 For the first recipe of Winter 2024 I wanted to make a soup. Something versatile that most of us could produce with a quick pantry raid.
And so we give you Tuscan Bean & Barley Soup. It's my spin on a classic White Bean Soup & involves a variety of dried beans and some pearled barley. It's a versatile recipe with wiggle room to incorporate the beans and grains you have on hand in whatever ratio you fancy. The only caveat would be to stick to beans that hold their shape when cooked and don’t get too mushy. The reason this recipe works is because even though different beans and grains I use need different cooking times, the ones that cook the quickest don’t dissolve into the soup by the time the slower cooking pulses are done. This is such a gloriously comforting soup. We look forward to you trying it out - let us know how it goes!
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 “I miss my mother’s rajma” one of our regular customers lamented a while back while scooping kidney beans into a bag. We nodded sagely for a second then dropped the pretence that we knew what he was talking about. We realised there was a very good chance that he was talking about a delicious dish made by his Northern Indian mum, and that if we played our cards right he might share the recipe with us.
“Rajma” he said dreamily. “It’s a curry made with kidney beans . But it’s so much more than that. It can’t be explained. You just have to taste it”. He didn’t know his mother’s exact recipe but he pointed us in the right direction. Suzanne was on the case, and by the end of the week had produced a pot of Rajma. Not wanting to be left out, I made it the following day and we had a rajma-off. Suzanne won! How to explain rajma… it’s rich, bright, creamy sauce is reminiscent of butter chicken, and the kidney beans give it a comforting, velvety texture. It’s delicious, and we couldn’t wait to share it with you.  A while ago we shared our two ingredient flatbread recipe, and it continues to be one of our most popular. Today we meet its chickpea cousin, the Besan Wrap.
Is it a wrap? Is it a crepe? Is it a tortilla? Yes! It's all of these things. It's also vegan, gluten free, versatile and very simple to make. There are a couple of optional ingredients that you can add for flavour - feel free to experiment with different spices to suit both your palate and the fillings you want to add to your wraps. The filling I'm sharing with you is Crunchy Roasted Black Eyed Beans. While crunchy Roasted chickpeas get plenty of attention, other Beans tend to get left out, even though they roast beautifully and make a delicious snack or hearty filling with a difference.  There's a lot to love about Italian food, and undoubtedly one of those things is their commitment to carbs. It was Italians after all who invented panzanella, i.e. bread salad, and for this I salute them every summer. Many Italian dishes involve a combination of carbs - pizza Bianca with thin slices of potato, or pasta mollicata which is spaghetti with fried breadcrumbs,
Minestrone traditionally involves almost every form of carb imaginable - pasta, beans, potato and bread - and that might be why it's such a crowd pleaser. It's also a dish that's easily tailored to suit individual tastes and needs. It’s simple, for instance to keep it vegetarian or add meat, and you can swap out the macaroni for gluten free fusilli if needed. I omit potato in this recipe, and add a couple of less traditional touches like parmesan rind and herb oil. I’m sure that with some tinkering, you too can personalise it for yourself. Why use dried beans instead of canned? If you’re short on time or forget to soak dried beans in advance (see next paragraph about prepping extra!), you can of course use canned beans. You’ll need 2 cans for this recipe. But there are benefits to using dried. Generally, dried beans deliver a better texture and flavour than canned. You can control the seasoning and saltiness as well as making sure they aren’t overcooked and mushy. Also, they’re cheaper, lighter to lug home and take up less pantry space. Finally, here’s a tip that we’ve talked about in previous recipes: soak and cook double the amount of cannellini beans required, then freeze them in a well-sealed bag or container. I freeze mine in a ziplock bag in a thin brick shape which makes it both easier to fit in the freezer and makes it a cinch to break apart for a speedier defrosting. Having precooked beans in the freezer is the handiest thing, and Future You will be so thankful. We love this minestrone. I hope you enjoy making it and eating it as much as our family does!  The last in our recent trio of dried bean recipes, this week is the classic and much loved Hummus.
Hummus is so easy to make, and tastes much better than store-bought. And it's yummier again when you use dried chickpeas rather than tinned. The critics all agree that starting with dried chickpeas gives Hummus better flavour and texture. And it's more economical to boot! This recipe gives you a good sized bowl of hummus for 6-8 people to enjoy with crackers or crudités, as well as some spicy roasted chickpeas to munch on. You can of course just do one or the other, but serving both together is a lovely combo. It's often hard to estimate quantities needed when using dried beans, especially when so many recipes refer to the weight or amount of the canned or cooked variety. Here's a good rule of thumb: 1 cup dried makes about 3 cups cooked, which weighs around 400g and there is 250g in a can of chickpeas when drained. Remember this and it will serve you well! |
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