Truffled white bean puree

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Photo: Lynne Hemer, Cook and Be Merry

I'm often in need of a quick, elegant hors d'oeuvre to keep guests busy and on the other side of the counter while I'm finishing dinner preparations in the kitchen.

I like this truffled white bean puree because it's simple, I can make it ahead, and it's an unusual combination that raises the eyebrows a bit.

You could serve it with crackers or toasted pita bread triangles, but I love making tiny cups out of cucumbers. Buy small Persian cucumbers - the ones with the thin skin you don't have to peel - and hollow out a little divot with a melon baller. You can make these a few hours ahead and store them in the refrigerator in a zip-top bag, between layers of damp paper towels.

If you can't get your hands on a fresh truffle to grate on top (or the budget doesn't allow it), buy a tiny jar of truffle salt and use that instead. You'll get the same flavor, although not the same visual.

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Truffled White Bean Puree

by Erika Kerekes May-22-2015

This appetizer couldn't be easier: White beans pureed with lemon and truffle oil. Serve in tiny cucumber cups or with crackers.

Ingredients

• 1 15-ounce can white cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 lemon, juice and zest
• 1 tablespoon truffle oil
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 6 Persian cucumbers
• 1 black truffle, fresh or canned

Instructions

Make the bean puree: Put the beans, lemon juice, lemon zest, and truffle oil into the bowl of a food processor. Process until very smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to let the flavors blend. (Can be made 1 day ahead; store covered and refrigerated.)Make the cucumber cups: Wash and thoroughly dry the cucumbers. Cut off the ends, then slice the cucumbers into 1-inch rounds. Using a small melon baller or the tip of a very small spoon, hollow out one side of each cucumber slice, being careful not to cut all the way through. You'll end up with a fingertip-sized depression in each slice.Transfer the bean puree into a piping bag, or use a zip-top bag with the corner snipped off. Pipe a swirl of the truffled bean puree into each cucumber cup. Grate a little of the truffle on top of each piece. Serve immediately.

Details

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: Total time: 20 mins Yield: 10 servings

Falafel stuffed mushrooms and the joy of unexpected visitors

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We live in a drop-in house.

I know some people hate drop-in visits. I love them. They remind me of college, four happy years of back-to-back unexpected visitors.

It helps that I'm not embarrassed by the mess that is my house. I assume friends will understand the Not Ketchup chaos. I'll clean up when I'm a millionaire.

This past Saturday morning our friends G and N popped in during their morning walk around the neighborhood. We chatted over coffee and pomegranates until I had to rush out to a meeting. What would I have done with that half-hour had they not stopped by? Nothing as interesting as visiting with them, I'm sure.

My neighbor S comes by with her toddlers, too. The last time they came down to my office, unfortunately, I was on a call and couldn't stop to play. But most of the time I am delighted for a few minutes of kid time.

I feed people when they drop in. These falafel stuffed mushrooms are the perfect snack for drop-in visitors: They're easy, quick, healthy and delicious.

Note: Look for prepared falafel mix in the ethnic section of major grocery stores or in Middle Eastern markets. The recipe states 55 minutes total, but the first half hour is mostly waiting for the falafel mix to be ready to scoop and the rest is baking time, so you have plenty of time to visit with your guests.

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Falafel stuffed mushrooms

by Erika Kerekes October-15-2014

This vegan snack is easy, fast, healthy and delicious. Using boxed falafel mix makes preparation even quicker.

Ingredients

• 1 cup boxed prepared falafel mix
• 3/4 cup water
• 12 large white mushrooms
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup tahini (prepared, from the jar; optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.In a small mixing bowl, combine the falafel mix and water. Stir to combine, then let rest at room temperature 30-60 minutes.While the falafel mixture is resting, wash the mushrooms and remove the stems. Pat the mushroom caps dry with paper towels.Pour 2 Tablespoons of olive oil into a baking dish and swirl to coat the bottom. Add the mushrooms to the dish and turn them over with your hands, making sure the mushrooms are coated with the oil. Sprinkle the mushroom caps with salt.Using a small spoon, scoop out about 1 Tablespoon of the falafel mixture and mound it into a mushroom cap, smoothing the top with the back of the spoon or your fingers. Repeat with the remaining falafel mixture and mushroom caps. Drizzle the remaining 1 Tablespoon olive oil over the tops of the stuffed mushrooms.Bake the mushrooms about 25 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender and the falafel is cooked through and golden brown on top. Drizzle with the tahini if desired and serve warm.

