Romanian White Bean Dip with Caramelized Onion... "Fasole Batuta cu Ceapa Calita"

Romanian White Bean Dip with Caramelized Onion... "Fasole Batuta cu Ceapa Calita"... using a 1 pound bag of beans to make 2 dishes( Part 2).  I loved this dip while growing up. And lately I've had a real craving for it. I quickly realized I didn't have any dried beans in the house, so I made a special trip to the supermarket. Bought a small bag, and got to work. I knew I wasn't going to use all the beans to make the dip, so I decided to make the Romanian Vegetarian Bean Soup I posted recently.  This is the second part  to the bean bag:)....

Ever since I came across the idea of brining my beans before cooking, I've never looked back. I love the flavor the salt imparts to the beans.... so I ended up doing that for the 2 recipes I made, the bean soup and this dip. It really isn't mandatory to brine the beans. My mom never brined her beans and her dishes always came out delicious. So in actuality, you could choose to skip the brining, and just soak the beans normally.... be it overnight, quick soak, etc. But when it comes to cooking the beans, you want to cook them until they are quite soft, otherwise the bean dip won't be so smooth.

It's interesting but I'll take this dip over hummus any day... I may be biased, but I think hummus comes in second place to this Romanian bean dip:). This dip is truly delicious! I'm thinking it probably has to to with the fact that the beans get cooked in a flavorful broth... with onion, carrots and celery(sometimes parsnip), and that just brings in a ton of flavor. Not to mention the caramelized onion and tomato paste/paprika topping that takes the dip over the top. Yum! In any case, if you love bean dips, you may want to give this dip a try. Hope you enjoy...    

Tip: This dip (you can skip the onion mixture) can be used as a base for broiled/grilled meats or fish... just slather some on a plate and place your meat of choice on top, add a side of vegetables/salad and you have a restaurant-style dish.  Or serve with some sausage and sauerkraut salad for a true Romanian dish.

You will need:

Cooking Beans:  

Important:You will only be using  2 cups cooked beans for the dip...  the bean stock and remainder of the beans can be made into a bean soup. Or you can just double the bean dip recipe below, and keep the stock for another use.

Brine:

2 1/2 cups dried white beans beans(navy or northern)

4 cups water

2 TBS kosher salt

Vegetables: for cooking beans and making a bean stock

enough water to cover beans 3 inches above

2 celery stalks

1 onion

1 bay leaf

2 carrots

2 garlic cloves, sliced

1/2 parsnip, if desired( I didn't have)

To Make Dip: You can likewise use canned beans, if you prefer to make a quicker dip, but it won't have that extra flavor when cooked with the vegetables and done from scratch.

2 cups soft-cooked white beans from above  

3 TBS olive oil

1 garlic clove, sliced

3-4 TBS bean stock, or even water

salt to taste

Caramelized Onion Topping:

1/2 onion, chopped fine

2-3 TBS olive oil, plus extra for drizzling on top

1 TBS tomato paste

1 tsp hot smoked paprika(or regular smoked, or sweet)

salt as needed

Directions:

1. Soak beans overnight: Place beans in a large bowl, add water and salt. 

2. Next day: Rinse beans and drain.  

Cook Beans: I cooked my beans in a pressure cooker for about 15 minutes(to make soft beans), but you can cook the beans in a regular pot if you like.... adjusting time.

1. Place drained and soaked beans in a large pot, and cover with about 3 inches of water.

2. Add onion, celery, carrots, garlic, bay leaf, and parsnip(if using). Bring water to a boil, cover and lower heat to a simmer... cook beans until soft. This will take about 12-15 minutes in a pressure cooker or about 45 minutes or so in a regular pot.  

3. Strain stock and remove vegetables. Set stock aside to make bean soup or reserve for another use. 

4. Remove 2 cups worth of beans  to make dip... and 1/4 cup bean stock. The rest of the beans you can place back in the strained bean broth and proceed to make bean soup.   

Note: If you don't want to make a bean soup and want to use all the cooked beans to make a dip, then freeze the stock for another use and double the recipe for the dip. 

Make Dip:

1. Place 2 cups cooked beans in a food processor. 

2. Add garlic, olive oil and bean stock. Process until super smooth a couple of minutes. If bean dip is too thick ,adjust it by adding a bit more stock, 1 TBS at a time. Taste and adjust seasoning.

