Community Grains Dried Heirloom Cannellini Beans

This recipe was sent to us from Martha Rose Shulman, author of The Very Best of Recipes for Health.

Serves 4 to 6

1 cup Community Grains Cannellini Beans
1 quart water
1 onion, peeled and cut in half
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 bay leaf
Salt to taste
12 pearl onions or small spring onions, bulbs only
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
1 bulb green garlic, stalks and papery skins removed, sliced
1 medium carrot, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch dice
1 pound collard greens, stemmed and roughly chopped
1/4 cup chopped mixed herbs, such as parsley, chives, tarragon, marjoram, chervil
Freshly ground pepper

1. In a medium saucepan, soak the beans for 4 to 6 hours in 1 quart of water, or for a quick soak, bring to a boil in 1 quart water, boil 1 minute, turn off the heat, cover and let sit one hour. Bring to a gentle boil, add the halved onion, the crushed garlic cloves, and the bay leaf, cover and simmer 1 hour. Add salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon) and simmer for another 45 minutes to an hour, until soft and creamy. Taste and adjust salt. Allow to sit in the broth for about 15 minutes, then place a strainer over a bowl and drain. Discard the onion, garlic cloves, and bay leaf. Keep the broth.

2. Meanwhile, peel the onions and score them with an “x” at the root ends. Bring a small pot of water to a boil, add salt to taste and add the onions. Parboil 5 minutes, drain and set aside.

3. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a wide saucepan and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring often, until they begin to soften and sweat, and add carrots and the par-boiled onions. Cook, stirring often, until the onions begin to color slightly, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, and stir in the collard greens. Cook, stirring, until the greens begin to wilt, then stir in 1 1/2 cups of the bean broth. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the beans and herbs, taste and adjust salt, and add freshly ground pepper to taste. Add more bean broth if desired. Simmer for another minute or two, remove from the heat and serve, with couscous or grains.

© Martha Rose Shulman, author of The Very Best of Recipes for Health

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Baked Beans
Serves 6-8

Ingredients

1 pound Community Grains Cannellini Beans
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
8 oz bacon, chopped
1/2 cup packed  brown sugar
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons salt
1 scant teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

After sorting the beans, place them in an oven-safe pot and fill the pot with water to cover the beans by 2 inches.  Next add the rest of the ingredients.  Cover pot and place in a cold oven.  Turn heat to 325 degrees F and bake for 2-4 hours, or until the beans are cooked.  Start checking your beans after 1 hour to see how much water they have absorbed.  If needed, add boiling water to the pot, cover, and return to the oven.  If your beans are done, but there is too much liquid in the pot, place the pot on the stove top and simmer (don’t boil) to evaporate some of the liquid.  Once you’ve reached the desired consistency, remove the pot from the heat and serve.  Enjoy!

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Deluxe Double-Chocolate Cookies

We used the recipe from the Tartine cookbook (sold at most local bookstores) by the great Elizabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson (owners of Tartine Bakery & Bar Tartine in San Francisco, CA).   These cookies are rich, intensely chocolate and are a great example of how our Hard Red Winter Wheat Flour can be used just like an all-purpose flour. Serve them with espresso or sandwich local ice cream between them for a delicious ice cream sandwich.

Deluxe Double-Chocolate Cookies
Makes 36 cookies
Adapted from Tartine, by Elizabeth Prueitt & Chad Roberston

Ingredients

8 ounces good quality bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup  Community Grains Hard Red Winter Wheat Flour
½ cup good quality cocoa powder
2 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup  granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup whole milk, at room temperature

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.

Fill a pan with around 2 inches of water and bring to a simmer on the stove top. Place the chocolate into a dry stainless-steel bowl and put it on top of the pan of simmering water, checking to make sure the bowl is not touch the simmering water below. You’ll want to melt the chocolate, making sure to stir occasionally, until the it is smooth and there are no lumps.  Remove the bowl from the pot and let it cool.

Sift into a medium bowl the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder.  Set this aside.  Put the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium-high speed with the paddle attachment until light and creamy.  While the mixer is running, slowly add the sugar in a steady steam and continue beating until it looks smooth.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add one egg. Beat on medium-high speed until incorporated.  Once the first egg is completely mixed in add the next egg, the salt, and the vanilla and mix well.   Stop the mixer and pour all the melted chocolate over the butter-egg mixture and beat until it is mixed evenly.  Slow the mixer to low and add the milk and mix until it is fully incorporated.  Lastly, add the flour-cocoa mixture and beat on low until fully mixed.

Using a spoon or ½ ounce ice cream scoop drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet making sure to space them at least 1 inch apart form each other. Bake for about 7 minutes.  The cookies may look slightly underdone, but they’re not.  Let the cookies sit on the hot pan for a minute or two before transferring them to a cooling rack.  Store in an airtight container once cool.

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Community Grains Black Valentine Beans and Fusilli are featured in this hearty minestrone soup with a Mexican twist.

This week’s recipe is from guest contributor, Carrie Murphy, a poet who blogs about healthy food at Plums In The Icebox.

