Kitcheree takes me only 20 mins in the pressure cooker, and only 45 minutes on the stovetop.  I will explain the recipe on the stovetop, as not too many people use a pressure cooker.  Kitcheree, to me, is a lifesaver when inspiration is missing and I am too tired to even think about cooking.

Kitcheree is at the core of Ayurvedic healing.  There are endless variations to this dish, all dependent on the herbs, spices and vegetables used.  Kitcheree is the primary food source in Pancha Karma – Ayurvedic cleansing therapy, because of its ease of digestion and assimilation.  Whenever my tummy is feeling sensitive, kitcheree is always a medicine to my body.  It is not the most visually appealing of dishes, but it has a soothing quality and tastes really good.

Kitcheree

My kitcheree recipe really resembles an Indian version of risotto.

1/2 cup mung dahl (preferably soaked overnight)

1/2 cup brown basmati  rice

3 cups filtered water

3 cardamon pods

1 tblsp  fresh ginger,  finely chopped

3 tblsp ghee

1 tblsp cumin seeds

1 whole large red chilli

1/2 tspn turmeric

1/4 tspn asafetida powder (optional)

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 1/2 cups cauliflower, trimmed and cut in small florets

1/2 cup chopped coriander

salt and coarsely ground pepper

Rinse the rice and dahl in several changes of water and drain.

Place the rice, mung beans, cardamon pods and 3 cups of water in a saucepan and simmer for 30/40 mins or until the mung beans are soft, have broken down, and the liquid has absorbed.  You may have to add water as needed.

Heat 3 tablespoons of ghee in a heavy bottomed saucepan. When hot, add the cumin, ginger and whole  chilli.  When the cumin turns medium brown, add the turmeric and asafetida.  Add the cauliflower and tomatoes and simmer, covered, stirring every 5 mins until the cauliflower is cooked.  This should take about 20 mins.  Add the dahl and rice mixture.  Season with salt, pepper and finely chopped fresh coriander and mix gently.

At serving time, garnish with fresh coriander and drizzle with ghee.  Add a dollop of  spicy yoghurt and avocado mixture.  Perfect for a cold Winter’s day to warm you through from top to toe.

Goodness shared from Stacey

]]> http://yummeeee.wordpress.com/2009/12/22/dole-scum-stew/ Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:51:07 +0000 Christian http://yummeeee.wordpress.com/2009/12/22/dole-scum-stew/

This is what I lived on in hard times. It is cheap, filling, warming and good for you, make it by the gallon load (you think I’m joking, I have a one and a half-gallon pan) and it serves an army.  It is also delicious. This has also starred a lead role taking a giant Tupperware of it to Glade and a two-day techno party in the Peaks. If you are uber skint it will feed you for a week on a fiver.

If you don’t have the right ingredients, improvise: Kidney Beans can replace the chickpeas for example. You can add celery, celeriac, turnip, and so on, anything cheap and nourishing.

It is also good for Them Veggie Types.

Ingredients:

1 Head Garlic.

2 Large Onions

2 Leeks

1 Giant Swede

2 tins Chickpeas

3 Tins Tomatoes

1 Pint stock (use stock cubes, the salt kick does you good!)

1 tblsp Cumin Seeds

1 tsp Chilli Power

Big knob of butter (or even margarine) for frying.

1) Prepare the onion, garlic, leeks, swede by chopping, peeling, slicing as necessary. Big chunks of swede are good, it makes you feel you have something meaty in there.

2) Heat the butter in a big pan and add the onion, garlic and cumin seeds. After about five minutes frying add the leeks and swede. Fry for a further 5 minutes, then add the chilli powder and mix up well.

3) Add the chickpeas (drained), the tomatoes and the stock, stirring the break the tomatoes up a bit.

4) Simmer for about 20 minutes until the swede is done.

Serve with bread and butter (brown sliced and marge for the authentic experience). On Giro Day grated cheese can be added on top. Cheapo Cider makes a good drink to go with it!

This is my take on the classic Chinese barbecued pork. It is heavenly by itself, served with noodles or fried rice, and can be incorporated into any stir fry dish you can imagine. As ever, all amounts are approximate.

Ingredients:

1kg Collar or Rolled Shoulder of Pork – you don’t want a joint with crackling on for this dish.

