Posts from the ‘Vegetables’ Category

Nov 9

Coriander Chicken Thighs With Miso Glazed Root Vegetables

Coriander Chicken Thighs and Miso Glaze Root Vegetables

I saw this recipe on Epicurious and I knew immediately I wanted to make it. Umami is not a word I use often, I do like the idea and when I saw it in the description I thought it would be loaded with flavor. I recently joined Farmigo, it’s fantastic, you order farm fresh food (It’s a CSA with a twist) and go to one of the many pick up locations to get your order, I’m lucky my pick up location is across the street from my home. You shop for what you want in your box rather getting what they give you. I love having multiple options for fresh food and this is a great concept, farm fresh food, organic and sustainable, can’t get much better than that. I ordered lots of root vegetables and chicken thighs after I found this recipe. I made a few changes in the root vegetable department, because I wanted to use what i had. I got some gorgeous radishes,they are so fresh and have the greens so I used both,the recipe calls for turnip greens which I didn’t have so I subbed the radish greens for the turnip greens, both golden and red beets and yellow and orange carrots. The vegetables are oven roasted coated with the miso glaze, you saute the greens in the same pan the chicken was cooked in using the reserved fat and then add them to the roasted roots before serving. Now tell me that doesn’t sound good right? As a side note, this dish is REALLY DELICIOUS, it is the very definition of Umami!

I am bringing this umami laden dish to Fiesta Friday #41 hosted by Angie@The Novice Gardener and this weeks lovely co hosts are Nancy @Feasting With Friends, along with Loretta @Safari of the Mind. I hope you all enjoy!!!

Beautiful roots

Coriander Chicken Thighs And Miso Glazed Root Vegetables

From Epicurious

Serves 6-8

8 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (about 2 1/2 pounds)
4 tablespoons vegetable oil (such as grapeseed), divided
1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 tablespoon ground coriander
3 tablespoons white or yellow miso paste
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons honey
1 pound total carrots, parsnips, and/or celery root, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
3/4 pound small-to-medium golden or red beets with fresh greens, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch wedges, greens reserved
3/4 pound small-to-medium turnips with fresh greens, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch wedges, greens reserved
1 medium red onion, peeled, root trimmed, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch wedges
6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 lime, cut into wedges

roasted

Preheat oven to 400°F. Set racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. In a large bowl, pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Add 1 tablespoon oil and toss to coat. Season chicken all over with 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and coriander. Rub in seasoning and set aside at room temperature.

In a large bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons oil, miso paste, vinegar, soy sauce, honey, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Add vegetables and garlic cloves to the bowl and toss to coat. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet, place on the upper rack of the oven, and roast until softened and browned, 40 to 45 minutes, tossing a few times during roasting. Peel garlic and discard skins.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon oil. Once hot, add half the chicken thighs skin side down. Cook until skin is golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from skillet and place skin side up on a second rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken thighs, reserving skillet with fat after cooking. Transfer baking sheet to lower rack of oven and roast until the chicken’s internal temperature reaches 165°F, 12 to 15 minutes more.

Discard stems from reserved beet and turnip greens; wash and roughly chop the leaves. Pour out all but 2 teaspoons of oil from the skillet and place the pan over medium-high heat. Add the greens to the pan with 2 tablespoons water and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, tossing, until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer roasted vegetables to a serving bowl, add the sautéed greens, and toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve chicken thighs with vegetables and lime wedges.

Close up

Fiesta Friday

Nov 5

87 Comments

Inspiring Farro With Beets, Feta And Pecans And For Dessert- Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

Farro with beets, pecans and feta

Sorry this is a bit late it will be worth the wait, believe me. The inspiring recipe that was chosen at random this time is from Emily, and is posted on her lovely blog Em-i-lis, it’s a gorgeous healthful dish with my favorite grain, Farro, my favorite cheese feta and favorite nut pecan, win, win. This recipe is so delicious, a great side dish or a main. I love Emily’s blog, she posts every day like clockwork and it’s what I read every morning with my cup of coffee. The recipe is Farro With Beets, Feta and Pecans. It’s truly inspired, she ties all those gorgeous ingredients together with a dressing of herbs, olive oil and lemon. It’s fantastic and really makes the other ingredients sing but the star of the show for me is the pecans, they are toasted and coated in maple syrup and a pinch of cayenne. Really you have to try this, it’s so good. I didn’t have golden beets so I used red, I don’t think it makes a difference really, also I think this is a genius move on Emily’s part, she gently heats the olive oil and then adds the herbs so they don’t cook really but are warmed and infused in the oil and adding some lemon makes for one of the most delicious dressings I’ve had in a long time. You can play with the herbs, don’t like sage add another herb, I think this would be delicious with any combination.

