New Potato Salad with White Beans and Herbs

This is another simple salad where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. It disappeared very quickly at the table. I used a mix of parsley and basil for the herbs, which worked well, but you could also try dill, mint, or oregano.

1 pint new potatoes (ideally small ones)
2-3 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1-2 Tbsp good quality olive oil
1 1/2 cups cooked cannellini (or one can)
1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the potatoes into bite sized pieces if needed (leave the skin on). Boil then in a pot of salted water until tender but not too soft. Drain.

Combine the vinegar and olive oil and carefully dress the potatoes, ensuring they are all well coated but not mashing them. Refrigerate until cool.

Combine the cooled potatoes with the beans and herbs and toss gently to mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serves about 4.

Brown Rice Risotto with Chorizo, Kale, and Beans

Yes, you can make a passable risotto using brown rice, and doing it in the pressure cooker cuts the cooking time to make it quite reasonable. Feel free to substitute spinach or whatever local greens you can find this time of year.

2 Tbsp butter
2 medium shallot or 1 small onion, minced
1 1/2 cups short grain brown rice
3 1/2 cups chicken (or veggie) stock, warm
1 lb chorizo, sliced or crumbled
4-6 cups chopped kale
1 1/2 -2 cups cooked cannelini
 Salt and pepper to taste
3 ounces goat cheese

Melt the butter in the pressure cooker. Add the shallot or onion and saute over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the rice and saute for another 2 minutes or so. Add the warm stock and stir. Cover and lock the pot and bring to pressure. Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes, then release pressure. Stir the risotto. If needed, continue to simmer over medium low heat, stirring frequently, until any remaining liquid is absorbed and the rice reaches the desired consistency.

While the rice cooks, brown the chorizo in a large skillet. When cooked through, add the kale and saute until tender. Stir in the beans. Add salt and pepper to taste and remove from heat.

When the risotto is done, stir in the goat cheese. You then have a choice: either stir the chorizo, kale, and beans into the risotto, or serve over top of the rice.

Serves 4-5.

Celeriac-White Bean Soup with Roasted Garlic and Kale

Another hearty soup relying on winter staples. If you decide to roast garlic in order to make this dish, be sure to do a few heads at once. The leftovers will keep for a good while in the fridge and you can add them to other dishes.

1-2 Tbsp butter
2-3 fat leeks, sliced
1 1/2 lbs celeriac, peeled and diced
Chicken or vegetable stock
1 head roasted garlic, cloves peeled
1 1/2 cups cooked white beans
2 cups chopped kale
1-2 tsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a soup pot. Add the leeks and saute for 3-4 minutes. Add the celeriac and enough water or stock to cover it. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the celeriac is soft, 10-15 minutes.

Once the celeriac is quite soft, add the roasted garlic and beans to the pot. Puree with an immersion blender (or in batches in a regular blender). Once the celeriac and bean mixture is pureed, add the kale. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4-6.

Roasted Chicken Legs with Cherry Tomatoes, Garlic, and Mushrooms

Since we picked all our remaining tomatoes before the freeze, we have quite a few ripening inside still. In fact, we suddenly had more cherry tomatoes ripe on the counter than we were going to be able to use in salads. They were perfect in this one pan oven roasted dinner, which has a Mediterranean flair.

2 lbs chicken legs or other bone-in cuts, skin on
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
1 pint shiitakes or other mushrooms, cubed
1 head garlic (or more to taste), cloves separated and peeled
1 1/2 cups cooked chick peas or white beans
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper.

Combine cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic, and beans in a mixing bowl. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil and toss to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Spread the tomato mixture in the bottom of a large baking dish (10x14 inches) or a half sheet pan with a good rim on it. Place the chicken pieces on top of the veggies. Sprinkle all over with thyme.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is golden.

Serve pieces of chicken with a spoonful of juicy veggies.

Serves 4-6.

Slow Cooker Bean Soup from the Pantry with Dried Garden Herbs

This is a classic pantry soup, made largely with stuff you probably have sitting around already and little that is fresh. That said, if you do have fresh (or frozen, or canned) veggies on hand, feel free to throw in whatever you like. The part I really liked about this was getting out jars of herbs from the garden that I dried last summer and crumbling them fresh into the soup. My hands smelled like summer when I was done. This makes a big batch, perfect for freezing.

