Lucky for me, my co-blogger Kristin keeps up on the cookbook scene. I rarely buy cookbooks (I think I’ve purchased maybe three in my lifetime) but Kristin always send me a good one for my birthday. This year, I was thrilled to receive Super Natural Every Day: Well-loved Recipes from My Natural Foods Kitchen by Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks blogging fame. I pull regularly from her site for easy vegetarian recipes. I wasn’t aware she had a new cookbook until I opened Kristin’s package. What treat to try out some healthy dishes after weeks of December holiday food overload. I mean, I love Christmas cookies and Chanukah latkes, and a birthday cake or two goes down easy, but what really hit the spot after our New Year’s festivities were these savory chickpea wraps. The crisp celery, tangy mustard, and cool yogurt played off the tender chickpeas perfectly. The other recipes I’ve tried from the book have also been lovely, with the exception of one very terrible, nearly inedible chickpea stew. Note to Heidi (and fellow cookbook readers), I love saffron, yogurt, egg yolk and chickpeas–but not in soup form.

Chickpea Wraps with Celery, Dill and Mustard
adapted from Super Natural Every Day: Well-loved Recipes from My Natural Foods Kitchen by Heidi Swanson

For the bean-phobic, try substituting two cups of cooked, diced chicken breast for the chickpeas. I haven’t tried it yet but I’d bet good money this recipe makes a damn good chicken salad wrap.

Serves 4

3 cups (425 g) cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or 2 x 15 oz/425 g cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup (45 g) minced shallots
1/2 cup (60 g) chopped celery
1/2 teaspoon (or more to taste) dried dill or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon-style or stone-ground mustard
2/3 cup (155 g) plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus more if needed, and a bit of grated zest
4 pieces lavash flatbread or whole wheat tortillas (12 inch)
2 cups (30 g) mixed salad greens

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mustard, yogurt and salt. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the yogurt sauce across each piece of lavash.

Pulse 2/3 of the chickpeas in a food processor a few times, just enough to break them up. Transfer them to the mixing bowl with the remaining yogurt sauce, along with the remaining chickpeas, shallots, celery and dill. Gently toss to combine then add the lemon juice and zest and toss again. Taste and add more salt or lemon juice, if needed.

Sprinkle each piece of lavash with 1/4 of the mixed greens (the yogurt will help hold the greens in place), top each of the four wraps with 1/4 of the chickpea mixture. Fold or roll into a wrap and serve.

I originally posted this on February 15 2010, but have updated the recipe to make it easier and less time consuming.

I’ve been trying to go back to cookbooks I haven’t used in awhile, so last week I pulled The River Cottage Meat Book by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall down off the shelf and cassoulet caught my eye. While I wound up making a different version, it ticks a lot of boxes — this one can be made in a slow cooker, it’s good value (cassoulet is a traditional French peasant dish), it’s hearty, rib-sticking food for cold nights and it makes more than enough for two meals.

If you like the idea of a cassoulet but don’t have a slow cooker or don’t have all day to let it cook, you could try Jacques Pépin’s 30-minute version or Jamie Oliver’s kinda sausage cassoulet. In his recipe, Hugh F-W suggests serving this with an orange and watercress salad.

Slow Cooker Cassoulet

Serves 8 to 10

If you can’t get pork shoulder, pork leg or even loin would work too — just get the butcher to remove the fat for you. If you wanted to add in some veg, a few carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal, would work well.

olive oil
3 onions, coarsely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 lb (1.4 kg) boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch pieces (you can ask your butcher to do this for you)
1 lb (450 g) fully cooked or smoked chorizo or garlic sausage links, sliced on the diagonal
2 x 14 oz (400 g) cans of cannellini, haricot or Great Northern beans
1 x 28 oz (or 2 x 14 oz/400 g) cans whole plum tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped
2 cups (500 ml) chicken stock
1 cup (500 ml) dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc (or use stock or water if you prefer not to use alcohol)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 head of garlic, halved crosswise
1 cup (100 g) breadcrumbs, plus extra to serve
a handful of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus extra for garnish
crusty bread, to serve

Put a large frying pan over a medium heat and add in a splash of olive oil. Add the onions and a pinch of salt to prevent the onions from browning and cook for about 10 minutes, until they’re translucent but now browned. Transfer the onions to the slow cooker, then stir in the pork, chorizo, beans, tomatoes, stock, wine, tomato paste and garlic along with a generous seasoning of salt and pepper.

