White Bean Salad

Robin's recipes were so delicious that I had to include this one which was noted on the same page.  Arto de Haroutunian's Middle Eastern Cookery is the place to find even more!

8 oz. haricot beans, soaked in cold water overnight
3 T. oil (or butter if you serve it warm)
1 large onion, thinly sliced
5 tomatoes, blanched, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 t. dried basil
3 T. parsley, finely chopped
1 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper
1/4 t. allspice

Garnish: 1 T. parlsey finely chopped, lemon wedges, 2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered.

Chickpea Salad with Spearmint

Dressing:

1 t. ground sumac

1 small clove garlic, crushed

2 T. dried spearmint

2 T. fresh lemon juice

1 T. red wine vinegar

3 T. olive oil

1/2 t. salt, or more to taste.

Pour over:

2 c. cooked chickpeas

Let sit at least 30 min.

Thanks again, to the Duguid's Flatbreads and Flavors

Ful Medames or Fool Mudammas (Fava)

2 c. small fava beans, dried, cooked until tender (on stovetop about 2-2 1/2 hours)
Add Salt

When tender, take out some to crush and thicken the beans
Heat 1-4 T. oil with 4-6 crushed cloves of garlic.
Pour into beans.

Pass the following for garnish:
hard boiled eggs (or go crazy and do hamine eggs: eggs wrapped in onion skins, boiled then cooked on low for 6 hours)
cumin
ground cilantro
lemon wedges
chopped cilantro
chopped parsley
Chili-pepper flakes

Eat by crushing with a fork to absorb the dressing.

Other optional garnishes:

*In Syria and Lebanon they add feta, olives and cucumbers

*chopped tomato, cucumber salad with scallions

*tahina cream sauce and pickled onions (soaked in vinegar 30 min.)

*garlicky tomato sauce:
1 large onion finely chopped, fried in olive oil until soft and goldne
4 whole garlic cloves (add until lightly colored)
2 lbs. tomatoes, peeled and quartered
S&P
1-2 t. sugar
2 t. crushed dried oregano.

Cook on low, squashing tomatoes, cover pan and simmer gently one hour or until thick and jammy.  Pour into glass jar with a thin layer of olive oil on surface.  Cover tightly, store for months (as long as olive oil film on top).

How do I make my basic beans better?

Presoak beans 8 hours or so in salted water.  (3 T. to one quart water)

Add interesting stuff to the beans as they cook:
I regularly add the following:
kombu (makes it more "meaty" and digestible--plenty of umami factor)
onions & garlic
bay leaf

Sometimes I add
bouquet of rosemary, thyme, sage or your favorite herbs tied with twine.

Lentil and Sausage (or not) Salad

WARM LENTIL AND SAUSAGE SALAD

2 c. lentils, preferably French Green, rinsed and picked over

2 c. chicken broth (or veg)

2 c. water

1 carrot, cut in chunks

1/2 rib celery

1 lb. garlicky, smoky sausages such as kielbasa or andouille, cut in 1/2” slices

14/ c. balsamic vinegar

2 t. lemon juice

1/2 c. olive oil

1/4 t. fresh ground pepper

2-3 roasted red peppers or 1 (7-oz) jar cut in strips

2/3 c. sliced scallions, including green tops

1/2 c. pitted black olives (niçoise or kalamata)

1 bunch arugula, washed and trimmed

Combine lentils, broth, water, carrot and celery.  Boil.  Reduce to low, cover, cook until tender but not mushy, 25-45 minutes.  (French take longer than brown, red are good too but will loose shape).  Discard celery and carrot, drain.

Cook sausage on medium, stirring frequently, until well browned and cooked through (c. 12)  Remove to plate, leaving brown bits and 1 T. fat.   

Add vinegar and lemon juice to pan drippings and gradually whisk in olive oil.  Season with dressing.  Pour all but 2 T of dressing over lentils and set aside 5 min. to absorb.

Transfer lentils to serving platter, scatter with red peppers, scallions, olives.  Spoon remaining dressing on top, surround edge with arugula.  

Serve with Salt & Pepper