You can use a packaged soup mix of beans here if you like, or mix and match from your pantry (back beans, red beans, navy beans, pinto beans, lentils...it's all good). I included some absolutely lovely, creamy local beans from Crabapple Farm - the variety was called Marfax.

3-4 cups mixed dried beans and barley
Vegetable stock
1 medium onion, diced
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 Parmesan rinds (optional)
1/4 cup dried parsley
1-2 Tbsp dried oregano
1-2 Tbsp dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste
Good quality olive oil for topping (optional)

Place the bean and barley mix in the slow  cooker and add enough vegetable stock to cover by 2 inches (be more generous if you won't be able to check on the soup during the day). Add the onion, garlic, Parmesan rinds (if using), and the herbs.

Cook on high for 7-9 hours (longer is ok), until the beans are all completely tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve hot. If desired, drizzle with olive oil at the table.

Serves about 8.

White Bean Soup with Garlic, Rosemary, Sausage, and Greens

This is one of those bean recipes where cooking the beans from scratch really makes a difference. You could try throwing this together with canned beans, but don't - it won't really be worth it. The beans play a starring role here, and cooking them from scratch produces a flavor and texture you just can't get out of a can. My six-year-old declared it one of his new favorites, and for a dish containing visible greens, that's something.

This recipe calls for cooking the beans in the pressure cooker, which is quick, easy, and reliable. But you could also turn it around and do them in a slow cooker, just adding the sausage and greens at the end.

2 cups dry navy beans or other small white beans
1/2 cup pearl barley
8 cups chicken stock
1 whole head garlic, loose paper removed but not peeled
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, plus additional chopped rosemary for garnish if desired
2 Tbsp olive oil
Parmesan rind (optional)
1 lb sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1/2 lb spinach, kale, or other greens, coarsely chopped
Salt and black pepper to taste

Soak the beans for at least 4 hours (overnight is okay). Drain and rinse.

Place the beans in the pressure cooker with the barley, chicken stock, garlic, rosemary sprigs, oil, and Parmesan rind if using. Lock the lid and bring to pressure. Cook at high pressure for 7 minutes, or according to the directions for white beans that came with your cooker. Let pressure release naturally - this may take as long as 20-30 minutes.

While the pressure releases from the cooker, cook the sausage over high heat in a frying pan. Brown it well, breaking it up into small pieces as you go.

When the pressure has completed released, unlock the cooker's lid and open it. Taste a bean to make sure they are tender (if not, simmer until done). Remove the garlic and let it cool enough to handle. Also remove the rosemary stems (the leaves can stay) and the Parmesan rind if you used one. Add the sausage and greens to the soup.

Squeeze the garlic out of its peels. Mash or quickly puree it, then stir it back into the soup. Taste the soup and add salt and pepper as needed. If desired, sprinkled a little chopped fresh rosemary over the soup upon serving.

Serves about 6.

Cream-Braised Brussels Sprouts and White Beans

If you are a Brussels sprouts skeptic, or there's one in your family, this is a good point of entry (I speak from experience, both my own and that of my six-year-old who came back for thirds), especially now that we've had a few good frosts and the sprouts are at their best. This is an adaptation from Julia Child in Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The good health points from the sprouts may well be totally counter-weighted by the cream, but it sure is delicious.

1 quart Brussels sprouts, trimmed
1 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups cooked white beans
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

If your sprouts are large, cut them in half. Otherwise, use them whole.

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Salt generously, then cook the Brussels sprouts at a vigorous simmer for about 8 minutes, until tender when pierced with a fork. Drain the sprouts.

In a small skillet or medium saucepan, melt the butter then add the sprouts. Saute for 1-2 minutes, then add the beans and the cream. Simmer until the cream thickens somewhat and the beans and sprouts are nicely permeated with it. Remove from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve hot.

Serves about 4.

