spanish housewife beans
- 1 pound dried cannellini beans, soaked 8 hours or overnight
- 8 cups water
- 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- several sprigs fresh thyme
- Sea salt, to taste
Drain and rinse beans, transfer to a large pot and cover with 7 cups cold water. Blacken garlic cloves in an open flame and add to pot. Add olive oil and thyme and set over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer until beans are just tender, about 45 minutes. Add salt to taste and continue cooking another 10 minutes. Adjust seasoning and serve as is or use as the base for a hearty bean and vegetable soup.
romanesco
- 10 ounces blanched almonds, about 2 cups
- 12 fire roasted Piquillo peppers, drained
- 5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons sea salt, plus more to taste
- 2 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon hot paprika
- 1/3 cup nice red wine vinegar
- 11/4 cup olive oil
Heat oven to 300. Spread almonds on a baking sheet and toast, stirring from time to time, until just golden and fragrant, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Transfer to bowl of food processor. Add remaining ingredients and process to form a smooth loose paste. Adjust seasoning with additional salt, paprika and vinegar to taste. Romanesco keeps well, refrigerated, for up to about 10 days but probably will not last that long.
sautéed sweet wintered-over kale with garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, slivered
- 1 large bunch kale, rinsed, trimmed and chopped
- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until just translucent, 30 seconds. Add kale (still wet) to pan and cook, tossing, until wilted - adding additional water to help steam if needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
mixed sausages
- selection of sausages such as sweet or hot Italian or lamb, figure 2 per person
- several sprigs fresh thyme
- olive oil if needed
Heat a large skillet, cast iron best, over medium heat. Pierce sausages with fork and add to skillet with thyme - working in batches if necessary. Cook until golden (add olive oil if sausages stick) and cooked through.