Mediterranean savor: Bean stew with a marked Portuguese style.

◾  There are several recipes inside Portuguese cuisine of dishes made with a rice stock, so that inspired by that kind of dishes I created this delicious stew.

◾   It is an ideal dish to prepare not only in cold seasons, but also after the feast days, with food of “heavy” digestion; because it is a dish which “perks you up” your stomach  and makes you feel very comfortable.

Preparation:

The evening before, put the beans to soak, to hydrate them.   

The next day:

• Cook the beans with one onion, two bay leaves, one dried chili pepper and sea salt (to taste) in plenty of water. The water from cooking is used as stock for the stew.  

• Cover the bottom of a saucepan, similar to a paella pan with lid, with extra virgin olive oil and put it to heat. Meanwhile, chop an onion and when the oil is hot, sauté the onion over a low heat. Chop the cloves of garlic and add them when the onion is softened. Stir and let make some minutes.    

• Add the spices (basil and oregano; on other occasions, I have used rosemary, thyme and a dash of ground cumin; the use of the spices is always to the taste of the one who prepares the recipe). Stir and let make.      

• Dice the peeled tomatoes and add them together with a dash of sugar (to neutralize the acidity of tomato), stir. Let make everything over a low heat so that the flavors will combine and sauté in their own juice. 

• Add the brown rice, stir and then add the white beans (it doesn´t matter although they aren´t completely cooked because they finish their cooking together with the remaining ingredients, since the brown rice needs cooking almost an hour). The stock we use is the one from cooking the beans.                         

Ingredients (serves 4):

Note: The quantities and ingredients are always to taste of the one who prepares the recipe.

200 g white beans,

2 large  tomatoes ,

2 large onions,

5 large cloves of garlic,

1 coffee cup round-grain brown rice, from Calasparra D.O.  

1 tablespoon dried  basil ,

1 tablespoon dried  oregano ,

1 teaspoon  Muscovado sugar ,

1 dried  chili pepper (optional),

2  bay leaves ,

 extra virgin olive oil            

sea salt (to taste)

Approximate time: 2 hours

>> see more stew recipes

                   

Mediterranean Savor: "Judiones from La Granja" to an old-fashioned way.

Since I discovered “the Judiones" (giant butter beans) from La Granja, they are also known by the name "white of Spain", more than 3 years ago, they have been my favorites. 

I practically prepare them in the same away, cooked with an onion, some  bay leaves , a  dried chili pepper  and a dash of sea salt. 

When they start to be soft, I am mashing some of beans with the aid of a skimmer and a fork. Sometimes I leave the broth more liquid, others, as in the photograph, thicker. But I always add a garlic stir-fry with  sweet paprika  in  extra virgin olive oil   at the end. 

If you like spicier, add more chilies or hot paprika; if it is, otherwise, remove the chili but you can keep sweet paprika. A little spicy, although very light, strengthens our body against colds. And the dish accompanied by a large slice of whole wheat bread. 

The beans prepared only or with other vegetables suit very well; furthermore, they are very digestive and nutritive. Their bad reputation is due to the fact that they are combined with animal food, that´s why they are very heavy dishes and difficult to digest. 

The giant butter beans are grown in the vicinity of La Granja from San Ildefonso in the province of Segovia (Spain), a nice place worth visiting. 

The difference in size of the beans (giant bean) in respect of white or pinto beans is visible in the photo.

                                    

Mediterranean Savor: Cream soups with "colorful garnishes".

Small white beans

Green beans

Vegetables

Zucchini

Beetroot (Borsch cream)

Pumpkin (cream made as before)

Red beans

                                       

Mediterranean Savor: White beans stew with spinach.

The white beans go very well with spinach, a rich source of vitamins and minerals.  

Preparation:             

• In a 3-liter saucepan put the beans (previously soaked overnight to rehydrate them), a large onion and add cold water, cover. Bring the water to a boil, add a dash of sea salt (to taste) and let it simmer.

• When the beans are tender, with the help of a skimmer and a fork, mash some beans to give the stew a thicker texture and stir.

• When they are cooked, add the spinach, previously picked over and washed (to clean the spinach, I use sea salt and vinegar).

• In a skillet lightly fry some cloves garlic, thinly sliced: add the garlic stir-fry to the saucepan, stir. And serve.

Accompany the dish by a large slice of whole-wheat bread; this way, we have a dish with a high nutritional value.    

Ingredients (Serves 4): 

200 g dried white beans; 
170 g  spinach  (once picked over); 
1 large onion; 
4 cloves garlic (to taste);
extra virgin olive oil ; 
sea salt (to taste).

>> see more stew recipes

                   

Mediterranean Savor: White beans stew with spinach and rice.

The small white beans are a part of several of my recipes for autumn and winter seasons.

Its savor is very smooth and its texture, once cooked, is creamy, and besides, they are easily digested. Nutritionally, they stand out by their richness in protein, their high iron content and help to keep a blood glucose level healthy.

By combining them with brown rice, we have a dish with a high protein value. And with the spinach, rich in vitamins and minerals, above all, in iron, we give it, in addition to a touch of color, a high nutritional value.

Preparation:

In a 3-liter saucepan:

• Beans, like all dried legumes, are soaked overnight to rehydrate them. Next day, in a saucepan we put the beans, one large onion, a couple of bay leaves, one dried chili pepper (or more, as desired) and fill with cold water, cover and when it comes to a boil, add a pinch of sea salt (to taste) and reduce heat. 

• When the beans are tender, with the help of a skimmer and a fork, mash some beans to give a thicker texture to the stew and stir.

• Add a coffee cup of brown rice (brown rice needs almost an hour of cooking; that´s why we add it, more or less, in the middle of cooking the stew).

• Add the spinach, previously picked over and washed, (I use sea salt and vinegar to clean) when the stew is cooked because the time it needs is very little.

Ingredients (serves 4):

200 g small dried white beans,
170 g  spinach  (once picked over and washed),
1 large onion,
2  bay leaves ,
1 dried  chili pepper  (to taste),
1 coffee cup  brown rice 
and sea salt (to taste)

 >> see more stew recipes

                   

Mediterranean Savor: Dried legumes.

Beans, chickpeas, broad beans and lentils are very popular in the cuisines in the Mediterranean Basin; besides, there is a great variety both in size and colors what allows a lot of combinations.


We can prepare dried legumes alone or combined with other vegetables like spinach, turnip greens, kale, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, etc.; or cereals like rice.

Season with herbs and spices; only with salt (to taste) for the cooking and serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in raw, etc.

We have very varied recipes ranging from Spanish chickpea stews, stocks, cream soups to vegetable purées (like hummus) and mixed salads, in which we combine the cooked legumes with raw vegetables, ideal for summer  times.

Since in summer, we lose more fluids and nutrients than in other times of the year, so we have to replenish them, not only drinking more water, but also through more nutritious dishes.




And if, besides, we accompany the legumes by cereals, then, we have dishes with a high nutritional value. 

For this reason, cereals like rice, bread (wheat /oat/ kamut/ rye /...), couscous and pasta have to be always whole-wheat, whole grain. 

Both in Spanish cuisine and Portuguese one

 is a tradition to accompany the meals by bread.