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

Now for dessert, oh this is beyond delicious folks the recipe comes from Michelle@Giraffes Can Bake, I was given a choice of two recipes and since I am a big big fan of ice cream, any time of year I chose the Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream. This ice cream is so simple, no churning, it’s a semi freddo, no cooking, and it’s so creamy and totally dreamy. It’s perfect for this time of year, it doesn’t have to be hot or warm outside to enjoy ice cream right? I followed the recipe except for the spice I added the Vanilla Autumn Spice Mix I made last time from Strictly Delicious. This ice cream tastes just like pumpkin Pie, I think it would be AMAZING sandwiched in between two oatmeal or ginger cookies. That would be a phenomenal ice cream sandwich.

Nov 3

74 Comments

Beef Stew A Bowl Of Comfort

Beef Stew

Hearty, warming, filling, a meal in a bowl, thats beef stew.Honestly, I don’t eat that much meat, but every now and then I want it and look forward to the cooler weather so I can make this wonderful dish. I don’t use a recipe, you don’t really need to it’s one of those wonderful meals that you can just add ingredients, you be the judge how much or how little, taste, add more of this and that add a variety of vegetables you can get creative. I will give you the basics for my beef stew, there are a million and one recipes out there so here is one more to add to the list.

I like using a good red wine in my stew and always use a wine that is good enough to drink, not that cooking wine you see in the supermarket, but you can omit and use just stock and/or water, good cubed beef, vegetables, let it braise until the meat is so tender it literally melts in your mouth. I don’t add potatoes to my stew, instead I spoon over creamy mashed potatoes, I like yukon gold that I put through a food mill so there are no lumps, add sour cream, butter, salt and pepper.

Beef Stew

Serves 4-6 depending on serving size

2 lbs good cubed beef (I like chuck)

2 tbs flour

2 tbs tomato paste

1 onion finely diced

2 cloves garlic (smash and add whole)

Red wine (half bottle approximately)

water or stock (about 3 1/2 cups) just enough to cover the meat

Carrots I like to use the small baby carrots for this and add them whole (you judge how much)

peas – frozen are fine

Bay leaf, thyme (optional)

Peas- I never measure but I think about 1 cup frozen peas or fresh if you have.

salt and pepper

Heat some olive oil in a dutch oven, add the onion and sweat them, cook just until it gets soft, add garlic and cook for a short time just so it is warmed. Sprinkle the beef with the flour and toss to coat. Add to the pot with the onions and garlic and brown the meat, now add the tomato paste and carrots, stir to combine and cook for approximately 2 minutes just so the tomato paste starts to caramelize. Now add the wine and water or stock. You can season with salt and pepper, cover with lid slightly ajar and bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer stirring occasional for about 2-3-4 hours, check frequently stirring to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom and also to make sure the liquid hasn’t reduced to much, adjust if it has. About 15 before you are ready to serve add the peas. The liquid will have reduced significantly and will be thick and rich but if it is not thick enough for your taste, make a slurry using flour and water and pour into the stew, give a stir and cook a few more minutes. Serve alone or with potatoes, egg noodles or warm crusty bread and butter and a glass of your favorite red wine. NOTE: I used Fritz a Cabernet Sauvignon 2010, from Dry Creek Valley in California, this is a deliciously rich wine, that I thought would go well with a hearty beef stew. I drank the rest of the wine with dinner, a really nice pairing.

