Escarole Braised with Cannellini Beans

The Beans

• 1 cup (8 ounces) dried cannellini beans, picked over and rinsed
• 1 cup chicken stock
• Water as needed
• 1 small onion (about 4 ounces), peeled and quartered
• 1 small carrot, peeled and quartered
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and bruised
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 T. extra-virgin olive oil [optional]
• Coarse salt

The Braise

• 1 medium head escarole (about 1 pound)
• 2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• Coarse salt & freshly ground black pepper
• ½ lemon
• Best-quality extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling

Place the beans in a medium bowl, cover with water, and let soak for 8 to 12 hours at room temperature. Drain and rinse.

Cooking the beans:

Place the soaked beans in a medium heavy-based saucepan (2 ½- to 3-quart). Add the stock and enough water to cover by 1 ½ inches, then add the onion, carrot, garlic, bay leaf, and oil.

Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Once the liquid simmers, partially cover the pot, lower the heat to a gentle simmer, and cook until the beans are tender, 1 to 1 ½ hours. (The cooking time will vary according to the dryness of the beans.) If at any time the level of the liquid threatens to drop below the level of the beans, add just enough water to cover. Ideally, when the beans are tender, they should have absorbed enough of the cooking liquid so that the pot is moist but not soupy.

Season with salt to taste, and set aside to cool in the cooking liquid. (The beans may be made 1 to 2 days ahead. If they will be sitting for more than 2 hours, transfer the beans and the cooking liquid to a bowl and keep them covered and refrigerated.)

Washing and trimming the escarole:

Wash, cut and trim into strips.

The aromatics:

Combine the oil, garlic, and crushed red pepper in a large lidded skillet over medium heat. Warm just until the garlic becomes fragrant and golden around the edges, about 2 minutes. Don’t allow the garlic to become dark brown or you’ll have to start over.

Wilting the escarole:

Add the escarole a handful at a time, stirring and allowing it to wilt some before adding the next handful. (It’s fine if the escarole still has water clinging to it, this will help it begin to braise.) Season with salt & pepper.

The braise:

Pull the bay leaf from the pot of beans and discard. When all the escarole has wilted, spoon the beans and cooking liquid into the skillet, season with salt & pepper, gently stir to incorporate the beans. Bring to a gentle simmer. Cover, adjust the heat to maintain a low simmer, and braise until the greens are very tender and the cooking liquid has thickened some from the starch released by the beans, about 20 minutes.

The finish:

Season with a generous squeeze of lemon juice and salt & pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature, with a thread of best-quality olive oil drizzled over the top.

by Tim Dineen

Edamame Potato Salad

• 1 lb. edamame, in the pod
• 2 lb. small red new potato
• 1 tsp dry hot mustard powder
• juice of one lime
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp roasted sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp minced fresh ginger
• coarse salt, and freshly cracked black pepper
• 2 scallion, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

Directions:

Bring large pot salted water to a boil. Add edamame and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until crisp-tender.

Cover potatoes with enough salted water to cover by 1-inch. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes or until tender. cool. Drain well.

In a small bowl, combine the mustard with the lime juice. When just cool enough to handle, cut potatoes into 1/3-inch-thick slices and toss all ingredients together in a large bowl.

Season to taste.

by Tim Dineen

Edamame Salad

• 1 lb edamame
• 3 Tbsp seasoned rice wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp canola oil
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• ¼ tsp red-pepper flakes
• 4 scallions, minced diagonally
• 1 med cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded, and chopped
• 1 med red bell pepper, chopped
• Lettuce leaves (optional)

1. In a large pot over high heat, bring 6 cups of salted water to a boil.
2. Add the edamame, and cook for 5 minutes, or until tender. Drain well.
3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, canola oil, sesame oil, and red-pepper flakes.
4. Add the drained soybeans, scallions, cucumber, and bell pepper. Toss to coat.
5. Serve on a bed of lettuce (if using).

by Tim Dineen

Edamame and Spinach Dip

Ingredients:

• 1 cup shelled edamame
• 1 cup spinach, well washed
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup non-fat sour cream
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the edamame and cook until very tender about 15 minutes. For the last minute of cooking, add the spinach. Drain and plunge into a ice-water bath. Press out as much of the moisture as possible. Add the cooked edamame and spinach and the oil in a food processor. Combine on a low speed until incorporated. Pour into a bowl and let cool to room temperature. Stir in the sour cream and season to taste with the salt and pepper.