Set the cooker to low and cook, covered, for about 8 hours, until the pork pulls apart easily with a fork (though it could be as much as 10 hours). Skim off any fat and remove and discard the garlic. Fold in the panko or breadcrumbs and the parsley. Taste and season as needed.

Let the cassoulet stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle each serving with extra breadcrumbs and parsley and serve with warm crusty bread.

A couple weeks ago I was at The Tannery in County Waterford having lunch with a few other bloggers and food writers to celebrate the launch of the Cook with Avonmore site, which features Tannery chef Paul Flynn as their first guest chef. On the menu that day there was a choice of crab crème brûlée or this bacon and butterbean chowder as a starter. I went for the crab not only because it’s The Tannery’s signature dish, but because I knew I had the recipe for the chowder in my press pack. What I didn’t know, though, was what a fantastic recipe it is. From just a few ordinary ingredients, this soup is more than the sum of its parts.

Paul Flynn says, “A chowder for me is something that’s really rich and comforting. It’s something that you eat in front of the fire or just after a lovely long walk and you’re cold and you want something hot and heart-warming to eat.” Serve this with some good crusty bread, a nice cheese and a glass of red wine — either with or without the long walk beforehand — and I’m willing to bet it will be one of the nicest meals you’ll make this autumn.

Bacon and Butterbean Chowder
adapted from Paul Flynn via cookwithavonmore.ie

Serves 2 as a main course or 4 as a starter

Paul Flynn says that “when you use beautiful ingredients like butter and cream, you’ve got to realize that if you put just enough in, it gives you that lovely, luxurious richness that you’re looking for, and that will really comfort you on a cold night”, but you can use a little less cream if you don’t want the chowder to be quite as rich. You can also use a handful of fresh parsley instead of thyme.

knob of butter
olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
pinch of salt
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
6 pieces of smoked bacon or dry cure streaky bacon, finely diced
1 tablespoon flour
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves, plus extra to garnish (or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
freshly ground black pepper
2 cups (500 ml) chicken stock
1 x 14 oz (400 g) can of butterbeans, rinsed
1/2 cup (125 ml) cream
crusty bread, to serve

Melt the butter in a pot over a medium heat along with a splash of olive oil so the butter doesn’t burn. Add the onion and a pinch of salt to prevent the onion from colouring. As Paul Flynn says, “The real key to this is that what you do inside this pot with the onions will provide you with the whole base flavour for the soup. If you rush this, it’s not going to be right.” So turn the heat down a little to medium-low, put the lid on and “let the magic happen”. Cook the onion for about 10 minutes, until it’s translucent. Raise the heat back to medium, add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more, then add in the bacon and cook for about 5 minutes (though note that the bacon won’t go crispy because of the juice from the onions). Sprinkle the flour over the onions and bacon and give it all a stir, then allow it to cook for 2 minutes. Add in the thyme and mustard and a generous grinding of black pepper, then pour in the stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and add in the butterbeans. Continue to simmer the soup for a few minutes, until the beans are warmed through, then stir through the cream. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning if you think it needs more salt, though be careful because the bacon and stock are already salty. Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with some of the reserved thyme leaves and serve with crusty bread.