Details

Prep time: 30 mins Cook time: 25 mins Total time: 55 mins Yield: 4-6 servings

New Orleans red beans and rice

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My friend Ellen call this her dad's "ancestral" recipe. Ellen's father, who passed away suddenly a few years ago, grew up in the tight-knit Jewish community in New Orleans. Ellen remembers making this with him a few times when she was little. 

Long, slow cooking transforms these simple ingredients into a comforting bowl of winter goodness. Don't skimp on the Tabasco unless you absolutely have to - it makes the dish.

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New Orleans red beans and rice

by Erika Kerekes December-4-2013

Long, slow cooking transforms a few simple ingredients into a steaming bowl of comfort food. Serve these southern-style red beans over plain white rice if you want to be perfectly authentic.

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried red kidney beans
• 3 quarts water
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 rib celery, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 pound ham hock, beef stew meat, or beef brisket
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or ground New Mexico chiles
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 3 Tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt (start with 1/2 teaspoon and add gradually until the beans are seasoned to your taste)
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) butter

Instructions

To a large pot add the beans, water, onion, celery, garlic, bay leaves, meat, ground black pepper, red pepper flakes, Tabasco, and vinegar. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer uncovered 3 to 4 hours, until the beans are soft.Add salt and butter. (Do not add the salt earlier as it will toughen the beans.)Serve hot over plain white rice. Note: The beans should have a soupy consistency; if they start to seem dry, add more water.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 4 hour Total time: 4 hour 10 mins Yield: 8-10 servings

Postcard from Carmel: Fried garbanzos with truffle salt at Mundaka

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Day one of my "girlfriend getaway" to California's central coast with fellow food bloggers Patti Londre (Worth the Whisk) and Dorothy Reinhold (Shockingly Delicious) and we're happy and well fed.

At last night's dinner at Mundaka in Carmel, these fried garbanzos with truffle salt were the surprise hit of the evening. Crisp on the outside, soft and melting on the inside, warm with just a hint of white truffle. Forget truffled popcorn - we ate the whole bowl of these truffled fried garbanzos and made embarrassing moaning noises the whole time. Not sure what the table next to us was thinking....

Chef Brandon Miller soaks dried garbanzo beans over night, simmers them until soft with a clove-studded onion and strips of lemon zest, then deep-fries them in hot peanut oil (375 degrees) and dusts with truffle salt. His favorite truffle salt is Fusion White Truffle Salt, which he buys across the street from the restaurant at Sur La Table. Miller keeps the garbanzos soaking in water until just before frying, which helps crisp the exterior of the beans without letting the oil penetrate too deeply. He hasn't tried canned garbanzo beans but thinks they would work fine (rinse thoroughly before frying).

Are you wondering whether these fried garbanzos might make an appearance at this year's Trufflepalooza? I'm already on it.

Black bean dip with dill {vegan}

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A modern-day fairy tale:

Once upon a time, a New York girl moved to Los Angeles. 

She traveled west to figure out whether the guy she thought was going to be her forever guy was, indeed, life partner material. It was far, but she was happy to go - somehow she'd always known she wouldn't spend the rest of her years in The Land of the Great Skyscrapers.

The guy exceeded expectations, but the transition was hard. The New York girl's whole family was in New York. Her dearest friends, too, still lived among the Great Skyscrapers. The only friend she had in Los Angeles was the guy - and, given the stresses any couple faces when first moving in together, that wasn't quite enough. The New York girl was lonely, despite the terrific guy's heroic efforts.

