry from the abundance of late summer. Because many vendors do not come year round, though, one of the pleasures for me is that winter always brings a few new farmers with their wares. One of our favorites is “the mushroom lady,” as the children call her. They love her because she gave them free mushrooms.  Never mind that they don’t like mushrooms. I think it was her kindness and enthusiasm that was so appealing.

Gabe and I, on the other hand, love mushrooms. The mushroom lady was back last week with a wide array of wild mushrooms. We chose trumpet and honey mushrooms, and decided to prepare them simply so that we could appreciate their flavor. We sautéed them with butter, garlic, and sage, and served them over risotto.

I know some people are intimidated by the constant stirring that risotto is said to require. But I learned from a friend in Italy that occasional stirring is good enough. This gives you time to cook the mushrooms and make a salad while the risotto is cooking, or even supervise homework or violin practice between stirs.

We made the risotto separately for the children, and spooned the mushrooms over the top for us.  They were nutty, with a rich, meaty flavor -- utterly delicious!

Save any leftover risotto (or make a bit extra with leftovers in mind). I will soon post a recipe for suppli, a fried rice ball that is made with leftover risotto (update:  the recipe is now posted here).

Sage Risotto with Wild Mushrooms

Serves 6
15 minutes preparation
30 minutes cooking time

For the risotto:
5-6 cups vegetable stock (or water with 2-3 bouillon cubes)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups Arborio rice
½ cup dry white wine
5-6 sage leaves, chopped
½ cup freshly grated parmesan, plus more for the table
salt and pepper to taste

For the mushrooms:
2 tablespoons butter
3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
5-6 sage leaves, chopped
1 pound (approximately) wild mushrooms
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the stock in a small saucepan.

In a large pan, melt three tablespoons of the butter. Add the onion and sauté until it is translucent and soft, about 7 minutes. Next add the rice and stir for a minute or so until it is coated evenly. Add the wine and stir until it has been absorbed into the rice. Add the chopped sage. Continue cooking by adding one or two ladlefuls of stock at a time, stirring occasionally. Keep adding the broth until the rice is tender, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. The best way to know when the rice is done is to keep tasting it. It is done when the rice no longer has a crunch in the middle, but when it still retains some texture.

While the risotto is cooking, prepare the mushrooms by cleaning them with a brush or a paper towel and removing any tough stems. Slice the mushrooms if they are large. Melt the butter in a pan and add the garlic. Cook for about a minute, until the garlic is softened, but before it turns brown. Add the sage and stir.  Raise the heat to medium-high and add the mushrooms, turning them quickly to make sure that they evenly absorb the butter. Cook the mushrooms until they are nicely brown and tender, 10 or so minutes.  Season them with salt and pepper.

When the risotto is done, add the remaining tablespoon of butter and the parmesan. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve the risotto and top it with the mushrooms for anyone who is inclined to eat them. Pass additional grated parmesan at the table.

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Black Bean and Monterey Jack Casserole

As with all families -- and maybe all cooks -- we have several meals that we make regularly because everybody in the family loves them. This casserole is one of those dishes.  Although it is a classic combination of rice and beans, the mild chilies give it a unique flavor.  We use brown rice because it adds a nice chewiness and, of course, is more nutritious than white rice.

It is comfort food at its best.

The casserole is easy to make ahead and refrigerate or freeze until you need it. Then you can relax while dinner cooks itself. We make it when we have other families over for dinner or to give to families who could use a hot meal to help get them through a rough week. If you do freeze the dish, it is dense so leave it in the refrigerator overnight to thaw or leave ample time – an hour or more – for it to cook.

If you use canned beans, you can do most of the preparation while the rice is cooking, making this a fairly quick dish to prepare.

The recipe is adapted from Ruth Reichl’s memoir, Tender at the Bone, a very entertaining read. She made it during her vegetarian days while she was living in Berkeley, California, and, although she seems to look on those days as the dark ages of her culinary development, this dish is delicious. 

Black Bean and Monterey Jack Casserole

Serves 6
1 hour preparation time, plus overnight for soaking beans
30–35 minutes baking time

1 cup dried black beans (or 2 15-ounce cans)
3 cups brown rice, uncooked
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 4-ounce can chopped green chilies
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded and divided
1 pound cottage cheese

If using dried beans, soak the beans overnight in water. Drain and cook the beans in fresh water for about 1 hour, or until tender. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put the rice and 6 cups of water in a medium stock pot.  Bring the pot to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 40-45 minutes. Let the rice cool slightly.

In a large bowl, mix the rice, beans, garlic, onion, and chilies. Taste, and add enough salt and pepper to bring out the flavors. 

Set aside 1/2 cup of the Monterey Jack cheese. Oil or butter a 9-by-13-inch pan. In the bottom of the pan, layer about a third of the rice and bean mixture. Then, add a layer each of the Monterey Jack and cottage cheeses. Add a second layer of the rice and bean mixture, then another layer of the cheeses, followed by a final layer of the rice and beans. Sprinkle the top with the reserved Monterey Jack cheese.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and golden.

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