I love cooking at this time of the year. Vegetables and fruits are bountiful and at peak tastiness. It’s not too hot to use the stove top. And a week’s vacation at the end of August left me feeling (relatively) stress free at home and work. Not wanting to add any unnecessary work to my day, the dishes below provided a quick, tasty, and healthy meal and they take full advantage of the overabundant squash and beans from your or your neighbor’s backyard garden. This menu is light. If you want something more substantial for dinner or if you are cooking for guests, pick up a rotisserie chicken at the supermarket, cook up a little pasta to serve with the squash saute, or splurge on a trip to Kopp’s or your favorite ice cream store after dinner. What better way to celebrate the last few, long, warm nights of summer.

End-of-Summer Squash Sauté

serves 4

2 or 3 medium summer squash (about 1 1/2 lbs / 680 g)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 large or 2 small tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)

Cut the squash in half lengthwise (or if the squash is very thick, cut it into quarters lengthwise), then dice into 1/2-inch-thick pieces.

In a large saute pan with a lid, heat the olive oil over a medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the squash and saute, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until it just begins to brown. Sprinkle the salt, pepper and garlic powder over the squash, then stir in the tomatoes. Cover and cook, stirring every few minutes, for 10 to 15 minutes longer, until the squash and tomato just begin to break down.

Remove the lid and continue to cook until your desired sauciness level. Stir in the basil and serve with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired. This dish tastes great over cooked pasta or rice or as a side dish.

***

Three Bean Salad
adapted from Molto Gusto: Easy Italian Cooking by Mario Batali

serves 6

1 tablespoon salt
1 lb (450 g) green beans [Note: smaller is better]
1 x 15 oz (425 g) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 x 15 oz (425 g) white kidney beans (cannellini) or red kidney beans
1/4 cup (10 g) coarsely chopped fresh mint
1/2 cup (120 ml) Red Wine Vinaigrette (recipe below)
Maldon or other flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring four quarts of water to a boil in a large pot and add 1 tablespoon salt. Add the beans and blanch them until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain the beans in a colander and cool under cold running water; drain well.

Combine the green beans, chickpeas and kidney beans in a large bowl. Add the mint and toss. Add half the vinaigrette and toss gently again. Season with salt and pepper. Serve or, if possible, let stand at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours to bring out the flavors. Serve the salad with the remaining vinaigrette on the side.

Red Wine Vinaigrette

Makes 1 cup (250 ml)

1/4 cup (60 ml) good-quality red wine vinegar
1/4 cup (60 ml) sparkling water
1/2 cup (125 ml) extra virgin olive oil

Whisk the vinegar, water and olive oil together in a small bowl, or shake the ingredients together in a small, lidded jar, until well incorporated. The vinaigrette can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.

The first time I ever tried black pudding (a.k.a. blood pudding), I spit it out. I had only been living in Ireland for a few weeks and was at a fancy book launch for my new publishing job. One of the canapés being passed around was circles of pan-fried black pudding with a fancy relish on top, and not wanting to lose face in front of my new colleagues, not to mention my boyfriend, I was determined to try some. When in Rome, right? But I just couldn’t get over the fact that it was made from blood and I couldn’t even bring myself to chew it. Growing up in suburban Illinois, where an egg roll from the Chinese takeout was the most exotic thing I’d ever eaten, it was too much of a culture shock.

I was telling this story to my friend Caroline a few hours before we were due to go to the Clonakilty by Candlelight dinner last week. “Are you sure you want to go?” she asked, looking worried. “You know they’re bound to serve it there.” “Oh, I’m over it now,” I said. “I even ordered a black pudding and goat cheese tart at a restaurant last year.”

I was lucky to get a place at the free dinner on its second night, which was run as a pop-up restaurant by Clonakilty Blackpudding for only six nights. The location was kept secret until the day before, which turned out to be a Georgian house on Dublin’s north side. Caroline and I were the first to arrive (fellow food blogger Aoife was there that night as well) and we were handed a glass of Prosecco and directed towards the biggest turf fire I’ve ever seen, stacked eight briquettes deep at least. We also got a sneak peek of the room next door that we’d be eating in – along with 2,000 creepy china dolls crammed into floor-to-ceiling shelves that lined the room – and a look at the menu, which did indeed include a main course of black pudding with scallops and a carrot puree.

