Tuscan White Bean Recipe

TUSCAN BEANS

We tested this recipe in a traditional Italian terra-cotta bean pot (called a fagioliera) and in a heavy saucepan. We preferred the bean pot because it cooked the beans more gently, allowing them to retain their shape and texture (they seemed more flavorful as well). The slow, gentle cooking also makes it unnecessary to presoak the beans. In Italy, each serving of beans is dressed with oil at the table, and since leftover beans aren’t dressed, they are used in the next day’s soup or are reheated with more garlic and sage.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 3 3/4 hr
click photo to enlarge
2 1/2 cups dried white beans such as Great Northern or navy (1 lb), picked over and rinsed
10 cups water
2 fresh sage sprigs
1 bay leaf (not California)
1 head of garlic
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt

Accompaniment: fine-quality extra-virgin olive oil (preferably Tuscan)

Special equipment: a 5-quart terra-cotta bean pot or heavy saucepan

If using a terra-cotta pot for the first time, soak it in water to cover at least 6 hours, then drain.

Put beans, water, sage, bay leaf, and whole head of garlic in bean pot. Cover and slowly bring to a simmer over low heat; this can take 2 3/4 hours in bean pot or 1 hour in saucepan.

Simmer beans until tender and soft but not mushy, about 45 minutes in bean pot or 35 to 40 minutes in saucepan. Remove from heat and cool beans, covered, 15 minutes. Stir in sea salt.

Drain almost all cooking liquid from beans (reserve for making soup if desired) and season beans with sea salt and pepper to taste.

Dress beans with oil at the table.

Cooks' notes:

• Willinger thinks dried beans are best when used within 1 year of harvest; it’s important to purchase them from a store that has high product turnover.

• Beans may be cooked 1 day ahead, cooled completely, uncovered, then chilled, covered.

Our special hot sauce w/ginger

1 tomato
1 clove garlic
piece of ginger about size of thumb, peeled and coarsely chopped
1/4 mango, peeled
1 tsp cilantro
1 habanero or scotch bonnet pepper
pinch salt
1/2 tsp sugar
juice of one lime

Put all ingredients in food processor. Process until smooth. Transfer to saucepan and heat on medium-low until air bubbles disappear and the sauce is almost hot. Do not simmer!
Add coarsely chopped cilantro to mix and serve.

Chile Ginger Oil (for cooking) - Simply Ming

Master
CHILE-GINGER OIL

Makes 2 cups

• 1 heaping tablespoon minced ginger

• 1/4 cup Korean chile flake

• 1/4 cup ancho chile powder

• 1 teaspoon cumin powder

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 2 cups grapeseed or canola oil plus 1 tablespoon grapeseed or canola oil for cooking

In a sauté pan coated lightly with 1 tablespoon oil over low heat add the ginger and sauté until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the chile powders, cumin and salt and heat until spices start to smoke. Whisk in oil, bring to a simmer, and continue to simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the oil mixture from heat and allow mixture to cool completely to room temperature. Using a rubber spatula, transfer the oil mixture to a glass jar and seal the jar. The mixture will separate, leaving the red Chile-Ginger Oil on top for use.

Sofrito!

Daisy's Recipes: Sofrito
Sofrito


There is no other recipe I could have chosen to open with. This is the one indispensable, universal, un-live-withoutable recipe. Having said that, it is incredibly easy to make with ingredients you can find at the supermarket. And if you can't find all the ingredients I list below see the note that follows for a very simple fix. What sofrito does is add freshness, herbal notes and zing to dishes -- you can do that with the onion, garlic, bell pepper, cilantro and tomato alone.

In my house, sofrito makes its way into everything from yellow rice, black bean soup, sauce for spaghetti and meatballs to braised chicken and sautéed shrimp. Not only that, it freezes beautifully, so in about In 10 minutes you can make enough sofrito to flavor a dozen dishes. I'm telling you, this stuff does everything but make the beds. Try out your first batch of sofrtio in the recipes you'll find throughout this site, or add sofrito to some of your own favorite dishes that could use a little boost. You will change the way you cook. I guarantee it.

