Colombian Style Cranberry Beans with Green Chard

I don't know what compelled me but I woke up yesterday with the idea in my head that I was going to learn to cook Swiss chard. The only time I had tried it in the past was at a fancy restaurant and it was terrible. Bitter and almost inedible. Assuming it was me, not the chef, I never bothered to try it again. So what was the precipitous for wanting to try this week? I wish I knew. Coincidentally we are in the height of chard season and I had not realized that the color is really irrelevant and has very little to do with the taste when prepared. 

After making myself my coffee to go, Fair-trade Colombian of course, I headed off to browse Whole Foods for my veggies. As the farmer's markets don't open here until June I have found this is really one of the only places to buy my produce. It frustrates me to that we want to encourage people to eat healthy but most of the produce at large chain stores is on the verge of being rotten as soon as they buy it and has been off the farm for months anyway. Ugh. Fortunately for me there was quite a selection of different chard and as I had no idea which one to pick I went safe and chose the green variety. Kale was also on my list and I have found that I prefer the Lacinato variety with its less curly leaves but they were out of all types except the red. In the cart it went for another adventure. The grocer told me that everything just had arrived and was very fresh. Hopefully that is true but it looked nice and perky.

One of new personal goals is to meal plan for the week. It has something that has evaded me most of my adult life. I find it much more enjoyable to browse the aisles and choose what looks good to me. Unfortunately that can lead me to incomplete meals or more often than not wasted food. I hate to waste food for so many reasons. Last night I planned to use the Cranberry beans, or Cargamanto blanco, I already had and add in the chard. Unbeknownst to me adding kale is a pretty common variation of this dish so this wasn't something completely knew! Here is a link to a great source for buying heirloom beans so you can check them out. They can also be found in a lot of latin supermarkets.

Cranberry beans

Each region of Colombian has their own variations of this dish. The one I prepare is from the state of Antioquia. They can be prepared vegetarian if you like but you do need to add some fat when you cook them to prevent them from boiling over so add a bit of olive oil in the beginning. It is traditional to cook the beans with a pork hock and it does add flavor. A none smoked hock is normal but if you want to use a smoked one go for it. The beauty of cooking is we can vary recipes to our own personal tastes. Hocks freak you out? Add bacon. Etc, etc. 

This is my recipe so let me know if you like it!

Colombian Style Cranberry Beans with Green Chard

Serves 8

1 lb. Cranberry Beans, Dry

1 Large Ham Hock 

2 C. Sliced Scallions, Green and White Parts

2 Large Plum Tomatoes, Chopped

1 Tbsp Ground Cumin

Salt to Taste

2 Chicken Bouillon Cubes, Organic Preferably

4-5 C. Chard, Washed, Deveined and Chopped

1/2 C. Fresh Cilantro, Chopped

1. I prefer to always work with dried beans. (If you don't have time or don't want the hassle skip ahead to 3 and substitute canned beans. Just make sure to rinse them well due to the excess sodium.) Soak the beans in a bowl full of room temperature water overnight or 8 hours. 

2. Drain beans and put the beans and pork in a pressure cooker and cover with fresh water about an inch above the top. Cook for 30 minutes. You can cook on the stove top but it will take much longer, approximately 2 plus hours, until soft but hold their shape. 

3. Remove lid and finish on stove top at a slow simmer. Add ingredients scallions through chard and cook until beans are completely soft but not falling apart. Add cilantro and salt to taste. Shred meat and serve on top of rice, brown rice or even quinoa. 

It is traditional to serve the cooking liquid or soup with the beans in a bowl but I prefer to just serve them a little wet on top of a starch. 

If I was to make it again I would have added the chard later in the cooking time as it is more delicate than kale. If you substitute kale make sure to add it at step 2 to give it time to cook down. This recipe is so adaptable, enjoy! 

Tune in tomorrow for adventures in baking sourdough bread! 

Roasted Eggplant Soup

I hadn't realized how long it had been since I have had a chance to blog! Working as an event planner the holidays are always the busiest time of year and it left me with no time to cook, photograph and post recipes. Now is the slow time in the office so I made a batch of homemade soup to bring in and share with the girls. As you can imagine a group of people paid to know the latest and greatest in the food industry as well as the chefs who create the food can be a really tough crowd! This soup based the taste and trust me they are not too polite to tell me exactly what is wrong with something. Ever. 
Increasingly over the last few years I have become more and more concerned with eating compassionately and I am incorporating more and more vegetarian meals into my diet. It can be done and it can be delicious. I love the creativity of vegetarian cooking. You have to work harder but the results can be so rewarding. This soup is rich, creamy and comforting with out the use of any any actual cream or butter. What could be better for you heart and your waistline? I hope you enjoy it. 