Because I’d won some Clonakilty black and white pudding, sausages and bacon by correctly answering the question “What is entomophagy the consumption of?” (insects), I made this white bean and sausage soup, an old cheap and cheerful stand-by. And feeling inspired by the chocolate-covered bacon, bacon praline and 12-year-old Jameson whiskey with a bacon and rosemary twist that we were served, I made this almond and candied bacon bark. This dessert seems to divide people firmly into two camps – people who have never heard of such a thing and think it sounds downright weird (they must have somehow missed the bacon mania boat), and people who think it sounds delicious and can’t wait to make it themselves. If you’re the former, then all I can say is don’t knock it till you’ve tried it – and then once you’ve tried it, try to stop yourself from eating all of it.

White Bean and Sausage Soup
adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten

Serves 6

I’ve adapted the Barefoot Contessa’s original recipe to add sausages, but I make it just as often without them for a vegetarian version.

1 lb (450 g) dried white cannellini beans
olive oil
6 to 8 good-quality sausages
3 large onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large branch fresh rosemary
2 quarts (2 liters) chicken or vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, cover the beans with water by at least 1 inch and leave them in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight. Drain.

In a large stockpot over a low to medium heat, heat some olive oil and cook the sausages for about 10 or 15 minutes, until they’re browned on all sides and cooked through. Remove the sausages to a plate and set aside. Add the onions to the pot and saute for 10 to 15 minutes, until they are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the drained white beans, rosemary, chicken stock, and bay leaf. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until the beans are very soft. Remove the rosemary branch and the bay leaf. Pass the soup through the coarsest blade of a food mill or place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until coarsely pureed. Return the soup to the pot over a medium heat. Slice the sausages and add to the soup to reheat. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.

***

Almond and Candied Bacon Bark
adapted from Ready for Dessert by David Lebovitz

David Lebovitz says it’s best to make the candied bacon the same day you plan to use it. If you want to play around with flavors (though this almond and candied bacon combo is insanely addictive), check out this list of top 10 chocolate bark mix-ins from the Big Girls, Small Kitchen blog for some inspiration.

1 1/4 lb (565 g) good-quality chocolate, broken into pieces
1/2 cup (50 g) flaked almonds, toasted
5 pieces of bacon, pancetta or streaky rashers
3 tablespoons brown sugar
flaky sea salt, such as Maldon (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking try with foil (shiny side down) or parchment paper. Place the strips of bacon on the tray and sprinkle each strip with about 2 teaspoons of brown sugar. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, turning the strips over halfway through baking and dragging them through the melted sugar on the tray. They’re done when they’re mahogany colored. Cool on a wire rack until crisp, then crumble or roughly chop. Set aside.

While the bacon cools, place a piece of parchment paper on a baking tray or stretch a piece of cling film taught across a baking tray instead. Add the chocolate to a large heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a pot of simmering water and stir often until the chocolate is almost melted.

Remove the bowl from the heat, wipe off the bottom, then continue to stir the chocolate until it’s all melted and smooth. Mix in two-thirds of the toasted almonds and two-thirds of the bacon.

Scrape the mixture onto the prepared baking tray and use a spatula to spread it to the desired thickness. Add the remaining almonds and bacon to the top of the chocolate, pressing them in lightly so they’ll adhere. Sprinkle bits of salt, if using, across the top. Refrigerate the baking sheet until the chocolate sets. Once the bark is firm, break it into pieces. Store the bark in the fridge, where it will keep for 3 days.