Makes about 4 cups.
If you can't find ajices dulces or culantro, don't sweat. Up the amount of cilantro to 1 ½ bunches.

2 medium Spanish onions, cut into large chunks 3 to 4 Italian frying peppers or cubanelle peppers 16 to 20 cloves garlic, peeled 1 large bunch cilantro, washed 7 to 10 ajices dulces (see note below), optional 4 leaves of culantro (see note below), or another handful cilantro 3 to 4 ripe plum tomatoes, cored and cut into chunks 1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into large chunks

Chop the onion and cubanelle or Italian peppers in the work bowl of a food processor until coarsely chopped. With the motor running, add the remaining ingredients one at a time and process until smooth. The sofrito will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It also freezes beautifully. Freeze sofrito in ½ cup batches in sealable plastic bags. They come in extremely handy in a pinch. You can even add sofrito straight from the freezer to the pan in any recipe that calls for it in this book.
Pantry Notes: Ajices Dulces, also known as cachucha or ajicitos are tiny sweet peppers with a hint of heat. They range in color from light to medium green and yellow to red and orange. They add freshness and an herby note to the sofrito and anything you cook. Do not mistake them for Scotch bonnet or Habanero chilies (which they look like)--those two pack a wallop when it comes to heat. If you can find ajicitos in your market, add them to sofrito. If not, up the cilantro and add a pinch of cayenne pepper. Culantro is not cilantro. It has long leaves with tapered tips and serrated edges. When it comes to flavor, culantro is like cilantro times ten. It is a nice, not essential addition to sofrito. (See Sources for both the above.)

Ceviche (replace w/tofu??)

Daisy's Recipes: Shrimp 'Cooked' in Citrus Juice World of Latin Seafood
With their access to the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas and the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, Latin cooks have access to an enormous variety of fish and shellfish. No wonder La Cocina Latina abounds in extraordinary seafood dishes. Come with Daisy as she visits Spain, Chile and Brazil--all without leaving her kitchen. Featured recipes: Mariscada en Salsa Verde (Shellfish in Green Sauce), Seviche de Camarones (Shrimp Seviche) and Acaraje, a Brazilian dish that pairs navy beans and shrimp.

Shrimp 'Cooked' in Citrus Juice
Seviche de Camarones

All over South America, people "cook" fish by soaking it in citrus juice. After marinating several hours, the seafood turns opaque and firm, with a texture half-way between sushi and traditionally cooked fish. Seviche goes fast at a party -- especially in the summer when the citrusy, fresh bite feels especially right. There's a lot of room for improvisation here: buy whichever type of sweet peppers look good; play with the proportion of citrus juices and control the heat with your choice of hot peppers.
Makes 6 servings

1 ½ pounds large (about 20 per pound) shrimp, shelled and deveined 1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into thin strips about 2 inches long 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into thin strips about 2 inches long Half a small red onion, cut into thin slivers 1 small bunch cilantro, thick stems removed, the rest chopped coarsely 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fine sea or kosher salt 1 Scotch bonnet, jalapeno or hot chili pepper of your choice, stemmed and minced 12 lemons, or as needed 8 limes, or as needed 4 oranges, or as needed

Like sofrito, there are a million variations on this theme. Use this very simple recipe as the base for your own.

1. Toss the shrimp, yellow and red pepper, onion, cilantro, salt and chili pepper together in a bowl to mix them evenly. Pack into a non-reactive container (a 2-quart glass jar works well). Squeeze the citrus, strain out any seeds and pour over the shrimp and vegetables. There should be enough juice to cover the shrimp and vegetables, if not add more. Seal the container and refrigerate until the shrimp is opaque, 12 hours to one day.


2. To serve: Drain, discard most of the liquid and pile the shrimp and vegetables in a serving bowl.