Here we are just before “Resolution Day” again. As always, I look to different cultures that cook some type of beans as a wish for prosperity and good health in the upcoming year. Many rely on beans, once used as money. Beans and rice. Black-eyed peas. Lentils and sausage. Beans were often dried to sustain people throughout the harsh winter. They gave rise to culinary superstitions, through generations.
One year, I combined a few. Eating lentils while walking up a staircase backward was hilarious. So was trying to consume 12 grapes as the clock struck midnight. Of course, the following year was a total bust. The stock market tanked and the kids were plagued with ear infections. Smaller disappointments piled up daily.
My many resolutions, as resolutions go, were forgotten by mid-January! No weight loss. No improvements of any kind.
So now I hold my turn-of-the-year cooking to sensible soup packed with beans and good nutrition. And I keep the resolution list short and achievable.
My resolution list this year is aimed toward the kitchen. They seem doable since I like to spend time there. Two recipes for warming bean soups follow.
Resolution #1: Clean out my cupboards. Throw out mismatched and broken cups, glasses and dishes, stained, torn tablecloths and napkins.
Resolution #2: Find a few nutritious recipes that ALL the kids will eat. Cook them often.
Resolution #3: Learn to successfully bake one type of cookie. (Although I’ve cooked professionally, I am a somewhat hopeless baker.)
Resolution #4: Read labels on packaged food before purchasing, so I don’t bring home
chemicals and other objectionable ingredients to my family.
Resolution #5: Donate time to a local food pantry.
LENTIL SOUP
Makes 6 servings.
Spike this recipe with herbs of your choice — thyme, rosemary, parsley. If using dried herbs, add them to the cooking oil when starting the garlic.
1 pound lentils
2 cloves garlic
1 pound baby spinach, stemmed
¾ pound potatoes, cut into 2-inch cubes
4 tablespoons olive oil
2-1/2 quarts water
4 ounces bacon, cut in pieces (optional)
½ pound sausage (Italian, chorizo, breakfast, etc.)
¼ teaspoon, or to taste red pepper flakes.
Salt, pepper, to taste
Rinse and pick over lentils and discard any shriveled ones. Peel and chop garlic. Chop spinach coarsely.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Give the garlic a walk around the bottom until it turns golden. Add the bacon and sausage (if using) and sauté just until lightly browned.
Add the lentils and water to cover. Bring the mixture up to a boil, then down to a slow simmer. Cook for 30 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook for 20 minutes longer.
Add the spinach and seasonings and cook for about 5 minutes until spinach wilts.
Ladle into bowls and drizzle the tops with olive oil.
BEEF AND WHITE BEAN STEW
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
2 pounds beef of your choice cut into 2-inch chunks
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
6 large carrots, cut into 1-inch rounds
3 pounds russet potatoes, cut into 2-inch cubes
1 can cannellini or large white beans
Salt, pepper
3 cups water or prepared beef stock
Preheat oven to 350 F
Dredge beef chunks in flour, shaking off excess. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Sear meat on all sides. Remove and set aside. Drain fat, leaving only enough to film the bottom.
Return meat to the pot. Add onions, carrots, potatoes and parsley. Reserve some parsley.
Add water; bring barely to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, for 30 to 45 minutes.
If stock needs thinning, add more water or beef stock. Add canned beans; cook 15 minutes longer. Ladle into bowls; sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Linda Bassett lived in Marblehead for years and has worked as a cook, trained up-and-coming chefs, studied food history and led food tours. Her book, “From Apple Pie to Pad Thai,” is about local cooks and cooking.