In what I suspect will become a birthday tradition, Sam once again asked for “chocolate cake with whipped cream” for his birthday party this year. Although my holiday schedule wasn’t quite as hectic as Kristin’s, between December 1st, 2010 and January 1st, 2011, I had already celebrated eight days of Chanukah, my husband’s birthday, my birthday, Christmas, and New Year’s.  Exhausted from the festivities, I was tempted to remake last year’s icebox cake and spare myself the time it would take to find a new recipe to fit Sam’s party criteria. But I just couldn’t brush off the request that easily. It’s not Sam’s fault he was born the first week in January and that his birthday, like mine, tends to be sucked up and forgotten amidst the winter holiday hustle and bustle. I luckily found another great make-ahead cake covered in whipped cream, chocolate, and–as an added  bonus–sprinkles.  Despite its less than perfect appearance (to be blamed on a final layer of too warm hot fudge sauce), this cake was a real crowd-pleaser.

The birthday dinner itself was a lighter affair. Sam is a huge fan of Japanese food, especially edamame, so this edamame-based pesto caught my eye while I browsed cookbooks for a cake recipe. The pesto tasted amazing dolloped on a piece of sauteed cod, and nearly as good spread on a cracker later that night as a bedtime snack. I rounded out dinner with simple steamed veggies and cooked quinoa.

Fish with Edamame Pesto
adapted from Mark Bittman’s Kitchen Express: 404 inspired seasonal dishes you can make in 20 minutes or less

serves 3

1 bag frozen edamame (in pods)
olive oil
1 clove garlic, grated
juice of half a lemon
handful of grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper, to taste
1 lb (450 g) cod or other fish fillet(s)
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
chopped walnuts, for garnish

Blanch the frozen edamame in boiling salted water for 3–5 minutes until tender. Drain and rinse the edamame under cold water. Shell the soybeans and place them in a blender or food processor with a few tablespoons of olive oil (or more, as needed) to get a nice puree. Add the garlic, lemon juice, and Parmesan and blend until smooth. Season the puree to taste with salt and pepper.

Season the fish fillet with salt and pepper. Cook the fillet(s) in the butter or olive oil over medium heat about 4 minutes per side or until golden and cooked through. Serve the fish with a spoonful of the pesto and garnish with chopped walnuts.

***

Cookies-and-Cream Ice Cream Cake
adapted from Bon Appetit, June 2000

serves 12

1 x 16-oz (45o-g) pound cake, thawed if frozen
1/2 gallon (about 1 kg) cookies-and-cream ice cream, slightly softened

12 oz (340 g) hot fudge sauce (purchased or homemade)
6 oz (170 g) semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 (60 ml) cup water
10 Oreo cookies, coarsely chopped

1 cup (240 ml) chilled whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
candy sprinkles

Cut the cake into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Halve each slice diagonally, forming triangles. Cover the bottom of a 9-inch-diameter springform pan with the cake by arranging some triangles, points facing in, around the edge of pan. Fill in the center with more triangles; then cut additional pieces to fill in any spaces. Spread half of the ice cream over the cake. Freeze until firm, about 1 hour.

Stir the fudge sauce, chocolate chips and 1/4 cup water in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat until melted and smooth. Cool to just barely lukewarm. Spread half of the fudge sauce over the ice cream. Sprinkle with the cookies. Top with enough remaining cake slices to cover. Spread the remaining ice cream over. Freeze 1 hour.

Stir the remaining fudge sauce over medium-low heat until barely lukewarm. Pour the sauce over the ice cream, spreading to the edge. Freeze at least 6 hours or overnight.

To serve, let cake sit in fridge about 15 minutes to slightly thaw. While the cake thaws, beat the cream and sugar in a medium bowl to stiff peaks. Run a knife around the pan sides to loosen the cake. Release the pan sides. Spread the whipped cream around the side of the cake and, if desired, pipe a border of whipped cream around the top edge of the cake. Scatter sprinkles or other small candies atop the cake.