Oct 30

105 Comments

Paul Bertolli’s Cauliflower Soup

Cauliflower soup

I had a head of cauliflower, it’s getting cold outside and I wanted some soup but it had to be very simple. I found this recipe on Food52, I had run out of stock vegetable or chicken and couldn’t run to the store, was waiting for a delivery and when I saw how easy this soup was and the list of ingredients is minimal I knew this was what I would make. This is part of the Food52 Genius collection, it is genius in it’s simplicity and tasting it you would never know just how easy it is to make. It would be an elegant addition to any meal, your guests will be impressed. As it is this recipe is vegan, no dairy or animal products at all. Of course I added a couple of tbs of butter to mine, just because I like butter but this is completely optional and unnecessary. The soup is delicious as is.

Serves 8

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion (6 ounces), sliced thin
1 head very fresh cauliflower (about 1-1/2 pounds), broken into florets
Salt, to taste
5 1/2 cups water, divided
Extra virgin olive oil, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Warm the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Sweat the onion in the olive oil over low heat without letting it brown for 15 minutes.
Add the cauliflower, salt to taste, and 1/2 cup water. Raise the heat slightly, cover the pot tightly and stew the cauliflower for 15 to 18 minutes, or until tender. Then add another 4 1/2 cups hot water, bring to a low simmer and cook an additional 20 minutes uncovered.
Working in batches, purée the soup in a blender to a very smooth, creamy consistency. Let the soup stand for 20 minutes. In this time it will thicken slightly.
Thin the soup with 1/2 cup hot water. Reheat the soup. Serve hot, drizzled with a thin stream of extra-virgin olive oil and freshly ground black pepper.

smooth and creamy

Oct 24

118 Comments

More Inspiring Food, Spiced Swiss Chard Cobbler And Vanilla Autumn Spice Mix For Fiesta Friday #39

swiss chard cobbler

Here are two great recipes chosen at random from the recipes you left for me. Spiced Swiss Chard Cobbler from Three little halves and Strictly Delicious wonderful Vanilla Autumn Spice Mix. Both recipes are amazing. I love swiss chard and this creamy savory cobbler is absolutely delicious, the cornmeal biscuit topping goes perfectly with the spicy filling. The Vanilla Autumn spice mix will get a lot of use this Holiday Season, I love to bake and I love warm fragrant spices so I was so excited that this was the random pick this time. I used the spice mix for simple baked apples, a recipe on Food52. A light and delicious sweet treat that is so very seasonal.

I brought these wonderful dishes to Fiesta Friday, now this week is very special. First of all it is Angie@The novice gardeners birthday, a warm congratulations and Happy Birthday to Angie and secondly, I am co hosting this week with one of my favorite bloggers Sue@birgerbird. This promises to be a great party with lots of delicious food.

Delicious

Vanilla Autumn Spice Mix

Baked apples

Fiesta Friday

Sep 27

61 Comments

Fall Farro Salad For Fiesta Friday #35

Warm Fall Farro Salad

Wow, that’s a lot of F’s Fall Farro Salad For Fiesta Friday. I tested this recipe as a community pick on Food52 and it’s so delicious I wanted to make more and share with all my friends at Fiesta Friday. This warm or room temperature salad is so good for you and the flavor is amazing. I am a big Farro fan, love it in salads and think about it with roasted cauliflower and brussells sprouts, pancetta, feta cheese and other vegetatables toss it in a simple lemon,herb and olive oil dressing, The combination is absolutely heavenly. It’s from one of the very talented cooks on Food52 Wendy@healthier kitchen. This can be made vegetarian or vegan by simply omitting the pancetta and using vegetable stock or water instead of chicken stock also if vegan of course omit the feta cheese, but you know that. I opted for the vegetarian version and omitted the pancetta and cooked the farro in salted water, the only reason was that I didn’t have any pancetta and honestly, the salad is so good as it was I didn’t miss it at all. Note: Don’t skimp on the lemon I halved the recipe and still used the whole lemon, it adds such a bright delicious flavor also I used dried marjoram in place of the oregano.

This Friday Angie@the novice gardener has enlisted the help of two very talented ladies. Prudy@butter basil and breadcrumbs and Naina@spiceinthecity. With these two talented and lovely co hosts this promises to be one heck of a party, you must check out the food, what an array of delicious dishes. Join in, it’s fun!!