Mexican Minestrone

1 onion, diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, finely diced
1/2 of a red pepper, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cups of cooked Black Valentine beans
2 cups of diced tomatoes (fresh or canned)
6 cups of vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
1 tsp chili powder
2 tablespoons green chiles (or more, if you like it spicy!)
1 cup of corn
1 1/2 cups cooked small pasta (such as Community Grains Fusilli)
1 1/2 cups fresh torn spinach
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large soup pot, saute onions, celery and garlic until the onions are soft and translucent.
2. Add the peppers and cook on medium heat for a 3-4 minutes.
3. Add the beans and tomatoes and cook for 5 or so minutes.
4. Stir in the broth, chili powder, salt and pepper. Cook on medium-low for about 15-20 minutes.
5. Add corn and cook for about 5 minutes.
6. Stir in cooked pasta and fresh spinach and cook until spinach is wilted.
7. Garnish with cheese and serve!

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This week’s recipe is from guest contributor, Carrie Murphy, a poet who blogs about healthy food at Plums In The Icebox.

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh chopped garlic
1/2 to 3/4 an onion, diced
2 cups cooked Snow Cap beans
1/2 bunch of kale or other greens, stemmed and chopped into 1 in pieces
2-3 tablespoons vegetable or chicken broth
1/8 cup lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
optional: red pepper flakes

1. In a large skillet or frying pan, saute the onions and garlic together with some olive oil until just soft. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Add more oil to the pan (the heat should be medium-high) and then add the beans. Spread them out into a single layer.
3. Let the beans get crisp; cook, in a single layer, for at least 2 minutes without stirring. Stir and do the same for the other side of the beans. Cook until beans are crisp and blistered all over.
4. Add the onions back into the skillet with the kale and broth. Stir well.
5. Cook until the kale has wilted; season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to your liking.
6. Serve alone or atop rice or quinoa. Garnish with fresh tomatoes. This dish also tastes great with parmesan, feta or goat cheese on top.

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This is a great pasta salad that combines Community Grains fusilli with the bright flavors of aioli, roasted red peppers, and fresh herbs along with rich German butterball potatoes!

Recipe created exclusively for Community Grains by Chef Jonah Rhodehamel of Oliveto Cafe & Restaurant in Oakland, CA.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

8 oz Community Grains Amber Durum Fusilli
8 oz German butterball potatoes, boiled skin on, cooled, and diced
6 oz roasted red peppers, sliced thinly
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh chervil, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoons fresh tarragon, chopped
3 oz frisée, washed
Approximately 1 cup aïoli

For Aïoli:
1 egg yolk
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/8 cup lemon juiced
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
3/4 cup grape seed oil
1/4 cup olive oil
1  1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions
Cook fusilli in salted boiling water until just done, drain, and rinse with cold water.  Transfer pasta to large bowl and add potatoes, peppers, herbs, frisée, and toss.  To make the aioli, in medium bowl combine the egg yolk, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, garlic and salt.  Using a whisk slowly mix in the grape seed oil in a steady, thin stream to emulsify the mixture.  Once the grape seed oil is gone, continue with the olive oil in the same manner.  Add aioli to pasta and mix well.  Season the pasta salad with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.


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Castelvetrano olives are sometimes a bit hard to find, but it’s worth the extra effort to track some down. Grown in Sicily, Castelvetrano olives are picked young and cured in lightly salted brine, giving them their recognizable bright green color as well as their mild, buttery flavor.

Recipe created exclusively for Community Grains by Chef Jonah Rhodehamel of Oliveto Cafe & Restaurant in Oakland, CA.

8 oz. Community Grains Amber Durum Fusilli
few TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP garlic minced
1/3 yellow onion, brunoise
3 TBSP capers, rinsed and chopped
4 oz dry white wine
1 cup diced, cooked, chicken
3 TBSP Castelvetrano olives, chopped
3 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
4 oz butter, unsalted
few TBSP pasta water
1 TBSP salt

Cook fusilli in well-salted water until just done and drain reserving a bit of the pasta water.  Set aside.

In a pan, sweat out garlic and onion in olive oil. Add capers and wine and reduce wine by half. Add chicken, olives, and rosemary. Turn up heat and add butter a reserved pasta water, stirring until sauce thickens a bit. Add salt.  Toss with pasta.

Voilà!

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A super easy, yet surprisingly satisfying dinner option.

Soak 1 pound of CG Black Valentine beans over night

Discard soaking water

Gently cook beans for 1-2 hours in enough water to cover beans by 3 inches, along with 4-5 black peppercorns, a few tablespoons olive oil, bay leaf, sea salt, 3-4 cloves crushed garlic. This can also be done in a slow cooker or a pressure cooker.

Heap scoopfuls of beans onto tostada shells and top with guacamole, salsa, farm cheese, radish, cucumber, lime juice, salsa, and cilantro.

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We’ve finally compiled the notes we collected from our illustrious tasters.

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We put Russ Parson’s no-soak method to the test on our Chestnut Lima beans. This ended up being really simple and yielded some seriously delicious beans with a meaty, rich flavor. You could sauté your aromatics in the pot beforehand, but in an attempt to make this a one-step recipe we skipped that step. This would also work well in a pressure cooker.

1 pound of Community Grains Chestnut Lima beans
2 cloves garlic crushed
5-6 peppercorns
bay leaf
4 tablespoons olive oil
chopped cilantro
chili flake
cup of tomato puree
half a white onion diced

Place all ingredients in your bean pot or clay pot casserole & cover with water by 2 inches. Place covered in a cold oven. Turn oven on to 325 degrees.
Cook for 2 -3 hours. (salt mid-way through)
Add water if necessary.

Garnish with avocado, cilantro, red onion, farm cheese and serve with warm tortillas.

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