Adapted from Sea Salt with Food

Roasted Eggplant Soup
Ingredients:
2 Medium Eggplant
1 Tbsp Ground Cumin
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Large Yellow Onion, diced
4 Cloves Garlic, peeled and finely minced
1 Large Potato, peeled and chopped (Choose a variety with a high start content as this lends part of the creamy texture to the soup)
2 (28 oz) Cans No Salt Added Organic Diced Tomatoes (Use whatever you have on hand. I had whole tomatoes and I just crushed them by hand before I put them in. It really doesn't matter much)
4 Cups Low-Sodium Chicken or Vegetable Broth 
2 Tbsp Fresh Cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp Ground Cumin
1 1/2 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
Sea Salt
Fresh Ground Black Pepper


Preheat the oven to 450F.
Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise and brush with olive oil, then sprinkle with cumin and sea salt. Brush baking tray with olive oil. Roast cut side down until soft. 30-40 minutes depending on size. When they are very soft they are done. Scrape soft flesh into a bowl and discard skins.


Heat a large pot over medium heat and add olive oil. Add onion and garlic and cook stirring occasionally until opaque but not brown. Increase the heat to medium-high heat and add eggplant, potato, tomatoes, coriander, cumin and paprika. Saute for a few minutes and then add stock. Bring to a boil then immediately reduce a simmer. You can scorch this soup VERY easily so keep an eye on this step. Make sure it is truly at a low simmer for an additional 40-45 minutes. This will all depend on how large you dice the potato so I recommend making sure the pieces are small. When the potatoes are done turn off the heat and let cool until just warm.


To puree you have 2 options. I happen to have a handheld immersion blender. (This blender on a stick.) As most people do not have those you can use a standard blender. Just work in batches to not overflow the blender. You decide if you want to leave it a bit chunky or if you want it to be entirely smooth. There was a toss up in the office which people preferred. I like a few chunks in my soup, some do not. One girl even thought it would be fantastic on pasta and I have to say it was thick enough! You could certainly try it. Season to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper. 
To serve reheat to hot over low heat and serve with your favorite crusty bread or a side salad. Enjoy!


Let me know if you try this! I love to hear what people think. 

Orange Ginger Cranberry Sauce

As promised the first of my recipes for a healthy and easy homemade Thanksgiving. No, nothing is easier than opening a can but this comes in a pretty close second place. I had never realized how easy this could be and how much better it would taste than the factory produced goo. So let me know if you try it. I hope you do!

Adapted from a recipe I found on Epicious.com: Ginger Cranberry Sauce
Servings: 10
Cook Time: 10 Minutes

Ingredients:
16 oz Cranberries, washed and picked over
1 cup sugar (I halved the sugar in this recipe and I still felt like it was a lot. You could also substitute agave but start with just a few teaspoons and add as needed as it is significantly more sweet than granulated sugar.)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup fresh orange juice (unsweetened, fresh from the orange)
1 Tbsp finely grated ginger (make sure it is finely grated)
Finely grated zest from 1 orange (make sure not to grate in the white pith as it is very bitter)

Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the berries pop open. This will take approximately 10 minutes. Make sure the heat is not too high or you can scorch is pretty easily.
Remove from the heat and let cool. It will appear runnier than you expect but as it cools it will solidify into more of a jelly. You will need to skim the foam off once it is cool. It can be refridgerated for up to 3 months so it is a great make ahead dish for the holidays!

Let me know if you try the recipe! You can adapt it quite easily. Don't like ginger? Add a cinnamon stick and remove it before the sauce cools. The options are endless and certainly delicious!

Favorite Restaurants: Oishii

For those of you who know me already you know of my undying affection for sushi. Make that all out obsession. It started with a determination to try the "raw fish" Japanese food that people in my small town mocked. One day on my way from college to my job in a veterinary office I stopped in a new sushi restaurant on Route 1. I went in and told the guy behind the counter I had no idea what to order and just give me what was good. He sent me home with a California roll. I was not impressed. However I was still curious. Eventually I met a friend who did know something about sushi and I couldn't get enough.

Since then I have searched for truly great places that I love. One of the them is a restaurant called Oishii. They are fantastic but tiny and the wait can be 2 hours some evenings so I rarely go there. When one of my clients wanted to truly fantastic sushi for an event recently I knew it would have to come from one of the best and it was impressive. You can see just from this picture the quality. Just looking at it makes me hungry.

I have tried making sushi on my own. The first time was interesting. Not horrible but definitely had a homemade feel. Subsequent attempts have gotten better but there is nothing like sitting in a sushi bar letting a master make it for you.

Hot Mulled Apple Cider with Rum

The best way to start off a cool fall evening in November is with a hot glass of local mulled apple cider. Since I was a child when I would smell cider it would invoke good memories. Hunting for a Christmas tree in the snow with my first boyfriend. Holiday shopping with my mother. I had never ventured to make it on my own and after several of my clients requesting cider for their events I decided it was time to make some at home. Here is my recipe. Hot mulled cider is not complicated and is easy to customize so feel free to add what you like. One recipe I did see even recommended studding an apple with whole cloves and simmering it in the pot with cider. I thought that sounded fantastic and maybe I will try it in the future.

