Portuguese Beans

Sofia browning the sausages & onions

If you grew up where I did in the Central Valley of California, chances are you have had some version of these beans, whether you are Portuguese or not. Every family generally has their own "special" recipe for these, this is the recipe I happen to like, which is actually my stepmom Diane's recipe. She had this recipe passed down to her from her Aunt. And so it goes, and so it goes, every family has their own secrets, and every Aunt has "the best recipe", it's a pride thing. Tweak as you go if you like, but I suggest following this recipe to a tee, the first time through, because you see, it really is the best!!

These beans are great for barbecue season as a side dish, but they also make a comforting meal with some garlic bread and a simple salad. Whatever you do, don't forget the garlic bread!

Portuguese Beans
Serves 6 as a meal, 15 as a side dish
olive oil
1/4 cup finely diced onion
1 lb Linguica sausages or rope of  Linguica, cut into thin 1/2 moons
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pepper
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes or plain tomato sauce
2 (28 oz) cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained (this gets rid of the added starch) You can also use dried beans, soaked overnight.
Brown Linguica and onion in a little olive oil over medium heat. When onion and Linguica are browned put them into a crock pot with beans and tomatoes. Cook 2-3 hours. The LAST 1/2 hour of cooking, add spices, mix together and cook another 1/2 hour. These beans will keep for hours after being cooked, simply set your crock pot to the WARM setting. You can also use a covered pot on the stove for this, but I find a crock pot is easier to control even cooking for long periods of time!

Beans don't photograph well, but they should look something like this!

Chicken with Tomatoes, Dried Apricots, and Garbanzos

This past March in the Pacific Northwest has been an especially soggy one. There (may) have been one whole day without raindrops but don't quote me on that. Now that April and spring have officially arrived I am hoping for a few more clear days, but I know the weather won't really be balmy until July. In Portland, summer and (gulp) bathing suit season come later then where I grew up in Central California, where it is definitely bikini time by Memorial Day. However, I'm okay with that this year especially after just having a baby. I need the extra time. So I've been trying to focus on meals that have lean proteins and healthy ingredients. You know a little less carbs and cheese, a little less (fat) action. This is particularly hard to do when one is in the middle of a cheeseburger obsession, but I try......

These ingredients sounded a little strange together at first, but they actually pair very nicely , creating a great balance of sweet and savory. This recipe is healthy, but doesn't sacrifice on flavor at all. Serve with a nutty couscous. If your grocery store carries them, get dried Turkish apricots from the bulk bins. I prefer their less sweet, jam like flavor over regular dried apricots.

Chicken with Tomatoes, Apricots, and Garbanzos
Adapted from Sunset Magazine
Serves 4
4 Boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
1 can diced tomatoes (15 oz)
1/3 cup chopped dried apricots (Turkish, if available)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
Kosher salt and pepper
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add cumin, coriander, and cayenne; cook 1 minute to heat spices, stirring constantly. Add chicken and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes each side. Transfer chicken to a plate. Add tomatoes, apricots, sugar, and garlic to pan and stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and return chicken to the pan. Cook, covered until chicken is heated through, about 10 minutes. Stir in garbanzos and parsley and cook until heated through.

White Bean & Garlic Soup - Legume Recipe # 3

So I know I am overdue to post Legume Recipe # 3. As I mentioned, we were all battling the stomach flu last week so cooking anything with beans did not sound appealing. But by Sunday night we were all on the mend, so this soup was calling my name. When I was pregnant my girlfriend Julie told me about a version of this soup she had made and how wonderful it was. Being a fan of all things Giada, I couldn’t believe I had missed this recipe in her first 3 cookbooks ( I think it was because she hadn’t posted a picture until her 4th book, Giada’s Kitchen , I guess I am just a sucker for photos…) So having seen that she had printed this recipe in all of her cookbooks, I figured she was trying to tell us something, like maybe, “make this“….The first time I made this soup it was great, but I felt like it needed a little something, so I added some dried rosemary and it gave the soup a much better depth of flavor. I also don’t add the cream, the soup is creamy enough, and I don’t miss it, plus no cholesterol! Which means Jon can eat bowlfuls without the guilt......gotta keep my man from wasting away! I always serve this with hunks of sourdough, ciabatta , or crostini for dipping!