Asparagus and White Bean Salad

Quickly blanched asparagus and white beans complement each other in texture and flavor.  Feel free to jazz this up with some chopped fresh herbs, too, if you like (try basil or dill). I got the idea of combining blanched asparagus and white beans in a salad from the New York Times, but the seasonings are my own.

1/4 lb asparagus, tough ends snapped off
Ice water
1 1/2 - 2 cups cooked white beans
2-3 Tbsp minced red onion
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar, or more to taste
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Slice the asparagus thinly on the diagonal.  Have a medium bowl of ice water ready.

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil.  Salt, then add the asparagus and blanch for 1 minute.  Drain the asparagus immediately and put it in the bowl of ice water to cool it and stop the cooking.  Drain again once cool.

Combine the blanched asparagus with all other ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well.  Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.  Serve cold or room temperature.

Serves about 4.

Pasta with Creamy Spinach Rosemary and White Bean Sauce

Ah, spinach.  Available from local farms at almost any time of year now, and one of my go-to veggies at the point when I'm just tired of root vegetables but spring crops are not quite ready yet.  Also: versatile, nutritious, delicious.

1 lb pasta
1/2 lb spinach, washed
Olive oil
1 large shallot or small onion
1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 cups cooked white beans
1/2 cup cream
4-6 slices cooked bacon, chopped

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling.  While it cooks, prepare the sauce.

Lightly steam the spinach (I do this in a covered bowl in the microwave, about 1 minute on high).

Heat a little olive oil in a saucepan or small frying pan.  Add the shallots and rosemary and saute for 2-3 minutes.  Add the white beans until heated through.

Puree the spinach with the shallot and bean mixture until smooth, then return to the saucepan.  Stir in the cream and bacon.

When the pasta is cooked, drain it and toss with the sauce.

Serves 4-6.

Italian Sausage and Vegetable Stew

Warm and hearty for cold winter day.  Use sweet or hot Italian sausage according to your preference.

Olive oil
8-10 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium onions, diced
1 lb Italian sausage (sweet or hot), casings removed
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 large carrots, diced
3 cups tomatoes (canned or thawed if frozen)
2-3 tsp dried oregano
3 cups cooked red and/or white beans
Chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a little olive oil in a soup pot.  Add the garlic and onion and saute over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes.  Add the sausage, breaking it up with a spoon as it cooks.  Once the sausage is well cooked, use a baster to remove excess fat if desired.  Add the pepper, carrots, tomatoes, oregano, and beans, plus enough chicken stock to achieve a good consistency.  Simmer until vegetables are tender.  Once vegetables are cooked, add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4-6.

Mediterranean Ham and White Bean Soup with Tomatoes and Garlic

Great made with leftover ham - put the whole ham bone in to simmer with the soup if you have one.  Tomatoes, garlic, and thyme give this soup a Mediterranean feel.  Canned tomatoes work well here; chop them if they are whole.  If you want to use frozen ones, make sure to skin them and drain them well.  Make sure to soak the beans ahead of time.  You can do it overnight, or start them soaking in the morning to make the soup in the afternoon.

Olive oil
8-10 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium onions, diced
2 cups white beans, soaked, drained, and rinsed
3 cups chopped cooked tomatoes
2-3 cups cooked cubed ham, plus the bone if you have it
6 cups chicken stock
2 tsp dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a little olive oil in a soup pot.  Add the garlic and onions and saute over medium high heat until soft and a little browned.  Add the beans, tomatoes, ham (plus bone if using), stock, and thyme.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1-2 hours, until the beans are tender.  Remove the bone if it's in there, and add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 6-8.

Slow Cooker Sage and Garlic Chicken with White Beans and Tomatoes

Bone-in chicken pieces, especially legs, work well in the slow cooker, where they stay wonderfully moist and flavorful.  Since the juices stay in the cooker, you end up with something like a cross between a roast and a braise.  You can also take them straight from the freezer into the cooker, which also makes them easy.

In a colder season, you can substitute dried sage (use about 1/2 tsp and sprinkle it over the chicken) and frozen or canned tomatoes.

Serves this over rice or barley (cooked in chicken broth if you like).