1 tblsp ground Ginger

1 tblsp Soy Sauce

1 tblsp Balsamic Vinegar

1 tblsp Sesame Oil

1 tblsp Plum Jam

1 tsp Flaked Chilli

14 Whole Star Anise

100ml Water and more Soy Sauce and Vinegar for basting.

Method:

1 ) Take the pork out of any elastic nonsense it comes wrapped in. Otherwise it will taste vile and look like one of Gok Wan’s Girlfriends.

2 ) Mix together all the ingredients up except the star anise, and basting liquids, and rub all over the meat, into any nooks and crannies. Leave to stand for 2 hours ar room temperature.  Meanwhile heat the oven to gas mark 4-5.

3 ) Arrange 8 of the star anise on the base of a baking tray, to make a mini trivet to support the meat. Place the meat on top, and press the remainng 6 into the top of the meat. Pour over any juices from the marinade and roast in the oven for 90 minutes (30 min per pound and a further 30, if using different sized meat). sprinkle libreally with more soy and vinegar a couple of times during cooking, and pour a small amount of water/the pan juices over half way through if it seems to be getting dry. Whatever the food safety people say if you cook until the juice is fully clear it will RUIN it – follow the cooking times and it should be fine.

4 ) Allow to stand for 10 minutes before carving, then carve into 1cm thick slices and place in a shallow dish interleaved with the star anise. Pour the remaining pan juices over the top.

From Dish Erin:

Two of my best friends are vegans and I love to give them flack about their strict dietary lifestyle, what Anthony Bourdain once dubbed a ‘Hezbollah-like faction” of vegetarians. But the truth is, there are some damn good non-dairy, non-meat, non-anything-that’s-usually-tasty dishes out there. My obsession with peanut butter is legendary (my sister and I melt it in the microwave and pour it over ice cream). Hell, I’d bathe in it if I could. But savory peanut sauces can sometimes be complicated. I can’t handle the 14 ingredient recipes I’ve seen in cookbooks–so this is a quick way to get your peanut butter fix. I will admit, I usually use honey in this recipe, so über orthodox vegans will need to swap out the honey for molasses or agave nectar…and I’ll save my tirade on how healthy honey is for you. Meat eaters, just substitute the tofu for something that once had a pulse, I think chicken or a thinly sliced flank steak would be best. Courtney & Rob, this recipe is dedicated to you.

Ingredients:
1 package tofu, cut into cubes or triangles
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 yellow onion, sliced into half rings
1 small red, yellow, or orange pepper, sliced into spears
1 teaspoon fresh ginger
2 cups of broccoli florets
2 cups sliced carrots

For the peanut sauce:
2-3 heaping spoonfuls of natural peanut butter (start with 2 of you’re not the keenest on peanut butter)
1 tablespoon rice vinegar (you can use another mild flavored vinegar if you don’t have rice)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Hot water

Saute tofu in the sesame and vegetable oil over pretty high heat to get the outside crispy. When they turn a golden brown color, flip and turn down the heat a bit.

Add the onions, garlic, and peppers cook for a few minutes until the onions become translucent and the peppers soften. Add the broccoli and carrots. Tofu tends to release water as it’s cooked, so there may be enough moisture in the pan to steam the veggies, but if not, just add a few tablespoons of water. Zest fresh ginger in, cover and cook for about 4-5 minutes until the carrots are fork tender and the broccoli is bright green.

In the meantime, make the sauce. Combine the peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce, honey and cayenne pepper in a bowl. Top with a couple splashes of boiling water, stir with a whisk or fork to fully incorporate. It will take a little elbow grease to get the peanut butter completely melted. The sauce should be thick to coat the back of the spoon, but pourable.

Turn off the heat under the saute pan and pour the peanut sauce over the veggies. Serve immediately over soba noodles, brown or white rice. Optional: top with crushed peanuts and cilantro.

Red cabbage is a good vegetable to buy this time of year. It can be pickled in vinegar but I think served hot with any meat is my preference. It is also very good with cold meat too.

The recipe I have used, has evolved over the years and I am not sure who gave it to me or where it came from, but I know, that when I was a child, we used to have it on Boxing Day with the cold turkey and ham, after we had been out into the countryside to work up an appetite.