I think there has been more snow in the past 12 months in Ireland than in the previous 11 years I’ve been living here put together. We were hit with a record-breaking cold snap and snowfall two weeks ago that saw school canceled for six days and had us stranded in our house in the countryside on a hill. My husband, raised in Michigan, where they get buried under lake effect snow, braved our road at the start of the snow days to get us stocked up on groceries and coal and turf for the fire. A big pot of warming chili sounded like just the thing to see us through a couple nights. My friend Clare tipped me off to this recipe, and if I wasn’t sold already by the bacon in the title, the beer clinched it. Serve with honey buttermilk cornbread or bacon corn muffins, and you’ve got a filling winter meal.

Things you’ll never find me without though, snow or no snow, are flour, butter and sugar, so it seemed fitting to make snowball cookies to pass the time one afternoon with the kids. These are my favorite childhood Christmas cookie, and even if I have the tree up and all the presents bought, it only really feels like Christmas to me when I make a batch of these. For years I used my mom’s recipe, but these days I use Bon Appétit’s tip to add some ground cinnamon to the powdered sugar you roll the cookies in, and it makes all the difference. Growing up, we called these butterballs, but now I know they’re also called snowball cookies, Mexican wedding cakes and Russian tea cakes. No matter what you call them, it wouldn’t be Christmas for me without them.

Spicy Bacon Cowboy Chili
adapted from White on Rice

Serves 4 to 6

Using the leftovers on the second day, I mixed some of the chili with passata to tone down the flavors enough to pass it off as a Bolognese sauce to my kids, who gobbled it up when served with pasta. Todd and Diane suggest serving this as chili cheese fries, and I don’t know anyone who would turn up their noses at that combination.

olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 or 2 red chilies, finely diced
salt
4 cloves garlic, finely diced
2 lb (1 kg) ground beef
6 strips (300 g) bacon, diced
1 x 14 oz (400 g) can of kidney beans, black beans or pinto beans
1 cup (250 ml) barbecue sauce
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (optional if you don’t want it too spicy)
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 x 12 oz (350 ml) beer
grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, diced scallions, tortilla chips, etc., to serve

Heat a splash of olive oil in a large pot over a medium-high heat. Add the onion, chilies and a pinch of salt (to stop the onions from browning) and cook for 10 minutes, or until the onions have softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the ground beef and bacon and cook until it’s nearly cooked through and browned, stirring occasionally.

Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat to keep at a gentle simmer. Cook for 30 minutes to 1 hour – the longer you cook it, the more the flavors will develop – adding more beer or water if the chili starts to look too dry. Serve the chili warm with toppings of your choice.

***

Snowball Cookies
adapted from Bon Appétit, May 2003

Makes about 4 dozen

These cookies can be prepared 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature and reserve the remaining cinnamon sugar.

1 cup (225 g) butter, at room temperature
2 cups (240 g) powdered (icing) sugar, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups (240 g) flour
1 cup (100 g) pecans or walnuts, toasted and coarsely ground
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add 1/2 cup (60 g) of the powdered sugar and the vanilla and beat until well blended. Beat in the flour, then nuts. Divide the dough in half and form each half into ball. Wrap separately in cling film and chill until cold, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Whisk the remaining powdered sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl or pie dish to blend. Set the cinnamon sugar aside.

Working with half of chilled dough, roll 1 scant tablespoon of dough between your palms into balls. Arrange the balls on a large baking sheet, spacing them 1/2 inch apart. Bake for about 18 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown on the bottom and just pale golden on top. Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then gently toss or roll the warm cookies in cinnamon sugar to coat them completely. Transfer the coated cookies to a wire rack and allow to cool completely. Repeat this procedure with the remaining half of the dough. Sift any remaining cinnamon sugar over the cookies and serve.