Fall Farro Salad

Serves 8 – 10
1 large head cauliflower, cut up into small florets (I sometimes do this with brussels sprouts in addition – they cook more quickly so only roast them about 15 or so minutes)
2 tablespoons olive oil
pinch salt
4 cups low or no sodium added chicken (or vegetable if you want to keep it vegetarian) stock
4 cups water
about 1 pounds farro, rinsed
4 ounces pancetta, diced (omit if you’re keeping this vegetarian)
1 medium onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 large stalk celery, diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano (or even marjoram if you’ve got it)
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
juice of 1 large lemon
1/4 cup best quality olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
about 1 cups crumbled feta, spread over top
Heat oven to 450 degrees.
Toss the cut up cauliflower with 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a Ziploc bag or large bowl. Make sure all pieces are lightly coated with olive oil. Spread cauliflower in a single layer in a shallow baking dish or half sheet pan. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over cauliflower.
Let cauliflower roast, stirring and turning pieces occasionally, until tender and golden brown, about 25 – 35 minutes.
While cauliflower roasts, bring the stock and water to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Once the stock boils, add the rinsed farro and stir. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until tender, about 20 – 25 minutes. Drain farro, and set aside in a large serving bowl.
Meanwhile, in a large saute pan over medium heat, saute the diced pancetta unitl it darkens and gets a little crispy. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent and carrot has softened, about 10 minutes. You might have to lower the burner to medium-low if the onion is starting to crispen. Season vegetables with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
Once cooked, add onion mixture to the farro in the serving bowl.
Add the cooked cauliflower to the serving bowl.
Add parsley, oregano and half the chives to the serving bowl.
Add lemon juice and olive oil to serving bowl and mix contents gently, but thoroughly. Taste for salt and pepper and add if necessary.
Garnish with remaining chives and feta.
Can be served warm or room temperature.

So good and good for you

Sep 19

114 Comments

The Tomato Cobbler That Wasn’t….. It Became Soup

Tomato and farmers cheese soup

I recently saw a post on Food52 and it had a photo of a recipe from Huckleberry the new (brilliant) cookblook by Zoe Nathan, I ordered a book, my copy hasn’t arrived but I had some tomatoes I needed to use so I thought I will make the tomato and goat cheese cobbler that was pictured,(how hard could that be). It looked incredible. Long story short, mine didn’t work. I had some gorgeous cherry and small very ripe tomatoes that I cut in half and quartered, added minced garlic and shallot and put in a oval baking dish along with some farmers cheese instead of goats cheese (because thats what I had), off to a good start right? I made the top for the cobbler using my recipe that I use from my spiced plum cobbler. Put the dough on top of the tomatoes in rounds, put in a 375 degree oven and guess what, the tomatoes were so juicy they literally boiled the cobbler top. The tomatoes and cheese smelled great but I could see this was not going to have a happy ending. I removed from the oven, scooped off the cobbler top and unhappily threw it away but I saved the tomatoes, they were literally swimming in juice and tasted great. I did not want to waste the tomatoes so I put them in my blender and made soup. Fresh tomato and farmers cheese soup. It’s velvety, creamy, mildly cheesy has just a hint of garlic and onion and loads of fresh tomato taste, It really was a happy surprise. A little voice kept telling me that the tomatoes would get soupy but I didn’t listen, so it’s back to the drawing board on the cobbler. I’ll wait for my cookbook to arrive. But this soup is really good!! I was planning on taking this to Fiesta Friday #34 but I’ll have to make something else.

Tomato and farmers cheese

Tomato and farmers cheese Soup

Serves 4

3 cups ripe tomatoes (cherry tomatoes halved larger tomatoes quartered)

1 shallot minced

1 clove garlic minced

1 pinch red pepper flakes

1 tsp organic brown sugar (optional)

6 oz farmers cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Pre heat oven to 375 degrees. Place tomatoes, garlic, shallot, farmers cheese, red pepper flakes and optional brown sugar in the oven for 30 minutes. The tomatoes will become very juicy and soft. Remove from oven and let cool about 15 minutes. Pour all of it into the blender or food processor or use and immersion blender and process until smooth. Pour through sieve to remove any tomato skins and ensure a velvety smooth soup. Heat and serve.

