Simple White Bean Soup

Deep, full-bodied flavor. "Peasant food" at its best.

This is the most amazing and versatile thing. So easy, simple & clean.  I get raves about it every time.
I even gave it out with biscuits for Christmas... a major hit!
Flavor with spices of your liking. Rosemary is particulalrly good, as is marjoram (I'm on a major marjoram kick right now.. it just tastes so refreshing.)


WHITE BEAN SOUP

W/ CARROTS & ROSEMARY

from a recipe in Sunset magazine

 16 OZ. (1 lb.) WHITE BEANS, uncooked

2 TBSP. OLIVE OIL

2 LARGE CARROTS, sliced in 1/2 inch-thick rounds

1/2 TBSP. GARLIC POWDER

 1 Handful ROSEMARY LEAVES, fresh or dried

1 Pinch DRIED MARJORAM

6 CUPS BOILING WATER

Add all the above to a 5-quart crock pot. Turn setting to HIGH, cook 3 1/2 hours or so, until beans are done. 

Once beans are tender, add about 

1/4 CUP WHITE WINE VINEGAR

 and

SALT, to taste.

Stir to incorporate.  Cook about 15 minutes more, until beans have broken down some.

Stir once more and serve.  

Pepatelli: Black Pepper - Honey Biscotti

taken from their description in Dolci: Italy's Sweets | Francine Segan :

"  ...pleasing bite...    ...positively addictive...

...guiltless...   ...absurdly simple...

...sophisticated...   ...especially wonderful...  "

me oh my, I had to make these!

This was my first attempt at biscotti.  I'd never been too interested in them, but this recipe intrigued me.

  There is an astounding range of flavors, the complexity of which would suggest an equally complex method.
 Not so.

The dough is made up entirely of honey, flour, & almonds, and is flavored with the zest of an orange, cocoa powder, and black pepper. 
That might sound like an odd combination... Admittedly, I've never been a fan of orange and chocolate combined (however, I'd only tasted that in artificially flavored candy).

But these have wowed me.

You may need to add extra flour, as I did; if dough is too liquid, just add handfuls to the dough and mix until dense and slightly crumbly - I used whole wheat pastry flour, which added pleasant flavor & texture.

When these are cooling, they release the most addicting, intoxicating aroma.

These are good dunked in coffee, but far better with black tea, like Earl Grey.    

Black Pepper-Honey Biscotti

adapted from Dolci: Italy's Sweets| Francine Segan

1 heaping CUP DARK HONEY
1 1/2 CUPS WHOLE ALMONDS
1 3/4 CUPS FLOUR*
ZEST OF ONE ORANGE
1 TSP. COCOA POWDER
1 TSP. GROUND BLACK PEPPER
*plus more, if needed, as needed

Heat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Heat honey over low heat until quite warm and liquidy. Pour into bowl & add, in order,
the almonds, flour, orange zest, cocoa powder, & pepper.
Mix, using a wooden spoon, til a dough forms. If too runny, add more
flour until dough is rather crumbly.
Flour hands and parchment. Place 1/4 of dough on prepared pan and shape
into a rectangle approximately 3/4 inch thick, 6 inches long, & 1 1/2 inches wide.
Repeat with remaining dough, until you have four rectangles about the same size.
Bake for around 25 minutes, til golden and set.
Optional: flip rectangles halfway through baking.
(I couldn't, as I did not flour the parchment originally. Still turned out fine.)
While still hot, cut each rectangle crosswise into twelve pieces.
Once cut, cool biscotti to room temperature before storing;
these are said to last for several months if kept airtight. Makes 48 cookies.
  

Bok Choy + Bunashimeji





Bunashimeji are, according to the package, beech mushrooms. They are petite and pretty to look at, with their fine brown mottling on the caps.

I am reallly enamored with them. Besides being appealing to the eye, they taste excellent...mild and nutty. By far my favorite mushroom.  They have such good flavor that along with just a few other ingredients, an excellent sweet and savory soup can be made.

Refreshing and renewing, with tendercrisp vegetables and  tangy, clear broth. Steamy and good for sipping, this soup is perfect for enjoying on a cold day. It is at once warming and quenching.

Brothy Bok Choy Soup
an original anyfig recipe!
1-2 TBSP sunflower oil
1 onion, sliced in small strips
4 stalks celery, cut at a diagonal
6 heads baby bok choy (approximately), in bite-size pieces
1 1/2 6-oz. packages organic bunashimeji
1 1/2 cups strong green tea
1 1/2 cups strong ginger tea (sweetened)
1/2 cup water

soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, black pepper,
& garlic powder, to taste

In a deep saucepan, saute onion in oil on medium-low until tender & translucent. Add black pepper & celery, saute 1 minute more. Sprinkle garlic powder over surface. Add bok choy & bunashimeji, as much as will fit in pan, as they are bulky, and a splash of tea. Cover, turn temp to high, and steam a couple minutes, adding another splash of green tea halfway through. Steam until green are just wilted and vivid in color. Once done, remove cover, turn heat to low. Add the rest of the teas, soy sauce, vinegar, & a drop of sesame oil. Stir to combine, taste & season with additional sauce, vinegar, oil, spices, or tea, if needed. If not enough broth, add water, then taste & adjust seasoning.
Enjoy while hot & steamy. Delicious! 

Neat Freak Brownies

On a cold, gray, rainy day, it's quite comforting to dig into one of these dense little handfuls - especially fireside, with a cup of coffee. *these taste superb with coffee, btw*

What can I say? These are simple - very easy to put together.

It's blond brownie batter that you bake up in a muffin tin, bypassing the whole cutting-into-bars thing; 

 Cleanup is quick: muffin cups lined with paper = no mess! Hence, the title. 

I surely don't qualify as a neat freak, but I still love this recipe. 

These are hugely popular with those that love chocolate chip cookies as well as those who love brownies; they combine the taste of both a chewy cookie and that of a dense, fudge-like brownie.  Crisp, crackly tops; chewy/fudgey below- who wouldn't love these?

Any number of add-ins can be used... equal parts chopped pecans & chocolate chunks is always a popular mix, but sometimes, it's nice to have just plain chocolate. Using only pecans turn out a praline-like confection; using only hazelnuts yields a deeply delicious treat, especially when eaten with coffee.

Brown Sugar Brownies
from realsimple.com // Yield: 12

1 1/2 CUPS ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR

1/2 TEASPOON BAKING POWDER

8 TABLESPOONS (1 STICK) SALTED BUTTER, MELTED*
1/2 CUP WHITE SUGAR

1 CUP BROWN SUGAR

1 EGG

3 TEASPOONS VANILLA EXTRACT

1 1/2 CUPS CHOCOLATE CHIPS**

*or use 1/2 CUP OIL, like sunflower, peanut,
 or safflower, in place of butter  
** or other add-ins; chopped pecans, hazelnuts, or a mix of nuts and chocolate

Heat oven to 350F.  Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

Whisk together flour & baking powder.

In another bowl, combine butter & sugars, whisk til smooth. Whisk in egg and vanilla.

Gradually add flour mixture, stir to combine.

Add the chocolate chips or chopped pecans.

Devide dough evenly among prepared muffin cups.

Bake until edges are slightly golden and centers have just set, 25-30 minutes in a pre-heated oven. 

Will be crusty on top, moist underneath.

Don't bother with the toothpick test. They may seem to be undone, but they set up more as they cool.

Enjoy! Good both warm and room-temp.

Can also be made as bar cookies, just double all ingredients and bake at 350F in a

greased 13x9 inch pan for a bit longer than the time called for above.