carrot salad with parsley

Though unlikely, mid-week lunch inspiration struck today. I had planned on avocado toast with over-easy eggs and parsley when I realized that the parsley’s true destiny was a supporting role in a carrot salad. So I grabbed a few carrots from the fridge and had this tasty salad made (and photographed) in minutes. Healthy and photogenic? Oh yes. Head over to Babble.com’s Family Kitchen for our recipe.

braised country-style ribs with cippolini

At the butcher, I felt a little embarrassed that I’d never heard of country-style ribs, given that I come from what is arguably “the country.” And even if you’re not willing to concede my particular home-census-tract is rural enough, it is, at a minimum, part of a country. Also, I really like ribs. So how had I not heard of country-style ribs? read more »

quick pear and cabbage slaw

Recently, I admitted that I really, really love potato salad. It’s time for another bourgeois confession: I love coleslaw. My ardent admiration for potato salad and coleslaw comes with a few caveats, though–I want fresh, slightly crisp ingredients, a light touch with the dressing, and a hint of raw onion.

It was with these thoughts in mind that I whipped up this tasty pear and cabbage slaw the other night. read more »

classic potato salad

Around here, potato salad has gotten short shrift. Always thrown onto a menu as a late addition, and made in a hurry. But yesterday I had a revelation–I love this stuff. Made right, potato salad can be crisp, bright, and modern. My take has tons of lemon and parsley, as well as capers, though I think the real secret is perfectly cooked potatoes. You want them just tender, but not overcooked in the least, so keep a close eye as you boil them. For our simple recipe, head over to Babble.com’s Family Kitchen.

oven-braised beans

Since beans are basically free I have been making them a lot for company. It’s not just the recession though, great beans are delicious and simple, especially if there are vegetarians or vegans around. I have been making a variation on this recipe for years and years. Beans are forgiving of almost anything, but please use plenty of salt. As always, experiment with spices and herbs you have around or particularly like. Some additions I love are chives, oregano, parsley, cilantro, fresh hot peppers, whole garlic cloves, green garlic, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, coriander, olives, or extra butter.

For serving suggestions, try fresh summer salsa or tomatillo salsa.

Oven-Braised Mexican Beans

4 cups dry pinto beans, picked over and rinsed
3 tablespoons butter
1 large red onion chopped
4 cloves garlic crushed and diced
1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1 teaspoon red peeper flakes
1 tablespoon fancy red chili powder
1 tablespoon brown chili powder
1/2-1 bottle beer
splash apple cider vinegar
juice of 1/2 a lime
salt
pepper

The well-prepared among us should soak the beans in plenty of salted water overnight. For the less-prepared, place beans in a large pot with plenty of salted water, bring to a boil, and then turn heat to medium-low for 4-5 hours. Sometime in the middle of cooking I rinse the beans, change the water, bring to a boil and then lower the heat again. If you are in a real hurry you can turn up the heat for quicker cooking, but I think that contributes to beans most notorious quality — be warned. Regarding cook time, it is fine for the beans to have a little bite, but they need to be mostly tender.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a dutch oven or comparable pot melt 3 tablespoons of butter until bubbly and fragrant. Add the onion and slowly saute over medium-low heat until onions are tender and translucent. Meanwhile, crush the spices together with a mortar and pestle, if you don’t have one they can be crushed with a bowl and glass. Add to the onions and stir. Add the beans, garlic, beer, vinegar, and lime. Check salt level and add more if necessary. Stir, cover, and place on a large cookie sheet in the oven. Cook for 3 hours checking every so often for liquid and salt. Ideally the liquid will be about half the level of the beans.

Remove from oven and serve.