Just pick your meal…
With the holidays here, there seems to be all kinds of hustle and bustle. There are gatherings and presents to attend to, not to mention the last-minute baking or shopping. But with all the news in the last few days, I’ve just been wanting to sit quietly and take things in. It’s easy to get caught up in whatever is at hand during the holidays, but this year it seems a little more important to slow down.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been thinking about mindfulness. That can mean all kinds of things, but for me, it is about taking in all of the details of regular life on a daily basis. The little things—a sliver of sunlight in the early afternoon, the sweet cedar scent in my favorite tea, the warm glow of the holiday lights. Time in the kitchen, for me, is about that same level of attentiveness—smelling the browning butter and knowing just when it is ready or carefully wrapping a small tree’s worth of persimmons to store away for January. These tasks aren’t milestones in my week, but they bring moments of happiness to my day.
When I think about our meals, I try to be mindful of many things. What’s healthy, what’s in season, what are food preference do I need to account for and what do I want to make? Sometimes a slow simmering pot seems warming. Sunday seems to be a good day for simmering pots at my house in the winter. Other days, quick is king at mealtime, that would be most any workday. Happily, this recipe incorporates both those elements in just the right order. I like to cook a pot of beans on the weekend, then rinse and drain them for use throughout the week.
The best thing about this recipe is that it works for any meal. Paired with poached eggs and a slice of a favorite toasted loaf, it could be breakfast or a light dinner. Since the beans are also delicious at room temperature, it makes a nice addition to shared meal. And it travels well packed in a little jar for a lunch at the office. While the recipe makes enough to feed four as a meal, I’ve been frying the beans in smaller batches as we are ready to eat them and getting a couple of meals from one pot of beans. And don’t be confused, butter beans are the same thing as Lima beans, but one name is much more compelling than the other, no?
Fried butter beans with spinach, feta and sumac
Barely adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty
Serves 4
2 ¼ cups dried baby butter beans
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1 ½ tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to finish
8 green onions, cut on a sharp diagonal, very thin
5 cups fresh spinach, sliced thinly, reserve a little for garnish
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
2 teaspoons sumac
Generous handful of chopped herbs, parsley, dill, cilantro or mint would all be good
Soak the butter beans in a large bowl filled with water and baking soda. Allow to sit for at least 12 hours or overnight.
Rinse the beans in plenty of fresh water. Place in a large cooking pot topped with plenty of water. Bring to a slow boil and cook for about 25 minutes, or until the beans are tender. The beans should be soft, but not falling apart in the pot. When done, drain the beans and set aside until ready to use.
Working in batches, lightly fry the beans in a large frying pan. Add a little of the butter and oil to the pan, then add enough beans to just cover the bottom of the pan. Take care not to overfill the pan, as you want the beans to have a little room in the pan. At medium-high heat, fry for a minute or two, just to get a little color on the beans. Remove the beans from the pan, add a little more butter, olive oil and beans and continue with the next batch.
When almost done cooking the last batch of beans, add the green onions and almost all of the spinach and sauté for about a minute. Remove the pan from heat and add the rest of the fried beans and the ½ teaspoon salt, tossing gently to combine.
Taste and season the beans as needed, adding in the lemon juice, sumac and more salt, if needed. Sprinkle the beans with the crumbled feta, reserved spinach and handful of chopped herbs. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and a little more sumac.
