WE ❤️ LEGUMES
Happy Thursday W4D friends! Don’t know about you, but we really love a legume around here. They’re cheap, easy to prepare, and good for you (full of fiber and protein!). Plus, they’re a pantry staple that you can always have ready to go! This week, we’re giving you some quick dishes for when you don’t feel like cooking…
QUICK KITCHEN CHEAT CODES
AU: Sometimes the best meal is the quickest one you can get on the table. So I thought I’d share two of my most recent “not-actual-recipe” recipes that I've been making at home…
BLACK BEAN & CHEESE QUESADILLAS
AU: Quesadillas are simple (duh), and of course you could just slap some refried beans straight-from-the-can onto your store bought tortilla with some cheese… but I like to give my canned refried beans a little zuzh with a few things I always have on hand:
Bacon Fat - Like generations of Southerners who came before me, I always have bacon fat on hand. Instead of keeping it in a Maxwell House coffee can under the sink, I keep mine in a sealed container in the fridge and use a tablespoon here and there to add delicious porky, smoky flavor wherever it is needed. It’s especially good when paired with any kind of Southwestern-style beans. If you don’t have bacon fat, just throw a strip or two of bacon in a cold pan, turn the heat to medium and let the fat render out. Use the bacon however you’d like (which can include crumbling it, and stirring the bits into your beans).
Chopped Chipotle Chilies - A tablespoon of these added to your beans will take them from “oh that’s nice” to “WHY IS THIS SO GOOD?!?” It really shouldn’t be that simple, but it is.
Alliums - It can be any one of these, but a quarter cup of minced onion, shallot, or even just a clove or two of garlic will really make your canned beans taste like they’ve been simmering for hours.
Acid - Not necessary, but if you’ve got it, why not use it? A squeeze of lemon or lime juice really just lifts the flavor of your beans, so that they taste like more than just… beans. If you don’t have citrus, a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar will do the trick.
AU: Typically, I’ll make a larger batch of this and keep it in the fridge to make quick oh-I-forgot-to-eat-lunch-today snacks all week. (Does that happen to everyone? No? Just me??).
EK: That is me all week long. I look up at the clock, and, oops! I’ve done it again! Time for a 3:00 p.m. lunch/snack!
AU: It’s crazy how that happens! All you need to do is melt a tablespoon of bacon fat in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add your allium of choice, and sweat it until it becomes translucent. Not trying to brown or caramelize here—just soften. Then add in a spoonful of chipotle chilies, and any spices you may want to use (I sometimes add a half teaspoon of ground cumin and a pinch of coriander). Next add your can of refried beans—either black or pinto—and stir until they soften. If the consistency is too thick, I add water by about a quarter cup at a time. Let everything meld for 10 minutes, and you’re ready to use your ZUZHED REFRIED BEANS any way you want ‘em!
I like to spread mine onto flour tortillas and top with cheese for a black bean quesadilla that pairs magnificently with Elizabeth’s Butternut Coconut Curry Soup.
EK: That soup is a freezer staple for me and I love my original recipe but your new shortcut version is brilliant!
AU: I bought 2 lbs. of pre-cubed butternut squash and threw it into the pressure cooker. Instead of cooking for 4 minutes, like Elizabeth’s recipe says when using pre-cooked squash, I cooked everything for 12 minutes on High pressure. When it was done, I used the quick release and blended everything up with a stick blender. It was perfect!! One of my favorite soups…
INSTANT SORE THROAT SOOTHER
AU: Whenever I feel a sore throat or cough coming on, I immediately increase my liquid consumption. Coconut Water is probably the most beneficial, because of its natural electrolytes and minerals, but if you’re like me, you don’t necessarily want to drink something sweet all day.
Back in NYC, I would have immediately trekked to Brodo, Marco Canora’s amazing bone broth window. Now, you can order it online and have it shipped to you to stock your freezer—it’s truly THE BEST. I’m partial to the Hearth recipe and the Deeply Rooted recipe (which is steeped with turmeric and ginger).
Anyway, since I don’t have my freezer stocked with Brodo, I’ve started making a “Cheater’s Bone Broth” that is both delicious and soothing whenever I’m feeling the ick knock on my door. It’s not bone broth. In fact, it’s nothing more than chicken bouillon paste, fresh or pickled ginger, and a dash of Hon Tsuyu or soy sauce/tamari/coconut aminos. Hon Tsuyu is a noodle soup concentrate that you can find almost anywhere. There are vegan ones out there, but most contain bonito, fish sauce, sweet rice cooking wine (mirin), some form of seaweed extract, and soy sauce.
EK: I just bought a bottle and can’t wait to try it. In the meantime, I followed your “prescription” and added Miso paste and soy sauce to minced ginger and the chicken base and it was also comforting and delish! Thanks for the idea!