Soup

Sep 15

87 Comments

2 Recipes Eating Clean And Special Walnuts For Fiesta Friday #33

Fiesta Friday

Eating clean, I’ve heard the term but never really grasped what it means, it’s quite simple really, read about it here in an article on Cooking Light, in a nutshell you eat unprocessed whole foods, nothing new really we should all eat like that, the term is new but not the concept. I receive emails from Martha Stewart living and really love some of the recipes from her site, I always have admired Martha’s business acumen and respect how she has built her empire and she also has some amazing recipes. This particular email had recipes that focus on eating clean, the recipes are always simple and are prepared on video by Shira Bocar. The salad contains Tuscan Kale (use tuscan its more tender when eaten raw), apples, beets and walnuts with a dressing made from avocado, white wine vinegar, dijon mustard and oil. I don’t have a mandolin which is what you are supposed to use to cut the beets paper thin, so as a result my beets were a bit too thick and raw beets really need to be thin, next time I will roast my beets for a little while and then slice,or get over my mandolin phobia and get one of those.

In the same email there was a recipe (I guess you can call it that) for broiling broccoli rabe and chick peas. This was a revelation for me, I always steamed it and the florets become overcooked while the stems are still hard and stringy, I wanted to give this a try, the key is for the broccoli rabe and chickpeas to be dry so plan in advance and let your vegetables and chickpeas drain and dry completely. I must say I love Martha’s clean eating video’s here is the one with the broccoli rabe. Shira serves with some fresh ricotta drizzled with olive oil and a sprinkling of red pepper flakes.

The walnuts in the salad were a gift from Patty Nguyen, I love her blog, she is a photographer and a great cook, she also has the most adorable little dog. She came to NYC to visit her brother and we met at the Brooklyn Flea, These walnuts (Chandler walnuts) were hand cracked and are amazing, fresh and delicious. I told Patty I would use them in a recipe and post it, so Patty, here it is. Thank you for the delicious walnuts and I so enjoyed meeting you.

Chandler walnuts

I am bringing both of these healthful vegetable dishes to the party, Angie@The Novice Gardener is hosting this gathering of friends and great cooks, imagine the line up with so many great and talented cooks preparing the food, The co hosts this week are Andrea @Cooking with a Wallflower and Sylvia @Superfoodista enjoy the clean food my dear friends.

Creamy kale salad

Creamy Kale Salad

Ingredients
1 ripe avocado, halved, seed removed
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar (You could also use lemon juice) I added an extra tbs of vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons walnut oil or extra-virgin olive oil (I used walnut oil)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 bunch kale (8 oz.), stemmed and coarsely chopped
1 small red beet, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a golden beet also)
1 sweet, crisp apple, cored and cut into thin wedges
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
Directions
Combine avocado, vinegar, mustard, and oil in a food processor. Pulse until smooth. (It will be thick.) Season with salt and pepper.
Combine kale, beets, apple, and walnuts in a large bowl. Toss with avocado dressing. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately. Suggestion: Add Farro, freekeh or some whole grain to the salad, it will be filling and delicious.

salad

ready for the broiler

Broccoli Rabe and chickpeas

1 bunch broccoli rabe cleaned and trimmed (Be sure to keep the leaves, they crisp beautifully in the broiler)

1 can chick peas drained and dried

6 tbs olive oil (If you use 2 small sheet pans 3 tbs per tray)

thinly sliced garlic 2 cloves

salt

Really important to make sure your broccoli rabe and chick peas are dry, moisture is the enemy for this dish Place dry broccoli rabe on sheet pan, don’t over crowd. Add the chickpeas and garlic. Spoon or drizzle oil and massage into the broccoli rabe and chick peas, sprinkle with salt and place in heated broiler for 2 minutes, take out of the oven and turn the broccoli and place back in the oven for another 2 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.NOTE: I washed and dried my broccoli rabe and chickpeas the day before I made the dish, just bagged and refrigerated and they were perfectly dry. I think it depend on your oven how long you leave in to broil. I found that after the prescribed 4 minutes in the broiler the broccoli rabe was still quite raw a bit too crunchy, it is probably my oven, I’m sure in the Martha Stewart test kitchen they have commercial grade ovens that have more BTU’s than mine. So I put it in an extra 6 minutes. It was done perfectly, a little toothsome but still tender. So the cooking time will vary.