The New York girl had one connection in Los Angeles - a former colleague with whom she'd crossed paths once or twice and who had made the journey west from New York a year earlier. Bravely, the New York girl called the colleague and, following local traditions, they did lunch.

The colleague introduced the New York girl to some of the finer points of Los Angeles living. Take-out vegan food at Erewhon Market. Late afternoon walks around city blocks lined with Spanish-style fourplexes. Meyer lemons. Bougainvillea. Hiking Runyon Canyon. And once - at a party where the New York girl arrived knowing no one and left with the impression that people in Los Angeles were way nicer than the New Yorkers she was used to dealing with - a light, garlic-scented, herb-flecked black bean dip.  

Little by little, the New York girl adjusted to life in Los Angeles. The colleague was a few years ahead in the Game of Life, had her kids earlier than the New York girl. The New York girl and the terrific guy moved closer to the ocean; the colleague went the other way, up into the Hollywood Hills. A few miles make a big difference when it comes to Los Angeles traffic. They saw less of each other as their kids grew older and went to different schools and everyone got on with their Los Angeles lives.

But the New York girl never forgot the colleague's kindness in helping her navigate life in L.A. And every time she makes the light, garlic-scented, herb-flecked black bean dip, she thinks of the colleague's bright eyes and beatific smile, and the comfort it brought her lo those two decades ago, and she says "thank you" under her breath.

THE END

Black beans and fresh dill may sound like a strange combination, and this dip sure won't win any beauty contests, but the flavors are completely delicious together. Serve with tortilla or pita chips if you don't mind the carbs, or go another direction with sliced cucumbers, daikon radish rounds or bell pepper strips.

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Vegan black bean dip with fresh dill and garlic

by Erika Penzer Kerekes September-18-2012

A light, garlicky, herb-flecked bean dip. Serve this vegan dip with crackers, tortilla chips, pita, sliced cucumbers, daikon radish rounds and bell pepper strips.

Ingredients

• 1 can black beans, rinsed
• 1 clove fresh garlic
• generous 1/2 cup fresh dill fronds
• 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (from 1 small lemon or 1/2 large lemon)
• 1/8 tsp salt, or to taste
• freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Put the beans, garlic, dill, lemon juice, salt and pepper into a blender or food processor and blitz until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired. Serve at room temperature.

Details

Prep time: 4 mins Cook time: 1 mins Total time: 5 mins Yield: about 2 cups

Hummus with artichokes and olives, aka Costco hummus

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This really is the world's best hummus

I made the world's best hummus yesterday. By accident.

I wasn't going for a gold medal. It just happened. In less than 10 minutes. No one was more surprised than I was.

What makes this hummus the world's best? It's light and fluffy. Not too oily. And the marinated artichoke hearts and Kalamata olives throw the whole thing a little off-kilter.

Are you thinking that hummus without tahini is heretical? Yes, I'm a rebel. I prefer adding whole raw sesame seeds - tahini makes things a little gummy for my tastes. This way you get to control the amount of oil you put in.

By the way, every ingredient for this hummus is available at Costco, at least in my area. I should have named it "Costco hummus." If I were a true geek, I would have done some SEO research to figure out whether "hummus with artichokes and olives" or "world's best hummus" or "Costco hummus" would have been a more search-friendly title for this post.

Guess what? Not a geek. But you probably knew that already.

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World's best hummus with artichokes and olives

by Erika Kerekes May-15-2012

In 10 minutes you can have light, fluffy, exotic hummus. Open a few cans and make your food processor your best friend.

Ingredients

• 3 15-ounce cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, drained
• 1 cup marinated artichoke hearts, drained
• 1 lemon, zest and juice
• 2 Tbsp raw sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup cold water, or as needed to achieve light, fluffy hummus
• 1/8 tsp salt
• freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Put the chickpeas, olives, artichoke hearts, lemon zest, lemon juice and sesame seeds in the bowl of a food processor with the regular chopping blade. Turn on the processor. With the motor running, add the olive oil through the feed tube. Process about 20 seconds, then start adding the water. Add enough water to give the hummus a light, fluffy texture (you can open the machine and taste it to find out). Add the salt and pepper, process briefly to mix, and turn the hummus out into a bowl. Serve immediately with cut-up vegetables or pita chips.