1-2 cups cooked white beans
6-8 garlic cloves, peeled
4 chicken legs
Salt and pepper to taste
8-12 whole fresh sage leaves
3 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped or squished through your fingers

Place the beans and garlic cloves in the bottom of the cooker, then add the chicken legs.  Salt and pepper them generously.  Lay 2-3 sage leaves over each leg.  Top the whole thing with tomatoes.

Cook on Low for 6-9 hours.

Serves about 4.

White Bean Stew with Sausage and Chard

It may be June, but on a chilly wet day like today, stew seemed to be in order.  I used my last package of frozen roasted tomatoes here.  With luck, we'll have fresh ones in the garden by late next month.

Olive oil
3/4 cup finely diced garlic scapes (or 4 cloves garlic, minced)
1 lb Italian sausage (casings removed)
3 cups cooked white beans
1-2 cups diced tomatoes (frozen and thawed or canned, optional)
2 cups chicken stock
1 Tbsp dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste
3-4 cups well chopped Swiss chard

Heat some olive oil in a soup pot.  Add the scapes and saute for 2 minutes or so.  Add the sausage and cook until nicely browned.  Add the beans, tomatoes (if using), stock, basil, and salt and pepper.  Simmer for 10 minutes or so, then add the chard.  Cook until well wilted, then serve.

Serves 4-5.

Pasta Soup with Ham and Beans

A simple, peasant style soup, quick and easy to throw together when you don't have much in the fridge. Feel free to substitute cooked sausage, a bit of bacon, or even shredded chicken for the ham. And you can always toss in more vegetables if you like, maybe carrots or tomatoes or perhaps some chopped greens at the very end. A Parmesan rind would also add nicely to the flavor if you have one in the freezer.

Olive oil
8-10 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 - 2 cups cubed cooked ham
1 1/2 - 2 cups cooked white beans (or kidney beans)
Chicken stock (or ham stock if you have it)
8 oz. uncooked pasta (shells, gemelli, or macaroni are good)
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a little olive oil in a soup pot. Add the garlic and onion and saute for 3-5 minutes, until tender. Add the ham and beans and enough stock to generously cover, bearing in mind you'll need to cook pasta in the liquid. Bring to a boil, then add the pasta and cook until tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4-5.

Slow Cooker Ham and White Bean Stew

After Christmas, we were in a rush to leave town, so I just shoved the leftover ham in the freezer. Yesterday I took some of it out and made this simple and tasty stew in the crock pot. Remember that you'll need to soak the beans overnight if you plan to start the stew in the slow cooker in the morning. This is a slightly different take on a soup I made around this time two years ago.

1 1/2 cups dried white beans
Water
1 bay leaf
1 medium onion, quartered
2-3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
Black pepper to taste
2-3 cups chopped cooked ham
Salt to taste

Soak the beans overnight in a couple times their volume of water.

In the morning, drain and rinse the beans and place them in the slow cooker. Add enough water to cover them by about 1/2-inch. Add the bay leaf, onion, garlic, and pepper, put the cover on, and cook on High for 7-9 hours.

Optional: when the beans are tender, you can puree them fully or partially. If you opt to do this, be sure to remove the garlic, onion, and bay leaf first.

Add the ham somewhere behalf mid-day and serving time (and, if you choose to puree the beans, after you have done so). Remove the garlic, onion, and bay leaf if you have not already done so, and serve.

Serves 4-6.

White Bean Stew with Roasted Tomatoes, Sausage, and Kale

With nights dipping down below freezing, the flavor of kale improves noticeably in the fall. In this stew I put it together with beans and sausage, both classic companions for kale, and some more late-season tomatoes.

Be sure to plan ahead so you have time to soak the beans for at least 6 hours.

2 cups dried white beans
olive oil
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, finely chopped
Water or stock (chicken or vegetable)
2-3 cups chopped roasted tomatoes
1 sprig rosemary (3 inches long or so)
1 lb cooked sausage, sliced into rounds
1 medium bunch kale, stemmed and chopped (4-6 cups)
Salt and pepper to taste

Soak the beans in a generous amount of water for at least 6 hours. Drain and rinse.