My kids are crazy about beans. They’d eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner, which is fine by me. You can’t cook many things that are healthier, easier or quicker than a can of beans. While canned beans are great, cooking dried beans is much cheaper and tastes better, too. And then there’s the BPA issue to think about. So I’m trying to use dried beans instead of canned and, in the process, finding some great recipes. This white bean recipe may be my favorite so far. Don’t be afraid by the amount of sage, it’s actually quite subtle tasting when cooked low and slow. If you have leftovers, try pureeing them with some olive oil and Parmesan cheese to make a spread perfect for crackers. I combined this batch with sausages and peppers as per Mark Bittman’s suggestion. The last-minute side of plain quinoa was a surprisingly perfect match with the beans.

A quick comment about beans, generally. I usually cook my beans in a slow cooker but the stove top works just as well. Don’t be afraid to add salt to the beans during cooking. I add a good teaspoon per pound (450 g) of beans after the beans are just tender, about halfway through cooking. Contrary to popular belief, salt doesn’t prevent the bean from cooking properly and results in a much better-tasting bean. And if you’re making a pot of beans, you may as well make a double batch. Once cooked, beans will keep in the fridge for several days or in the freezer several months, ready for pasta with chickpeas, eight-layer veggie burritos, or hummus at the drop of a hat.

Tuscan-style White Beans
adapted from How To Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food by Mark Bittman

Makes 8 servings

1 lb (450 g) dried white beans (cannellini, navy, Great Northern, etc.), washed and picked over
30 fresh sage leaves or 1 heaping tablespoon dried sage
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons minced or grated garlic
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Place the beans in a pot with water to cover by about 1 inch. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Add the sage. Reduce the heat, cover loosely and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the beans begin to soften. Add about 1 teaspoon of salt and some pepper. Continue to cook until the beans are very tender, adding additional water if the beans dry out. Depending on the size and freshness of the bean, this will usually take 1 to 2 hours. Drain the cooking liquid if necessary, then gently stir in the garlic and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve hot, warm, or even cold.

***

Sausages with Peppers

Serves 6

1 tablespoon olive oil
6 hot and/or mild Italian sausages
2 bell peppers (one green and one red, yellow, or orange), sliced into thin strips

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over a medium heat. Add the sausages and cook for 10 minutes, turning the sausages halfway through the cooking time. Add the pepper strips and cook until the peppers are soft and the sausages are fully cooked, stirring frequently, about 10 more minutes. If the sausages take on too much color early in the cooking process, lower the heat or cover the skillet with a lid for a few minutes.

I’ve made this layered taco salad a few times, each time planning to post the recipe because it’s so easy to make and pretty to look at once assembled. Unfortunately, it’s so tasty I’m never able to resist immediately sitting down to dish up a plate, ruining the picture-perfect ensemble of beef, beans, cheese, avocados and lettuce, so you’ll have to use your imagination on this one. If it helps, think of  your favorite nachos, then imagine them with better, fresher ingredients on a bed of tangy lime-dressed lettuce.

For those in need of a picture, I give you dessert — rocky road bark. Sam is a huge fan of marshmallows but I try to limit his intake. This inevitably leads to opened bags of marshmallows growing stale in my cupboard. This recipe took care of a handful of them and provided a few days of bite-sized after-dinner treats that the whole family enjoyed.

Layered Taco Salad
adapted from Gourmet, August 2003

Serves 4

for the dressing:
juice of 1 lime
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil

for the beef:
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 jalapeno or serrano chiles (including seeds), finely chopped
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb (450 g) ground chuck
6 oz (175 ml) tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

for the salad:
1 firm-ripe California avocado
1 large head romaine lettuce, thinly sliced
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 lb (110 g) coarsely grated sharp Cheddar
1 x 15 oz (425 g) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 x 6 oz (170 g) can sliced pitted black olives, drained
tortilla chips, to serve

To make the dressing, whisk together the lime juice, cilantro, sugar, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper, then add the oil in a stream, whisking until emulsified.