AU: I’m so glad! Here’s how I usually put it together: I add a few teaspoons of ginger to the bottom of the mug. If I’m using fresh ginger, I’ll cut a few coin-sized pieces and lightly muddle it. Then I’ll add about a scant half teaspoon of the hon tsuyu to the cup. Then, I’ll add a 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of chicken bouillon base to the mug, and add 8-12 ounces of hot water from the electric kettle while I stir to dissolve the bouillon. Sip on it slowly, and just keep adding more hot water to it throughout the day, and you’ll not only feel hydrated, but it feels like the most comforting little ritual for yourself.
COUNTRY CAVIAR a.k.a. FRENCH LENTIL SALAD
EK: I’ve been making this dish forever! It is one of my favorite culinary souvenirs from France and although the flavor and texture is complex, it is surprisingly easy to make.
People can be turned off by the idea of lentils, but I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t love this salad. It’s so full of brightness from the red wine vinegar and the mustard and has a meaty toothsome texture from the French green lentils that it is a craveable, satisfying side dish that you could turn into a main.
AU: I used to be one of those people! I turned my nose up at lentils, because I didn’t think they brought anything to the table… until I tried them like THIS! My favorite way to eat them.
EK: On my first trip to Paris, I went to a small rustic restaurant that served dinner “family style” with food on big wooden boards, and in pottery from Provence and old woven baskets. It was picturesque and left a culinary stamp on my brain.
The meal started with hunks of cheese, sausages, cornichons, and a bowl of “country caviar.” The bread, cheese and meat were as delicious as you would expect, but what blew me away was the “country caviar.”
It’s hard to believe that out of all the great iconic French food, the dish that has stood the test of time is this bowl of “country caviar” that is, in fact, a versatile lentil salad that can be served warm, room temp or cold.
AU: The idea has been adapted over and over again, so you know it’s a classic. Like, in Texas, they make a salad with black-eyed-peas and call it “Cowboy Caviar.”
EK: Exactly! And, it’s really very similar the beans + a tangy vinaigrette, Texas veggies—like onions and jalapeños—and herbs…
These French lentils are different than the lentils that you may be familiar with in dal and Indian cuisine. They are small, greenish-black in color and don’t lose their shape.
Once you see the dish, it’s evident why the restaurant referred to the dish as “country caviar.” It looks like caviar.
I couldn’t stop eating the “caviar,” so I did what the food-obsessed do, and I asked the proprietor of the restaurant what they were. He wrote the name, “Lentilles du Puy” down on a piece of paper and told me that I could buy them at a little grocery close to the restaurant.
Lentilles du Puy are grown in the rugged mountainous region of Auvergne in the south of France. Only those lentils grown near Puy-en-Velay (thus, lentilles du Puy) are designated lentilles du Puy and they are regulated by the AOC (appellation d’origine controlée) seal.
They are grown in volcanic-rich soil and much like old vine grapes, left to grow with no fertilizer or watering. The result is that the lentils have have more (flavor) character like wine grapes from old vines.
EK: Needless to say, I purchased a box of the dried lentils to bring back with me. Once I was home, I followed the cooking instructions on the box and added the ingredients that I remembered tasting as I ate helping after helping of that addictive salad.
This isn’t exactly a shortcut or cheat recipe, but it is so easy to make that it could be one. In keeping with our theme, I used my mini-chopper to chop the carrot and the shallot and it turned out just as well as if I had done it by hand.
I used kitchen scissors to snip the parsley and it was also quick and easy with no knife or cutting board to wash.
You can also pour all your vinaigrette ingredients in a jar and shake—no need to whisk your mustard and vinegar and pour the olive oil slowly!
EK: there are a few things that I have learned over the years that take an extra step but are worth it. The first is to rinse your lentils. I rinse them in a strainer/bowl situation that I use to rinse rice. I rinse and discard the water about the same number of times—4-5 or until the water is completely clear. This rinsing prevents that ugly brown scum from forming when you cook the lentils and that is worth it!
EK: The second thing that I do is cook the lentils covered by 1-2 inches of water depending on the diameter of the pot. In a smaller pot, I cover the lentils with 2-inches of water and in a wider, more shallow pot, like the one above, 1- inch of water.
The lentils are perfectly cooked when they pop a little in your mouth but are creamy on the inside. They are dressed simply with a homemade vinaigrette that’s pleasingly pungent with sharp Dijon mustard and red wine vinegar. Minced shallots, carrot and curly parsley add color, crunch, and flavor to the dish. The result is simple and straight forward, but the combination is rich, and the texture, addictive.
I make the salad often. It is a side dish that goes with just about everything and is healthy to boot. Last night I ate the salad warm with garlic sausage and mashed Brown-Butter Butternut Squash and it hit the spot!
The zhuzhed up bean tricks are genius ✨
Huge legume fan here! Thanks for some good ideas!