Makes 6 Servings
2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2 Shallots , Chopped
2 Sage Leaves
2 (15 oz) Cans Cannelini (White) Beans, Rinsed & Drained
4 Garlic Cloves, Peeled & Halved
4 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
½ Tsp Dried Crushed Rosemary
Salt & Pepper

Place soup pot over medium high heat. Add the butter, olive oil, and shallots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are softened about 3 minutes. Add the sage, beans, garlic, rosemary and stir additional 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook about 15 minutes until the garlic is softened. Use immersion blender (you can buy a decent one for as little as $10, and they are great for all things soup! I have a fancy Kitchen Aid one (Thanks Mary!) and they are a great kitchen tool.) if you don’t have an immersion blender then use a real blender but be careful, because the soup will be very hot and expand. Blend until creamy and smooth (about a 30 seconds). Season with salt and pepper, add more rosemary if needed. Serve with hot crusty bead and a little olive oil!

Pasta e Fagioli *Legume Recipe # 2*

This spring has been a typical Oregon one, cold and wet. Needless to say I have been making a lot of soups. This recipe for Pasta e Fagioli will help take the chill off. This recipe is from Giada de Laurentis, but of course I changed some things around a bit. Sofia loved it and ate a whole bowlful and didn’t throw one bite on the floor ( a big deal at her age!)

Makes 6 Servings:
4 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
2 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary
1 Bay Lead
(If you don’t have fresh, use dried.)
1 Tb Olive Oil
1 Tb Unsalted Butter
1 Med Yellow Onion, Chopped
3 Slices Bacon, Chopped
3 Garlic Cloves, minced
6 Cups Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
1 Cup Elbow Macaroni
2 (15 oz cans) Red Kidney
Parmesan Cheese
Pepper

Heat olive oil and butter, in a large pot, over med heat. Add the onion and bacon, sauté until onions are tender about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, sauté 1 minute. Add the broth, beans , and herbs. (You can make a sachet of herbs but since I am normally cooking with a baby on my hip, the whole sachet thing doesn’t work for me. If you don’t use a sachet, just pick the herbs out at the end.) Bring to a boil over high heat. Then decrease heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. In a blender, puree 1 cup of the mixture until smooth, then return puree to saucepan. Bring the soup to a boil. Add the macaroni noodles and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally. Discard herbs. Season with pepper. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve!

Note: The leftovers may need to be thinned with a little more broth.

Tuna & White Bean Salad : Legume Recipe # 1

So I have decided to do a 3-part recipe series, on beans. Yes, beans. Maybe I will call them legumes just because it sounds better….The reason I have been trying out recipes using legumes, is because beans are high in fiber and high in protein but don’t have cholesterol. The protein part is key because it means, they actually fill you up. Normally I just breeze right past any recipes that include beans. All fart jokes aside, just due to the fact that I didn’t like them. After testing out some recipes though, I have found that you can actually make some pretty tasty stuff using beans. The benefits to cooking with them? 1. They are good for you. 2. They satisfy (I.e.; fill you up!) 3. They are an inexpensive protein. 4. And probably most important at least to my family, they don’t have any cholesterol.

All 3 recipes I am going to use come from spin offs of Giada De Laurentis recipes. They are changed only slightly because her recipes just don’t need that much tweaking! The first is a tuna & white bean salad. I make this salad and then put it on a Ciabatta sandwich roll (like the kind they sell @ Costco) with some Romaine lettuce. This salad is really tasty and eliminates any need for mayonnaise. (Shocking!) Tuna does have some cholesterol, but it is the good kind, loaded with Omega 3’s. You can eat it without the bread, but I feel like turning it into a sandwich leaves everyone walking away from the dinner table full. Personally speaking, if I try to limit my dinner I just end up snack binging later on in the evening.

This recipe serves 4 easily:
2 (5 oz) cans chunk light tuna in OIL
2 (14 oz) cans canellini or white beans , drained and rinsed
½ pint grape tomatoes (halved)
3 tablespoons capers (drained)
1 small red onion thinly sliced into half circles
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon pepper
6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Place beans, tomatoes, capers, onion , canned tuna IN ITS OIL, S & P all together in large bowl and mix. Pour red wine vinegar over salad and mix again. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place salad on one half of Ciabatta. Place Romaine leaves on other half and put together like a sandwich. Easy & tasty!