White Beans Au Vin

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Ingredients

• 3 T. unsalted butter
• 3 medium carrots (diced into 1/2 inch pieces)
• 5 medium shallots (chopped--about 1 C.)
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms (trimmed and quartered)
• 5 thyme sprigs
• 3 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1/2 C. dry red wine
• 2 t. tomato paste
• 2 fifteen-ounce cans cannellini beans (or equivalent dried and cooked beans) (rinsed and drained)
• 2 C. vegetable broth
• 1 T. Cognac or brandy (or more to taste)
• 2 T. chopped fresh parsley (more for serving)
• 1 t. balsamic vinegar
• Grated Parmesan and buttered bread crumbs for topping

Instructions

1. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat and sauté carrots and shallots (seasoned with a little salt and pepper) for about 5 minutes.
2. Add quartered mushrooms to the Dutch oven with the carrots and shallots and cook (stirring) until all of the vegetables are tender. This will take about 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Add thyme sprigs and garlic to the mixture in the Dutch oven. Quickly cook until fragrant. This will take about 30 seconds. Add wine and tomato paste and stir to combine. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes until the wine is nearly evaporated.
4. Add beans, broth, Cognac, 1 t. salt and 1/2 t. pepper to the Dutch oven mixture and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to low and simmer (covered) until the sauce is reduced and thickened. I enjoyed this dish cooked down until the sauce was very thick. You can also serve this dish with a thinner, less-reduced sauce. Your call. This will take about 25 or 30 minutes.
5. Remove the beans from the heat. Remove the thyme sprigs from the bean mixture and discard. Stir in parsley and balsamic vinegar. Season beans with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Serve topped with more parsley, grated Parmesan, and buttered bread crumbs. I used sourdough crumbs sautéed in lots of good butter. Don't omit the crumbs. The crunchy texture of the bread crumbs gives this bean dish a wonderful mouthfeel and flavor.

Nutrition

Calories

1196 cal

Fat

38 g

Carbs

191 g

Protein

38 g

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Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Fresh Figs

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Ingredients

• 4 small sweet potatoes (about 2 1/4 pounds)
• 5 T. olive oil
• 3 T. balsamic vinegar
• 1 1/2 T. superfine sugar
• 12 green onions (halved lengthwise and cut into 1 1/2 inch segments)
• 1 red chile (thinly sliced)
• 6 ripe figs (quartered)
• 5 ounces soft goat's milk cheese (optional)
• Large-flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper (Maldon salt would be perfect!)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. Halve sweet potatoes length-wise and then cut each half into three long wedges. Toss cut sweet potatoes in 3 T. olive oil, 2 t. salt and freshly-ground black pepper. Arrange the sweet potatoes (skin side down) on a baking sheet and bake for approximately 25 minutes. You want the baked sweet potatoes to be soft but not mushy. Remove from your oven and let the sweet potatoes cool.
2. Prepare the balsamic reduction by combining the balsamic vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan. It is good to use superfine sugar (I gave granulated a blitz in my blender.), but regular granulated sugar will work here. Heat the balsamic mixture until it boils and the sugar is dissolved and then lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer the balsamic for 2 to 4 minutes. You want it to thicken but still be about the consistency of honey. Keep in mind that the balsamic reduction will thicken as it cools; you want it to be pourable. If your reduction becomes too thick as it cools, you can add a bit of water to thin it.
3. Arrange the sweet potato slices on a platter. Use a large serving platter for this dish. I used a large white platter to make the colors in this dish pop.
4. Heat the remaining 2 T. olive oil in a pan and fry the green onions and chile in the hot oil for 4 or 5 minutes. Stir this mixture while you are frying to be sure the onions and the chile do not burn. Spoon the oil and the fried onions and chile over the sweet potatoes. Arrange the halved fresh figs on top of the sweet potatoes. Drizzle the balsamic reduction over the sweet potatoes and figs. Crumbled goat cheese is an optional topping for this dish. I omitted the cheese but think it would be a great addition.
5. Serve this dish at room temperature.