It can be made two days in advance and kept in the fridge – it freezes well too. I try to use all organic ingredients as the red cabbages used to come from my grandparent’s garden which never had chemicals on them!

1 Red Cabbage (approx 2lbs/1kg)
½/1lb (225g/450g) Red Onions, finely chopped
1 large Cooking Apple (approx 1lb/450g) peeled, cored and chopped small
1 Clove Garlic, finely chopped
2/3tblsp Dark Brown Sugar
2/3tblsp Red Wine Vinegar and/or Red Wine
¼ teaspoon each of Ground Cinnamon, Cloves and freshly grated Nutmeg
A little butter
Salt & pepper

1 Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage, cut and shred finely removing the hard stalk.

2 In an oven-proof large pan, melt half the butter and then put a layer of cabbage on top, then add some of the chopped onion, apple and garlic, sprinkling it with some of the sugar and spices.

3 Continue the layering until all the ingredients are in the pan, and then pour over the red wine vinegar and/or red wine. Dot with the rest of the butter and put on a lid.

4 This can either be cooked very slowly on top of the stove or in the oven at 150C/300F Gas Mark 2 or 140C Fan Oven, stirring it occasionally during the cooking time.

From Dish Jodi:

It’s been chilly here in LA. In the 50’s and 60’s…brrrrr…so I wanted something cozy for dinner this week. This is an old standby in my house, healthy, vegetarian with just enough spice to heat you up on a cold day. I fully realize that 60’s isn’t cold…we’re just wusses out here in LA. No idea how I’ll handle Chicago next week for Christmas.

Ingredients:

Splash of olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 butternut squash (cubed into bite sizes)
1 large parsnip (cubed into bite sizes)
1 T cumin
1 T coriander
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can garbanzo beans
1/4 cup raisins
2 cups chicken or veggie stock
2 cups water
6 oz spinach
2 T chopped fresh mint
green onions diced

Couscous

In a large pot, soften the onions and garlic in a bit of olive oil. Add the squash and parsnip and toss with the spices.

Once you start to smell the toasty spices, add the tomatoes, beans, raisins, stock and water and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered until the squash is tender.

Right before serving, add the spinach and mint and toss until wilted.

I served over couscous, that was cooked in chicken stock with some of the same spices as above, and sprinkled with green onion.

This makes a lot, but luckily, it’s very easy to reheat…I might have to strap bags of it to my body and fill up my socks to make it through this cold spell.

From Dish Rachelle:

I don’t eat mushrooms, with one exception: when they’re sliced thin in chicken marsala. This dish – which tastes like my childhood – has a legacy in my life as a meal that tricks people into eating things that they don’t like. When I was younger, my father refused to eat chicken, still reeling from a run-in with an undercooked drumstick as a kid. But back when my parents were married, my mother would buy chicken cutlets and pound them thin until they could pass as veal, and then keep her little secret to herself. Considering she had a husband who hated chicken and a daughter who despised all things mushroom, it was bold to put this meal on the kitchen table. And yet, I love it to this day, willing to break my fungus fast for button mushrooms soaked in delicious wine sauce.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

For Chicken:
1/4 C flour
2 large chicken breasts, boned, skinless, and sliced thin
olive oil
1/2 C Marsala wine
1/2 C chicken stock
1/2 lemon, juice only
1/2 C button mushrooms, sliced thin
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

For Polenta:
3/4 C coarse cornmeal
3 1/4 C water
1 tbsp. butter
1/8 C grated Parmesan cheese (or to taste)
Nutmeg to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste

For Broccoli Rabe:
Bunch broccoli rabe, rinsed and chopped roughly, stems removed
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, kept whole and very gently crushed
Salt and red pepper to taste

Generously season flour with salt and pepper and mix together in a wide bowl for dredging. Slice chicken breasts on the diagonal into 1/8-inch-thick pieces, and then coat each piece evenly in flour, on both sides. Heat 1-2 tbsps. olive oil in a large skillet (I used a cast iron pan) over high heat. Add chicken pieces in batches and reduce heat to medium-high, and cook until golden brown – roughly 3 minutes per side.

Repeat until all of the chicken is browned, adding olive oil as needed, and reserve to a plate.