Details

Prep time: 6 mins Cook time: 2 mins Total time: 8 mins Yield: 8 servings

Superfoods Month: Simple lentil soup from Shockingly Delicious

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Happy Superfoods Month! This delicious Superfood recipe comes via veteran food writer Dorothy Reinhold. Dorothy writes the recipe blog ShockinglyDelicious, where she specializes in scrumptious, tried-and-true, scary-good recipes that you might need a 12-step program to wean yourself from. Dorothy and I have known each other for years - our kids went to preschool together - but now we've bonded over blogging!

Today's Superfood: Lentils
Protein, fiber, iron, manganese, folate

I didn’t grow up eating lentils, probably because my mother didn’t like them. That was a surprise revelation to me a few years ago when I gave her a lentil concoction I had made. I thought it was delicious, and wanted to share. She ate some, and politely told me it didn’t float her boat because she hated lentils.

What? The woman who cooked for a clan of six every single day for decades, and who introduced her suburban family to bagna cauda, who made her own frijoles refritos from scratch despite the fact she was Italian, not Mexican, who practically invented homemade salted caramels 45 years ago and who knows her way around Parmesan vs. Pecorino?

I was stunned. Luckily, she never told us about that hatred growing up, so I had no preconceived notions about lentils. I loved them when I tried them because they cook relatively quickly, and absorb whatever wonderful flavors, herbs and spices you pair with them.

I have since learned that they may be small, but they are nutritionally mighty, contributing to a happy heart, a happy digestive system, and stable blood sugar levels.

This wonderfully rich-tasting soup is my latest lentil addiction. While dried lentils cook relatively quickly and don’t need to be soaked like dried beans, I have speeded up this soup even more by using packaged steamed lentils from Melissa's Produce, which are readily available in most grocery stores.

Like most soups, this one is even better if you make it a day ahead and store it in the refrigerator. When you reheat and serve it the next night for dinner, the flavor will be richer, if that is even possible!

Lentil soup for dinner after work? Oh yes, and the leftovers for lunch the next day!

Click here for a list of all the Superfoods Month recipes in this series

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Superfoods month: Best ever simple lentil soup

by Dorothy Reinhold January-5-2012

A quick and hearty soup perfect for weeknight dinners.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 ribs of celery, chopped
• kosher salt to taste
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 17-ounce package Melissa's steamed lentils
• 4 cups low-salt, fat-free chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• grated parmesan cheese (for garnish)

Instructions

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add the onion, carrots and celery and a pinch of kosher salt and cook until tender, about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.Add the tomatoes and their juice, rosemary and bay leaf, steamed lentils and another pinch of salt, broth, water and a few grinds of fresh pepper. Bring to a simmer, stir, cover and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. Remove and discard the rosemary and bay leaf.Serve, garnishing each bowl with a sprinkling of Parmesan.

Details

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 30 mins Total time: 50 mins Yield: 4 servings

Beef stew with beans

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One thing I always have in my pantry is a bag of Hurst's 15-bean soup mix. I throw away the packet of fake ham seasoning. Then I chop up some onions, carrots and celery and get to work.

Normally I start the pot with a little bacon, but this time I used beef stew meat. Because I didn't have any bacon and I was too lazy to go out to the store again. How did it happen that I didn't have bacon and did have beef stew meat? Well...I'm not always an organized shopper. Sometimes I take my list and cross things off as they go in my cart. And sometimes I wing it and assume my little brain will be able to remember everything I need without writing it down. Which, most of the time, it can't.