Doesn't it look delicious!?

Hot Mulled Apple Cider with Rum

4 Servings

1 1/2 Gallon Fresh Apple Cider

2 Cinnamon Sticks

1 Orange, Thinly Sliced

1 Inch Piece of Ginger, Sliced

Dark Rum

Combine all the ingredients through ginger in a small saucepan. Simmer on medium-low heat for approximately 30 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve to remove all solids and return to saucepan. Keep warm. Ladle into coffee mugs with 1 oz rum. Serve immediately. Enjoy!



Food Dork Weekend

A friend used to tease me that my idea of an amazing weekend was heading to the local foodie stores or hunting for new ones and seeing what new and interesting things they have. He was more right than he knows and when I was single I used someones willingness to try new cuisines as a criteria for compatibility. There was one first date with a retired marine in which he would not eat the "weird" cheese pizza because it came from a brick oven or drink the root beer that had been brewed locally because it tasted funny. I think he barely slowed down as he drove by my house and I hurled myself from the car. When my fiance and I met I made a deal with him that any restaurant we tried that he didn't like I would pick up the check. He liked that proposition and to this date the only 2 he hasn't been crazy about was dim sum (I do not understand it) and Ethiopian food. Luckily I have friends whom enjoy both with me.

Tomorrow on my list of places to visit is the local spice market. There is a fabulous one in Cambridge that has everything you could possible desire. On my list  is cinnamon, sichuan peppercorns, and dried chiles. I can guarantee those will not be my only purchases and I will share them with all of you. Also on the agenda is a great deal of cooking to use all of my organic produce from the box. Asian food will forever be a favorite of mine and tonight instead of takeout I am making a spicy orange sesame chicken adapted from the American style recipe with some local pea pods I found at Whole Foods and onions from the box. Tomorrow night a twist on the classic Polish pierogi with sweet potato filling and caramelized onions. Dumplings of all kinds are my ultimate comfort food. There is something so homey and satisfying about sitting down to a plate of buttery and plump pierogi that is so enticing. For dessert a simple and rustic local apple and pear galette. They always look so impressive but are really quite easy yet delicious. Sunday morning a turkey trial run recipe, sweet potato biscuits. I never will serve an untested recipe on Thanksgiving and I have seen several versions of the recipe online over the years. Now that I seem to have a surplus of sweet potatoes in the house it seems like the perfect time. Hopefully all of these recipes will provide me several days of recipe posts and I will get to use my new camera to take some fantastic photos.

Have a great weekend. Any interesting culinary plans of your own?

My First Organic Produce Delivery

This morning was like Christmas to a food nerd. My first delivery from Boston Organics of local produce. I had signed up for the $29 Dogma box which was all sourced in New England. They allow you to pick the size of the box and what ratio of fruit to veggies in most of the other boxes but the local only comes in one size and you get no choice in what comes in it. I was apprehensive but looked at it as a culinary adventure. Supporting local agriculture is important to me and I was hoping this would be a nice replacement to our local farmers market that had ended last weekend.
All day I sat at my desk in anticipation of its arrival. Yes, I really am this big of a food dork. When it came I eagerly popped it open and found:

1 lb Bosc Pear (3 small pears)

1 lb Fuji Apples (2 apples)

1 8 oz Bag Cranberries

1 4oz Clamshell Alfalfa and Radish Sprouts

2 Heads of Cabbage

.75 lbs Butternut Squash (This was in replacement of a celery root which was fine by me. I like squash better)

1 Head Green Leaf Lettuce

1 lb Red Beets

1 lb Yellow Onions

1.5 lbs Sweet Potatoes

I have to admit it looked kind of small to me for how much it cost. I had yelped the company before I signed up and there were several people who mentioned they did not feel it was a good value. I wanted to test the theory so I headed off to Whole Foods after work so I could add up what this box would have cost had I just gone there and purchased it.
The verdict $20.15 at Whole Food. Almost 9 dollars cheaper. I have to say I have never seen Whole Foods be the better deal before, ever. There is an undeniable convenience factor but it isn't worth $9 to me. Overall if I was one of the people in the city who didn't have a car I think this would be worth it for me but as I can easily head to Whole Foods and buy what I want this will most likely be my one and only delivery. 

My original plan was to post photos of what I did with the box so here is the first photo. A salad made with the green leaf lettuce and topping I grabbed from the salad bar. Mmmm Asian style tofu and ginger carrot dressing. It was delicious! Once I get a reliable light source I am hoping the photos will be better as well.

Have you tried something like this before in your area?

What did you think?