Increase heat to high and add wine, stirring until most of the alcohol fumes have released and the liquid is heated. Toss in mushrooms, stock, and lemon juice, and reduce heat to medium. Cook, uncovered, for 7-10 minutes, until mushrooms are soft and the sauce has reduced by roughly 1/4. Return chicken to skillet, covering with the sauce, and cook, covered, for another 7-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the polenta: bring water to a boil and add cornmeal slowly, whisking to avoid lumps. Reduce heat to medium and stir constantly, until polenta feels thick and pulls away from the side of the saucepan. Add butter, cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper, tasting to adjust.

Five minutes before serving, heat another tbsp. of olive oil in a large frying pan with a gently crushed clove of garlic, to infuse the oil with flavor. Add chopped broccoli rabe and season with salt and red pepper. Saute until wilted, about 5 minutes.

Put your food hangups aside and enjoy the taste of home.

Chicken Marsala recipe adapted from Food Reference.

There’s an especially funny episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia where Charlie and Dee eat unusually delicious meat that Frank leads them to believe is human flesh. They then become hilariously deranged in their quest to get more human meat—before learning that they actually ate raccoon, and the reason they’ve been feeling so desperately hungry is because the raccoon gave them tapeworms.

I’m fairly sure I’m parasite-free (even though I am generally hungry all the time), but I’ve been feeling similarly meat-obsessed ever since I made this gloriously spiced lamb last night.

Baaaa, with spaghetti squash

I can’t stop thinking about it. While cutting the meat, I kept having to stop to lick my fingers. I wanted to eat the leftovers for breakfast this morning. I’m wondering whether my cat will get along with the herd dog in charge of my flock of sheep, and if I can get the dog to lead LED-wearing sheep in amazing formations that will become a YouTube sensation, and what I’ll knit with all my wool.

I’d never cooked lamb before—I mean, I’m pretty new to meat cooking in general—and I was completely startled by how beautifully this turned out, even though I failed to plan ahead and the meat therefore did not get to rest overnight in its spice rub.  I served the lamb with another extravagantly spiced dish, Smitten Kitchen’s Moroccan-spiced spaghetti squash (to which I added spinach, as is my wont), and on any other day but The Day I Made Amazing Lamb it would have gotten its own post.

Spice-seared boneless leg of lamb
From The Kitchn

2 pound boneless butterflied lamb leg roast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
Olive oil
Butter

Combine all rub ingredients thoroughly. (Note: If you don’t keep all these spices around, you can substitute a good, fresh garam masala from Penzeys or another spice specialty company for the cinnamon through the turmeric. Add the salt and black pepper, still.)

Pat the lamb dry with a paper towel and cover with the dry rub. Cover loosely and refrigerate overnight. [or not]

Heat a heavy covered skillet over high heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil and a spoonful of butter. When it sizzles, add the lamb. Sear until it develops a dark crust—about 8 minutes on each side. [You might want to disconnect your smoke alarm for this step, or at least cover it with a dishtowel]

Turn the heat to low and cover. Cook over low heat for about 20 minutes, checking after about 15 minutes. When the internal temperature hits 140°F on a meat thermometer, turn off the heat and let sit, still covered, for about 10 minutes.

Remove the meat to a cutting board. Tent loosely with foil and let sit for about another 15 minutes before slicing. Slice thinly against the grain and serve immediately.

The pan drippings left behind tend to be rather salty. Reheat them after you remove the meat and add at least a cup of wine or broth and simmer until reduced by half. Serve as is or whisk in a teaspoon of flour and cook over low heat until thickened.

From Dish Paige!:

Holy Downpour, Batman! Wednesday morning was on of the rainiest I’ve ever seen. My office is only 3 blocks from the subway, but by the time I made it to the front door, I was so soaked I had to change into another pair of pants (thank you Guest Dish Anna!). While my soggy jeans (eww) dried on the heater, I day dreamed of being at home, wrapped in a fluffy blanket (or Slanket or Snuggie) with a warm bowl of delicious, comforting soup in my hands. Always one to try and make a dream into a reality (except that one dream I have about the seismic sea wave that comes and I can see it and I have to choose which of my loved ones I’ll rescue in time before we all get wiped out into the ocean – I DON’T WANT THAT TO BE REAL), I searched around online for the soup that would fulfill the day’s destiny, and settled on a big pot of chowder for dinner.