I love one-pot meals, especially on weeknights. Serve this with some cut-up raw vegetables or a green salad and you're done. If you can, make this recipe a day or two in advance and let it sit in the refrigerator. It's way better after sitting for a day or two.

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Beef stew with beans

by Erika Kerekes November-30-2011

A simple thick stew with beef and mixed beans. Turn this into soup by adding more water during the cooking process.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 2-inch cubes (I like chuck roast)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 4 large stalks celery, chopped
• 1 package Hurst 15-bean soup mix (beans only)
• 1 can tomato sauce (15 ounces)
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and pepper to taste
• chopped fresh chives or parsley, for garnish

Instructions

Heat a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Spray the pot with cooking spray and add the beef in a single layer. (You may have to do this in batches, depending on the size of your pot.) Brown the beef cubes on all sides - let them get nice and crusty. Take them out of the pot and put them on a plate.Now add the onions, carrots and celery to the pot and stir to coat the vegetables with the beef juices. Saute the vegetables about 5 minutes, until they are softened and glazed with the browned beef juices and bits.Rinse the dry beans in a strainer, then dump them into the pot with the vegetables. Add back the beef plus any juices that have accumulated on the plate. Put in the tomato sauce and bay leaves plus enough water to cover everything by one inch. Bring the pot to a boil, turn the heat way down to low, cover the pot, and let it simmer about two and a half hours, until the beans are soft and the beef is fall-apart tender. Check the pot every half hour or so and add more water if it looks like the beans have absorbed it all.Season the stew with salt and pepper. Serve hot garnished with the chopped herbs.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 3 hour Total time: 3 hour 10 mins Yield: 8-10 servings

Smoky roasted chickpeas

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Airplane food. Airport food. Hotel food. Conference food. Vending machine food.

This has not been a month of clean eating. Lots of business travel means too many meals outside my own kitchen and thus more or less out of my control. It's a good thing I didn't take Eating Rules' October Unprocessed challenge. I would either have failed miserably or starved, neither of which would have made me particularly pleasant to be around.

Today, my one day this week in my own zip code, I worked at home. I've gotten used to snacking, a habit I know I need to break. But today, I thought, at least I can snack on stuff that won't make me feel like crap.

And so I roasted chickpeas. If you've never roasted garbanzo beans in the oven, you're missing out on a healthy snack that provides both crunching satisfaction and essential nutrients. I like them roasted with garlic salt and smoked paprika, but you can take this recipe in many different directions. Cumin and chili powder. Ras-el-hanout (a Moroccan spice blend). Garlic and cayenne. Herbes de Provence. Dry mustard powder? Wasabi powder? Cinnamon sugar? The possibilities are endless.

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Smoky roasted chickpeas

by Erika Kerekes October-22-2011

A healthy snack that tastes dangerous but causes no guilty feelings whatsoever. Smoked paprika adds the essence of bacon but keeps things vegan.

Ingredients

• 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic salt (or substitute 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp garlic powder and 1/4 tsp dried parsley)
• 1 tsp smoked paprika

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.Dump the chickpeas into a strainer and rinse them well. Drain thoroughly, then turn the chickpeas onto a wad of paper towels. Using another paper towel, press the chickpeas gently until they're dry.Put the chickpeas on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle over the olive oil and sprinkle on the spices. Toss the chickpeas with your hands until everything is mixed and the chickpeas are well coated.Roast the chickpeas in the oven for about 40 minutes, shaking the pan every 10 minutes or so to let the chickpeas cook evenly. Remove the pan from the oven and let the chickpeas cool on the baking sheet. Taste and salt again if necessary. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 40 mins Total time: 45 mins Yield: about 2 cups

Pinto beans with Saag's sausage

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About once a week I make rice and beans for dinner. I wish I could say that it's part of a "more plants" menu plan. I'd be fine with that, but I live with three men (one large, one medium-sized, one smaller) who are ardent carnivores. Rice and beans may be plants, but in our house they are generally decorated with meat: bacon, sausage, ground beef or turkey, leftover steak or pork chops, whatever.