Creamy white beans and Chorizo

It's cold and rainy today, a good day for a hearty hot dinner.  Beans are a staple in the pantry and I like white beans that can be cooked long to the point of being creamy. Spanish chorizo is also one of my favorites, its color and flavor unmatched. Let's combine the two, creamy base note beans, and sharp sausage for a satisfying dinner.

I cook the beans almost like risotto, slowly adding stock as needed to keep the beans loose but not soupy.

The vegetable mixture is completely flexible, use what you want. here is what I did,

Ingredients:
Soaked white beans (I'm using great northern beans)
4 cups Chicken stock
1 tsb olive oil plus extra for drizzling
1/2 tsp salt
1 carrot finely diced
2 clove garlic minced
1/4 cup onion minced
1/2 tsp dried herbs I used (herbs de provence)
3 oz spanish chorizo diced
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
Add olive oil to sauce pot over medum high heat

Add diced carrots and salt, stir and cook about 3 minutes, reduce heat to medium,

Add onions, stir and cook another 5 minutes,

Add garlic, stir and cook 1 minute.

Add the soaked and drained beans and stir.

Add enough stock to just cover, bring to boil then reduce heat to medium low,

Put a lid on it, but leave it cracked, simmer for about 30 minutes stirring occasionally.

Add the dried herbs.

Add stock as needed to just keep the beans covered. When beans are tender - mash about a third of them and stir back into the rest of the beans.

Meanwhile....

Add diced chorizo to a small sauce pan over medium high heat until a slight crust starts to form. Drain excess fat.

Spoon beans into bowl, top with about 1/2 the sausage, drizzle with olive oil.

Creamy beans, crunchy salty spicy sausage. Life is good.

Until next time, Eat Well & Keep Digging!


The Gastronomic Gardener
Garden blog http://amidwestgarden.blogspot.com/
Cooking blog http://ihopeyouarehungry.blogspot.com/
Twitter - www.twitter.com/DavidPOffutt
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Red Wine Braised Beef Shanks

I had a couple beef shanks in the freezer that I took out to thaw yesterday.  Shanks need a long slow cooking and this is a perfect technique.

Ingredients:


1.5 to 3 lbs beef shank
1 large onion, halved and sliced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly smashed
1 tbsp Herbs de Provence
1/2 cup Red Wine
Beef Stock, to cover
Olive Oil, for searing
Salt and pepper to taste

Yes, I used a very nice wine but it will go great with dinner!

Directions:

Place a large dutch oven or stock-pot with a tight fitting lid over medium high heat.
Season both sides of beef generously with salt and pepper.
Add 2 tbsp. olive oil to pot and swirl to coat.
Place Beef shank in pan and cook for 2-4 minutes per side, or until a deep, rich crust is formed.

Add onions, garlic and herbs.

Pour wine over shank and shake pan vigorously.

Add stock until beef is barely visible.

Press vegetables down into the liquid.

Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 4 to 5 hours, or until beef is fork-tender.

Test for seasoning and simmer an additional 20 minutes. At this point I removed them and put them in a warm oven wrapped in foil.

While the shanks were cooking I made the white beans. I make them sort of like risotto, a slow simmer slowly adding broth - in this case beef broth.

In a pan over medium high heat, add some garlic.

Add 1  diced carrot, 2 diced celery stalks and a little broth, cook until vegetables are tender. 

Add beans, and some broth.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
When beans are tender, mash them coarsely, and add a little more broth.

Simmer the beans on low heat to drive some of the moisture out.  

Meanwhile, strain the broth, return liquid to the pot, increase the heat to high, add a tablespoon of butter and bring to a boil.

Add a little slurry of cornstarch and water. Add to the broth, and wisk until brot thickens into a gravy.

Remove shanks from oven.

Plate some bean puree, a shank, and spoon some of the gravy over the top. I must say, it was fantastic! Rich gravy, melt in your mouth beef, and hearty beans. Make this soon!

Until next time, Eat Well & Keep Digging!

The Gastronomic Gardener
Garden blog http://amidwestgarden.blogspot.com/
Cooking blog http://ihopeyouarehungry.blogspot.com/
Twitter - www.twitter.com/DavidPOffutt

http://www.facebook.com/TheGastronomicGardener