Heat a little olive oil in a large pot. Add the garlic and onion and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the beans and enough water and/or stock to cover them by about an inch. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until tender, about 60-90 minutes.

When the beans are tender, add the tomatoes, rosemary, sausage, and kale and simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Remove the rosemary and add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves about 6.

Garlicky Tomato Soup with White Beans

Next year, I think we can either freeze fewer tomatoes or I need to make tomato soup more often. Right now I am in the mode of working through what's left in the freezer so I will be ready to start filling it again this summer - and we have quite a lot of tomatoes left! This soup used a fair amount of them, though, and it was definitely a winner that I will be making again. Easy, quick, and satisfying, with lots of flavor. You can thaw frozen tomatoes in the microwave or, if you plan ahead, overnight on the counter.

2-3 Tbsp olive oil
10-12 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
8-10 cups tomatoes and their liquid (thawed if frozen; canned also ok)
3 veggie bouillon cubes or some veggie stock
1 tsp dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup small uncooked pasta such as shells (optional)
3 cups cooked white beans

Heat the olive oil in a soup pot, then add the garlic an onion. Saute over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes, then add the tomatoes and their liquid, some stock or bouillon cubes, dried thyme, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes or so.

Puree the soup with an immersion blender, or do it in batches in a blender or food processor. Return to the pot to the burner and add the pasta and white beans. Cook over medium heat until the pasta is done, 8-10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Serves about 6.

Pureed Squash and White Bean Soup

I am coming down to my last few winter squashes, right about on time. Here's another tasty squash soup; make it now while the weather is still cold. Use butternut or another easily peeled variety for this; alternatively, cook the squash separately and add it when you are ready to puree. If using beans that were already seasoned, you won't need much extra seasoning for the soup; however, if the beans are plain, you may want to add a bay leaf and a little sage.

1 Tbsp butter
2 medium shallots, minced
1 large winter squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
Water and/or stock (chicken or vegetable)
Bay leaf (optional)
Sage to taste (optional)
4 cups cooked white beans
Salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a soup pot. Add the shallots and saute over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes. Add the squash and enough water and/or stock to just cover. If using the bay leaf and/or sage, add them at this point. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until squash is thoroughly tender (15-30 minutes).

When squash is tender, add the beans. Remove from heat and puree with an immersion blender (or do it in batches in a food processor, then return it to the pot). Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Serves 6-8.

Garlic and White Bean Soup with Orzo

This is an easy, Italian-style pantry soup. The recipe below is the simplest - yet still delicious - version. See the variations for ideas to dress it up. Use home-cooked beans if possible--their flavor and texture will make a real difference here. I like to cook up dried beans in large batches and freeze them in amounts that I will want for a single dish. This is excellent served with a rustic bread for dipping.

1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup minced garlic
3-4 cups cooked white beans
4-5 cups chicken or vegetable stock, more if desired
3/4 cup dry orzo
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a soup pot. Add the garlic and saute over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Add the beans and stock and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and cook until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve hot. Serves about 4.

Variations: Add additional seasoning (especially welcome if the beans are canned or were cooked without seasoning) such as bay leaves, rosemary, or sage. Add chopped cooked bacon or ham. Or add additional vegetables such as carrots.

Lamb Stew with Tomatoes and White Beans

I like to make meat stews on the weekend, when I have time to let them simmer properly. This one goes together fairly quickly, then bubbles happily away by itself while you go do something else. I used tomatoes that I froze last summer, thawed in the microwave, and their liquid. You could also add a little stock and/or red wine if you like.

1 lb stew lamb, trimmed of excess fat and connective tissue and cut into bite-sized pieces
olive oil
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups crushed or chopped tomatoes and their liquid (frozen or canned)
1 bay leaf
1/2 - 1 tsp dried thyme
3 cups cooked white beans
Salt and pepper to taste

Pat the meat dry with a paper towel, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Heat some olive oil in a Dutch oven. Add the lamb and brown on all sides. Pour off most of the fat, then add the garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low and simmer gently for about an hour.

Add the beans at the end of the cooking process, then season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serves about 4.