alteRecipes brothy grain and beans recipe

photo by m-c

brothy grain and beans
(omnivore)

recipe by m-c

what I was looking for

a larder supper -- something I could make without a trip to the store

what I made

I started with the Risi e Bisi in Nigella Lawson's Forever Summer, page 25 -- a beautiful summertime dish from Venice of brothy rice and peas but then alteRed it to fit what I had on hand, making it much more of a winter dish, which was appropriate because the day was cold and rainy, summer or no summer.

chit-chat

I'm really getting enthusiastic about this larder idea of mine, having a constant supply of partially prepared ingredients on hand. So far, the ingredients are:

some cooked dried beans (of course)
a cooked intact whole grain
some braised greens
cookie dough in the freezer
some kind of meat broth

With these on hand, there are all kinds of dishes I can make without a last-minute trip to the grocery store. I love grocery shopping, but I love it at 10:00 in the morning, not at 5:15, when I'm fighting for space with all the folks who just got off of work.

And why, you may ask, have I not planned ahead and shopped at 10:00 in the morning? Why indeed.

If I were a perfect person, I would have the day's plans laid out the night before: yoga and stretching 7am, breakfast and newspaper 7:30am, cardio 8am, writing 9am, grocery shopping 10am, lunch preparation 10:30am, writing 10:45am, lunch 11:30am ... etc.

Would I be a better person if I mapped my life out like that? Undoubtedly.

Would I be a more likable person? No, I would be unbearably smug.

Would my experience be useful to alteRecipes readers? No.

If their days were mapped out the night before, they too would be unbearably smug, and they would never waste their time reading the real-life kitchen adventures of a pair of normal, fallible rapscallions like Margaret and me. They wouldn't be alteRecipes readers at all. They'd read nothing but high-end restaurant recipes and they'd never, ever alteR them.

grades for my version

healthy	A	Whole grains, dried beans, a little cheese, so good.
fast	C	The larder foods make this recipe go faster, but it's still not fast.
easy	A	Easy-peasy.
cheap	B+	The only expensive part is good Parmesan cheese.
delicious	A	Boy howdy, yes.

yield

Serves two as the main dish of a supper with enough left over for a small breakfast.

equipment

a pot
a silicone pancake turner or a silicone spoon, if you prefer

never mind

Nigella starts the dish by making a puree of peas, butter, and cheese, which she then stirs into the dish later. Uncharacteristically fussy for Nigella, and utterly beyond the point for me.

the sofrito

ingredients	Nigella scaled	m-c	why?
butter	2 Tablespoons	1 Tablespoon	weight
olive oil	1 Tablespoon not extra-virgin	1 Tablespoon extra-virgin	cheaper [1]
onion family	half of a small onion, chopped	2 medium-sized shallots, chopped	tastier

Notes
[1]	It's cheaper (and easier) to buy just one grade of olive oil and use it quickly than it is to buy two or three grades and let one or another go rancid from too little use. In my house the sensible choice is extra-virgin; it might be another in yours.

Slick the bottom of your pot with the butter and oil and fry the chopped shallots to your liking (I like them browned, you might prefer them cooked only till they're transparent).

the greens

ingredients	Nigella scaled	m-c	why?
parsley	1 ½ teaspoons chopped	¼ cup chopped	healthier, tastier [1]
mint	---	¼ cup chopped	healthier, tastier [1]

Notes
[1]	You could use any kind of mild herb or leafy green here. Don't use more than half a cup total or the dish will get grassy, not the effect you're aiming for.

or Stir in the chopped greens and fry them till they're just wilted (they'll cook more in good time).

grain, bean, and broth

ingredients	Nigella scaled	m-c	why?
grain	½ cup raw risotto rice	½ cup cooked Kamut	easier
legume	⅜ cup frozen petite peas	½ cup cooked baby chickpeas	easier
broth	3 ½ cups heated chicken broth	3 ½ cups room-temp chicken broth	easier

Any kind of cooked legume and any kind of cooked grain -- full-sized grain, not the teensies like quinoa and teff -- will work well here.

I'm wild about dried baby chickpeas, which come in at least three colors, tan, green, and black, have no hard skin as grown-up chickpeas do, and cook ... well, I won't lie, they cook quickly compared to grown-up chickpeas. They're my favorite new convenience food.

Stir in the grain, the legume, and the broth and let the mixture cook for 15 minutes (more or less) till the flavors are all blended.

the rich cheese finish

ingredients	Nigella scaled	m-c	why?
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese	2 Tablespoons grated plus more for serving	¼ cup grated plus more for serving	tastier [1]
parsley	1 Tablespoon chopped	1 Tablespoon chopped	no change
mint	"some"	1 Tablespoon chopped	no change

Notes
[1]	Nigella seems to use much less cheese than I want here -- I don't know whether she gets more cheese flavor from that initial puree I didn't bother to make or -- what's more likely -- my Parmeggiano-Reggiano is not top drawer and hers is. Use enough to get a deep, sour, dark flavor, but not so much that your tastebuds exclaim, "Cheese! Nothing but cheese!"

Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool off till you can touch your fingers to the bottom and let them rest for 45 seconds.

Stir in the cheese and the chopped herbs. (You want to be using your nonstick stirrer here or the hot cheese will bond to it.)

Taste for salt and cheese and adjust them to your liking.

Serve with soup spoons in soup bowls. Mark, who always likes toast, is happy if I serve toast on the side, but I'm just as happy without.