Ingredients:
Serves 6
4 slices of bacon (cut into 1/4 inch strips)
1 large onion (finely diced)
2 carrots (thinly sliced into rounds)
2 medium baking potatoes (cut into 2 inch cubes)
1 (28 oz.) can of plum tomatoes in juice
2 bottles (8 oz.) clam juice
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 lb tilapia (cut into 2 inch cubes)
Goldfish Crackers (original flavor)

Directions:
In a large, heavy-bottom pot, cook the bacon over medium-low heat until browned. Spoon off all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat, then add the onion and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Cook the vegetables, stirring occasionally, until softened.

Add the tomatoes and juice (breaking the tomatoes with a spoon or your hands if you like to squish things, which I do), clam juice and 1 1/2 cups water. Bring the liquid to a boil and add the potatoes. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender but not falling apart (about 20 minutes).

Add the tilapia, cover and cook until the fish is opaque and flaky (about 3 minutes). Ladle the soup into bowls and top with a handful of Goldfish Crackers.

Recipe courtesy of Everyday Food.

I thought it was about time that I chose a new recipe to do from one of my books and having a couple of duck breasts in the fridge, I found the following winter recipe from James Martin’s book “My Kitchen”, which looked perfect to use with them. The only thing I didnt have at home were the sprouts, as I normally dont eat them but I thought as they were to be thinly sliced that I would give them a go!

It is a very easy recipe to follow and the timings are spot on, so well done to James for coming up with such a tasty and fun recipe to cook. This is what he has to say about it…

This dish is full of strong, wintry flavours. For the best results, buy Brussels sprouts still on the stalk and crisp up the duck before baking to enhance the taste and texture.

Serves 2-4

3 tbsp Runny Honey
2-4 Duck Breasts
Salt and Black Pepper

For the stir-fry
2 tbsp Olive oil
5oz/150g Pancetta, diced
4 Shallots, peeled and halved (root left intact)
3oz/75g Butter
11oz/300g Brussels Sprouts, outer leaves removed and thinly sliced
8 Brown Cap Mushrooms, sliced
11fl oz/300ml Chicken Stock
2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 180C/350F Gas 4 or 170C Fan Oven.

1 On the hob, heat a frying pan large enough to fry the duck breasts side by side, add the honey and allow to bubble gently.

2 Season both sides of each duck breast with salt and pepper, place into the frying pan, skin side down and cook gently over a medium heat until the duck is crisp and the the honey has turned brown.

3 Transfer the duck breasts into a baking dish, skin side up. Bake in the oven for 8-10 mins (longer for well done), then remove from the oven and set aside to rest for a few minutes before slicing.

4 Meanwhile, add half the olive oil to a non-stick frying pan set over a high heat and fry the pancetta until golden brown. Remove from the pan, dry on kitchen paper and set aside.

5 Drain off the fat from the pan, then set the pan back over the heat, add the rest of the oil and add the shallots to brown them.

6 After they have been cooking for 2-3 minutes, melt half the butter in the pan and tip in the Brusssls sprouts and mushrooms. Sauté for 4-5 minutes to brown a little, adding more butter if necessary, then add the cooked pancetta.

7 Pour in the stock and simmer to reduce for 2 minutes and stir in the rest of the butter. Add the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Place on plates and arrange the sliced duck on top.

When I was in Australia at Sunshine Beach in August this year, I did most of my food shopping at the Eumundi Markets.  There was a stall called ‘Gourmet Roast Tempeh’.  It was a wonderful organic stall with a mountain of freshly grown knobbly ginger and  fresh turmeric root.  There were also crispy brocolli, different types of Chinese greens, bunches and bunches of fresh coriander, and of course, his  delicious Tempeh. I did mean to take a photo of his stall, but unfortunately for some reason or another, I did not.  But, I did keep the empty wrapper of his amazing gourmet  tempeh.  This is my version of it…..