Nutrition

Calories

2300 cal

Fat

99 g

Carbs

342 g

Protein

46 g

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Jalapeno Cheddar Bread

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Ingredients

• 3 1/2 C. bread flour
• 2 1/2 C. shredded sharp cheddar cheese (divided)
• 2 jalapeno chiles (seeded and coarsely chopped)
• 1 jalapeno (seeded ad sliced into rings, divided)
• 1 T. kosher salt
• 2 C. warm water (105-110 degrees F.)
• 2 1/4 t. instant yeast
• 1 T. olive oil

Instructions

1. Combine bread flour, 2 C. cheddar cheese, chopped jalapeno chiles and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir to evenly distribute the ingredients. Set aside.
2. In a separate large bowl, combine the warm water (105-110 degrees F.) and the yeast. Stir and let sit for a few minutes.
3. Pour the flour mixture on top of the yeast and water mixture. Stir with a silicone spatula until all ingredients are thoroughly combined and the dough begins to come together into a ball. Your dough will be moist and shaggy when it is properly mixed. Once your dough is mixed, use your hands (wet) or a spatula to fold the dough (still in the bowl) about 8 times. You do this by folding one side of the dough over the rest of the dough and toward the center; you are folding the dough into a slightly tighter ball--a boule. Turn the bowl as you do this so that all parts of the dough are folded. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let it rest (and rise) in a warm place for about an hour. At the end of your rise, the dough should have almost doubled in size. ( If you are at all confused about the folding process, you can find a very good video showing these steps by following the link that appears at under this recipe.)
4. Remove the cover from the risen dough and repeat the folding (8 more folds/8 more turns of the bowl). Again, cover the dough. This time let it rise for about 30 minutes.
5. While your dough is rising for the second time, put a Dutch oven (including the lid) into your oven and turn the oven to 450 degrees F. (Place the Dutch oven on a low rack in your oven.) Let your oven preheat for about 30 minutes.
6. Prepare a work surface by lightly flouring it. (I used my Corian counter.) Flour your hands, too. Remove the dough from the bowl (I used a bench scraper for this but wet hands would work equally well). Do this carefully so that you don't totally deflate the dough. Once you have your dough out of the bowl and sitting on the lightly-floured counter, flip it over. This "flip" will make the dough easier to handle because your hands will be touching the side of the dough that has picked up some of the flour you sprinkled on your counter. Fold the dough towards the center 8 more times. Flip the dough oven again, placing it on a rectangular strip of parchment paper. The parchment paper will be used to keep the dough from sticking to the bottom of the Dutch oven and it will also be used to lift the dough into the hot Dutch oven without burning your hands. (Use the ends of the parchment strips like handles.) Brush the top of the dough with olive oil and gently press the remaining 1/2 C. of cheese onto top of the loaf. Use a sharp knife or a razor blade (I used the razor blade) to carve an "X" on top of the loaf. The "X" will allow the steam to escape from the dough as it is baking and will allow the dough to fully rise. Arrange the jalapeno rings on top of the cheese.
7. Using heat-resistant gloves, carefully remove the hot Dutch oven from your oven and set it somewhere on your counter where the heat from the bottom of the Dutch oven will not damage anything. I usually put my Dutch oven on top of my heavy cutting board with a towel on top of the cutting board to give the cutting board some protection. Grab the two ends of the parchment strip on which you have placed your dough boule and lower the dough into the Dutch oven. Cover the Dutch oven with its lid and put it into the oven. Bake covered at 450 degrees F. for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the lid from the Dutch oven. (This is the fun part! The reveal! Your bread will have risen nicely and will be beginning to brown.) Put the Dutch oven (uncovered) back into the oven and bake for another 20-25 minutes or until the bread has turned a pretty golden brown. When done, the bread should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
8. Remove the Dutch oven from your oven and set it on a heat-resistant surface. Again, use the parchment "handles" to safely remove the bread from the Dutch oven. Allow the bread to cool on a rack before cutting it. The steam trapped inside the bread will continue to cook the bread further as it cools. Do not slice the bread until it has cooled. For ease in slicing, use a serrated knife.

Nutrition

Calories

2950 cal

Fat

111 g

Carbs

358 g

Protein

117 g

Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info