ready to eat

Sep 7

97 Comments

Italian Tapas For Fiesta Friday #32

Caponata

Italian tapas, well it’s not really tapas in the truest sense of the word but it certainly can be eaten on small plates and it’s more of a prelude to the actual meal, I thought caponata, some good cheese and bread would be a nice addition to the party this week. Caponata is a Sicilian dish which is used as a side dish or condiment. I can remember my Mother serving on toasted Italian bread as a starter or appetizer. This is my version of my Mothers recipe, its less sweet and the vegetables are soft but still retain their shape.

Angie@The Novice Gardener is hosting this weeks event, she is always there for us and our co host is Hilda@along the grapevine. I hope everyone enjoys a little bit of Italy or Sicily. Buon Appetito!

Caponata

4 Italian eggplant washed and cut in half lengthwise. Skin on. (Or use 1 large eggplant)

1 Medium size onion chopped

2 Stalks celery (Use the tender inner stalks) chopped

3 cloves garlic minced

1 Red bell pepper de seeded and chopped

4 Fresh tomato’s chopped (I used 1 very large heirloom tomato and 1 smaller heirloom)

1/4 cup capers rinsed, rough chop

1/4 cup Olives Kalamata or green (I use a little of each) Rough chop the olives

2 tsp – 1 tbs organic brown Sugar (add 2 tsp taste and add more if needed)

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Pinch of crushed red pepper (optional)
Pre-heat oven to 450, clean the eggplant cut the tops off and cut in half lengthwise. On baking sheet lined with parchment brush a little olive oil on each half, both sides, place your eggplant cut side down and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Chop the eggplant into bite size pieces.
In fry pan on med/high flame coated with olive oil add your chopped onion, cook until translucent. Add chopped celery and red bell pepper, continue cooking until they are soft and have started to caramelize. Add your minced garlic, cook for a minute or so don’t let garlic brown. Add your eggplant,tomato,capers, olives,crushed red pepper, sugar and vinegar continue cooking until mixture is thick. Eggplant will break down but thats ok this will take about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Let sit overnight. It tastes incredible when it has rested and all the flavors have blended together.

Caponata, bread and cheese

Fiesta Friday

Aug 13

86 Comments

Long Bean In Tomato Sauce With Linguine

Long Beans and linguine in tomato sauce

You see in the photo of all the beautiful vegetables given to me by the wonderful lady from New Jersey that there are some very long beans, I have had long beans in Asian cuisine but never actually made them myself. I decided to take this Asian green bean and take them to Italy. This dish is similar to something my Mom made when I was a child. She would cook green beans in tomato sauce,the tomato and green beans were usually from my Fathers garden. It was one of my favorite meals, I loved to grate some pecorino romano cheese on top and eat with bread. I changed it a little adding some linguine to the beans and sauce.

New Jersey’s finest fresh vegetables

Long beans have a distinct flavor similar but not exactly like green beans. If I had to describe it I would say it’s more floral if that makes any sense to you. They are delicious and become very tender when cooked. The beans were cooked with shallot and garlic in tomato sauce from those beautiful fresh tomatoes you see here. You really don’t need a recipe for this, nothing has to be exact, make it according to taste.

Long Beans in tomato sauce:

Approximately 1/2 lb long beans, washed, stem end cut and cut the beans to whatever size you find manageable.

2 cups puree tomato

1 shallot

2 cloves garlic

pinch crushed red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

Optional tbs of butter

Heat some olive oil in a saute pan, add the shallot, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and saute until they softens, add the beans and toss to combine with the oil and aromatics saute for a couple of minutes. Add the tomato sauce, turn the heat to medium, cover with lid slightly adjar and let cook stirring occasionally until sauce has reduced and beans are cooked through.After the beans are cooked you can add the optional tbs of butter.

Beans in sauce

Cook your linguine or pasta of your choice to desired doneness and add to the tomato and beans, cook for a minute or two. Turn off the heat grate some romano or parmigiano or both on top and toss to combine.