by Tim Dineen

Edamame Salsa

• 10 ounces Soybeans (Edamame) (use Shelled Edamame)
• 1/4 cup Vinaigrette Dressing (bottled)
• 1 cup Roma Tomatoes seeded and finely diced
• 1/4 cup Red Onion diced fine
• 1 Jalapeno Chile seeded and diced
• 2 cloves Roasted Garlic minced
• 2 teaspoon Basil chopped
• 2 teaspoons Organic Limes fresh squeezed

Preparation

Mix the soy beans and vinaigrette together in a bowl. Allow to marinate overnight. Combine remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.

by Tim Dineen

Edamame and Pasta

• 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-1/2 large bunches kale (12 ounces), stems removed and coarsely
• chopped
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 2 cups cooked and shelled edamame
• salt and hot red pepper flakes
• 1 pound pasta
• 6 tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• Black pepper

In a 350-degree oven, toast sunflower seeds on cookie sheet 10 minutes or until lightly browned (watch closely). Set aside.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and kale; continue cooking until kale wilts, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth, edamame, and salt and red pepper flakes to taste. Simmer, covered, until kale is tender, about 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling water. Cook al dente according to package directions. Drain well. Toss pasta with edamame mixture. Sprinkle with cheese, pine nuts and black pepper. Serves 4.

by Tim Dineen

Marinated Edamame Salad

Dressing:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon peel, grated
• Dash of salt
• 1/4 tsp. each: basil, marjoram, rosemary, thyme

Salad:

• 2 cups green beans, cut in 2-inch lengths
• 2 cups cooked and shelled edamame beans
• 1 medium scallion, chopped
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 2 tablespoons parsley, minced
• 1 cucumber, coarsely chopped
• 2 heads Belgian endive lettuce

Whisk together the dressing ingredients; adjust seasonings to taste. Set aside.

Put green beans in a microwave-proof dish with 1/4 cup water. Cover and microwave on high about 3-4 minutes until crisp-tender (or steam). Drain well. Add edamame.

Toss the bean mixture and remaining salad ingredients, except lettuce, in a medium bowl. Whisk dressing again, pour over salad and toss. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour. When ready to serve, arrange endive on salad plates. Top with marinated bean mixture.

Serves 4 as a light lunch – just add your favorite bread.

by Tim Dineen

Chilled Tomato Soup with Spicy Crab

For the soup:

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Zest of 1 orange, cut in large strips
• 6 fresh basil leaves, hand shredded
• 6 vine-ripe tomatoes, seeded and roughly chopped
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, hand crushed
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

For the crab:

• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 tablespoon Chinese chili sauce
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 cup fresh lump crab meat, picked through
• 6 fresh basil leaves, cut in fine ribbons
• Pinch salt

Place a large saucepan over medium heat. Heat canola oil, add shallots, garlic, orange zest and basil. Sauté a few minutes until fragant. Add the fresh and canned tomatoes, stir and cook until they begin to break down and soften. Season with sugar, salt and freshly ground pepper. Carefully ladle the tomatoes into a lender and puree until smooth. Strain to remove the seeds and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, whisk the canola oil, chili sauce and lemon juice together. Fold in the crab meat and basil. Season with a pinch of salt. Pour the chilled soup into 4 bowls and garnish with a generous tablespoon of crab.

by Tim Dineen

Spicy African Kale and Yams

• 1 large bunch Kale, 4 cups chopped, pressed firm
• 4 cup Garnet yam, rinsed well, chopped
• 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cup Purple cabbage, sliced
• 1 ½ cup Onion, chopped
• 3 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoon salt, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and minced
• 1 teaspoon serrano chile, seeded and diced
• Hot Sauce, to taste

1. Rinse and drain kale well. Steam kale and yams. Kale should still be colorful and yams should still have some firmness.
2. While kale and yams are steaming, place oil in a large sauté pan and heat on medium high. Add onion, garlic, ginger and chili pepper, cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Add cabbage and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add small amounts of water if necessary to prevent sticking. Place in a large mixing bowl with remaining ingredients, add kale and mix well.
4. Add yams and gently mix well.

by Tim Dineen

Cheesy Scalloped Root Veggies

• 1 1/2 lbs parsnips, sliced
• 1 1/2 lbs carrots, sliced
• 1 1/2 lbs rutabagas, sliced
• 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp dried
• 3/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola or Maytag blue

Preheat oven to 425° . Butter 9x13 baking dish.

Peel veggies and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Bring cream, stock, garlic and thyme to boil in large saucepan. Add rutabagas, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add carrots and parsnips cook about 5 minutes longer. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Pour into baking dish. Bake uncovered about 35 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and bake 10 minutes longer. Cool a bit before serving.

by Tim Dineen