Marinated Tempeh

1 packet of Tempeh (sold in the refrigerated department of the health food store or supermarket)

1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger

4 tablespoons of tamari

4 tablespoon water

1/2 tspn turmeric

1/2 tspn dried oregano

fresh pepper

Place all of the above ingredients in a  flat, rectangular, sealable container and mix well.  Place the block of tempeh in the marinade and allow to marinade for 2 hours.  Turn the tempeh over and allow to marinade for another two hours or overnight.  The longer it sits in the marinade, the stronger the flavours will be.  It should completely soak up all the liquid.

I then heat a skillet and saute the tempeh on both sides until brown.  I use it mostly in sandwiches, but lately if I have any left-over rice or quinoa for lunch, I chop up lettuce leaves, grate some carrot, add some sprouts and a little feta.  I then make a quick dressing of lemon, honey, balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  Mix all this together with the rice/quinoa. Chop the tempeh into small pieces and add this to the salad.  A quick, nutritious lunch!

Print recipe

Shared goodness from Stacey

Pytt i panna is something that Swedes traditionally make using leftovers, and it is particularly handy if you’ve got some left over meat (sausages/steak/whatever) from dinner the night before. It is normally served with pickled gherkins (savoury ones, not sweet!) and beetroot (canned is fine), but I have a habit of forgetting these accompaniments when I make it at home. This version is served with scrambled eggs (äggröra), and serves two people as a main; just make more if you are serving more people.

Three medium potatoes, unpeeled;

One brown onion, diced;

Cooked meat, cut into 1cm chunks (sausage/steak/bacon/whatever) – quantity to taste;

Five eggs;

1/3 cup milk;

Butter for cooking;

Salt and pepper to taste (you’ll need to be quite generous).

Wash the potatoes and par-boil them (about fifteen minutes). Cool a little before cutting into chunks. Melt a good dollop of butter in a frying pan, then add the onions and cook until softened. Add the potatoes, and gently stir with the onions. Cook on a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until potatoes start to brown. Season generously with salt and pepper, then add the meat, stir through, and turn the heat down a little, leaving everything to cook while you make the scrambled eggs:

Mix the eggs and milk in a bowl, and melt another dollop of butter in a saucepan. Add the egg and milk mixture, and cook over a medium heat, stirring to make sure that it doesn’t burn. How fast you stir it will determine how “chunky” the scrambled eggs are – the faster you stir, the finer the scrambled bits will be.

When the scrambled eggs are cooked to your liking, serve over the top of the fried onion/potato/meat mixture.

And there you have it – pytt i panna! If you like, add some freshly chopped herbs or grated cheese to the scrambled eggs for a bit of extra flavour and texture.

It is finally starting to feel like winter in Ohio. The temperatures are dropping and the sun sets way too early. I run though my neighborhood several times a week, and I can’t help but notice the erection of far too many holiday lawn decorations. I don’t mind lights or even the occasional wire reindeer, but oh man could I do without the inflatable Santa Clauses and snowmen.

Anyway, I actually really love the winter months, so the cool weather is more than welcome. A little snow would be nice too, but maybe that’s asking too much.

Thanks to the weather and my never ending cold, I’ve been experimenting a lot with stews and soups and meals that warm my insides. I love a dish that is both substantial and light; something that can keep me full for several hours without feeling completely stuffed. The following recipe is a dish that I created while trying to use some greens that I purchased on a whim. The beautiful red chard adds a ton of nutrition and color to an otherwise boring dish.

The photographs feature chickpeas, but I have made this stew with cannellini, great northern, and freshly cooked navy beans. Let’s just say I’ve been eating a lot of this stuff recently…

Chard and White Bean Stew

This stew is a yummy way to warm you up (and maybe even clear out your sinuses!) If you are sensitive to spicy dishes, you may want to reduce the crushed red pepper to 1/8 teaspoon or so.

1 bunch Swiss chard, stemmed and chopped

1 cup white beans (I used garbanzo here)

1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes

1/2 cup onion, diced

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 t. extra virgin olive oil

1/4 t. crushed red pepper

sea salt, as needed

Heat olive oil in a deep pan over moderate heat. Saute onions until translucent. Add garlic and crushed red pepper, stirring until slightly golden, about 2 minutes. Add diced tomatoes and bring to a light boil. Stir in beans and simmer for about 5 minutes. Place chopped chard on top of the stew, steaming the greens for a few minutes. Stir gently and continue to heat until greens are wilted and tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and serve. Makes 1-2 servings.

xo, melly.