To cook the beef, cook the onion, garlic, chile, chili powder, and cumin in the oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over a moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is well softened, about 6 minutes. Add the beef and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up lumps, until the meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes, then spoon off any excess fat from the skillet. Add the tomato sauce, salt, and pepper to the beef and cook, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

To assemble the salad, peel and pit the avocado, then cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Spread the lettuce over the bottom of a shallow 4-quart dish or other large shallow bowl (for example, a large pasta serving bowl). Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss lightly. Spoon the beef mixture evenly over the lettuce and continue making layers with tomatoes, cheese, beans, avocado, and olives.

***

Rocky Road Bark
adapted from Cook’s Country

Makes 16 pieces

5 or 6 whole graham crackers
6 tablespoons (90 g) unsalted butter
1/4 cup (40 g) packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 oz (110 g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup (40 g) mini marshmallows
1/2 cup (50 g) chopped pecans, walnuts or sliced almonds

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line an 8-inch-square baking pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil, making sure the foil is tucked into all corners and at least 1 inch of foil overhangs the top of the pan on the sides. This will create a type of handle, which you’ll use later to pull out the bark. In a single layer, line the bottom of the pan with graham crackers, breaking them if needed so that they fit tightly.

Combine the butter, brown sugar, and salt in a small saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved. Scrape the mixture onto the graham crackers and smooth so that the mixture covers the crackers completely. Bake until the caramel is bubbling, about 8 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven, sprinkle with the chocolate pieces, and return the pan to the oven to soften the chocolate, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and use a spatula to gently smooth the chocolate into an even layer.

Sprinkle the marshmallows and then the nuts over the chocolate, pressing lightly with your fingertips so the marshmallows and nuts adhere to the chocolate. Cool the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then freeze until the chocolate hardens, 30 minutes.

Grabbing the overhang, lift the foil from the pan onto a cutting board. Using a sharp chef’s knife, cut the bark into 2-inch squares. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.

I love having visitors, not least because I get to pull out all the stops and feed them well. We had some vegetarian friends over from the US for a long weekend visit last week, so I turned to some of my tried-and-true favorites: polpette di melanzane, ratatouille, lemon and pea risotto, and Moorish crunch salad with naan bread, plus roasted peaches with amaretti and Eton mess for dessert. My friend (the same friend who cracked his fridge shelf last year with a heavy pot of soup) was lamenting the fact that they’re tired of making the same old things from their small cookbook collection, so Adrian, here’s another fast and easy vegetarian recipe for you to add to your repertoire.

Chili Bean Burritos with Corn Salsa
adapted from Every Day by Bill Granger

Serves 4

When serving this to my small children, I give them a tortilla on the side (because they still like to have what the grown-ups are having) and just put the bean mixture in a bowl with some corn salsa on top, which they can easily spoon up.

for the chili bean burritos:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 red chili, deseeded and finely chopped
pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 x 14 oz (400 g) cans of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 x 14 oz (400 g) can of chopped tomatoes
zest and juice of 1 lime
a small handful of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
freshly grated cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, to serve
tortillas, to serve
natural yogurt or sour cream, to serve

for the corn salsa:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups (300 g) corn, either fresh or frozen
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 red chili, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)
a small handful of fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
zest and juice of 1 lime
salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the bean burritos, heat the oil in a large, heavy-based pan over a medium-low heat. Add the celery, onion and red pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables have softened. Add the garlic, chili and spices and cook for 1 minute more. Add the kidney beans and tomatoes and stir well. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to very low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, until thickened. Stir in the lime zest and juice and the cilantro.

While the bean mixture is cooking, make the salsa. In a separate large pan, heat the oil over a high heat. Add the corn and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes. Tip the corn into a large bowl and stir through the celery, onion, chili, coriander, lime zest and juice. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.

To serve, spoon some bean mixture down the middle of each tortilla, sprinkle with the grated cheese and wrap up firmly. Serve with the corn salsa and a spoonful of yogurt.