3. Remove bean puree and place in a shallow bowl, and spread it out a bit. Set it aside.

Make Onion Topping:

1. In a skillet,  heat oil and add the chopped onion. Sprinkle with a bit of kosher salt and cook on med/low, stirring every so often, until onion caramelizes and gets golden brown. This can take about 10 minutes or so.

2. Add the tomato paste and smoked paprika to the onion, combine and cook for an additional 2 minutes or so... you can add another tablespoon of oil, if too dry to loosen the onion mixture up a bit.

Assemble Dip:

1. Place the hot onion mixture in the center of the bean dip and drizzle a bit of extra-virgin olive oil over it.

2. Serve at room temperature... with crusty bread, flatbread, etc.  

Read More

Pressure Cooker Beans...and beans soaked in a brine solution

Pressure Cooker Beans.... and beans soaked in a brine solution. Ah, right when you think you've mastered cooking beans... you encounter yet another method to cook them. Could there possibly be a better way to cook beans? I mean really... beans? All you have to do is cook the beans in water until done. Right?

Well, there's actually a different technique that's applied to the beans... unexpected... but the result yields beans that are creamy, and oh-so tasty. So... the trick is to soak the beans in a brine. That's right... soaking the dried beans in salted water.

For the longest time, I thought you weren't supposed to add salt to beans when cooking them. Reason being is that the salted water may toughen the outer skin of the beans and make them hard. But that's debatable...as some actually say the salt aids in cooking the beans faster. But for me, the idea of never cooking beans in salted water has sort of gone out the window recently. Well, sort of...

Some time ago, I was reading an article on how to cook beans...soaking them or not. The article was favoring the soaking method...and I agree. Not that you can't cook them unsoaked... it's just that I prefer them soaked, as your body can digest them better. So I just plan accordingly. In any case, I happened to read the comments to the article, and one particular comment stood out. The person had recently come across America's Test Kitchen's method of brining beans before cooking....which helps the beans retain most of their skins while cooking and making the inside creamy and more flavorful. No skins floating around. Well, my ears perked up (or my eyes widened) when I read that...What, brining beans?! No, no,no... you aren't supposed to add salt to beans! But then I thought about it...maybe, just maybe I could try it and see for myself. And so I did...

I didn't exactly know the amount of salt to water as it wasn't stated in the article... so I just made my own ratio. Tasted the water and salt...adjusted it until I felt it was sort of like sea water... more or less:). Made my own brine and applied the method to 3 different beans. The beans were incredibly tasty, kept most of their skins on, and most of all they didn't taste bland. I loved how flavorful they were... the salt from the brine penetrates the whole bean. So yes, I didn't actually cook the beans in salted water... rather, I soaked the beans in salted water. A different technique.... that works! There were a few stray skins floating around, but most beans actually had the skins intact.

I'm now a firm believer in brining my beans before cooking them. And since I always use my pressure cooker when cooking the beans, I chose to use the same method. But you can still brine your beans and cook them in a traditional pot... obviously they will take longer to cook.

I haven't bought canned beans in years, and now I have found a way to get those creamy and flavorful beans...without them tasting bland. I'll freeze the beans... for those days when I need some for a dip, salad, or main dish. Very happy with the result... I'm sharing my find, and passing it along for those of you who wish to try it. Hope you enjoy...

Note: Overcooking the beans will make the beans burst, regardless of the brine solution...but they will still taste delicious:).

All beans are different...older ones always tend to need a bit more cooking....and really old beans are more likely to split their skins and remain tough.

After making my batches...I did a bit more research and found ATK's brine solution, which I'm posting below, along with the one I made.

The brining method is supposed to work for all beans...except lentils.

Tip: You will notice there is a bit of oil added to the pot when cooking the beans... this helps with having less "foaming" which can occur while cooking the beans in a pressure cooker.

You will need: inspired and adapted from America's Test Kitchen

My Version: before I found ATK'S version, but worked really well....

Overnight Soak Method

12 oz bag of dried beans

2 TBS kosher salt

5 cups water

America's Test Kitchen's Version: haven't yet tried this version

Quick Soak Method

3 TBS kosher salt

2 quarts of water

2 cups dried beans

~Bring 2 quarts of water and 3 tablespoons of salt to a boil. Pour the hot water over the beans and let them sit for 1 hour. Drain and rinse the beans well before proceeding with recipe.

To Cook:

2 cups soaked dried beans

6 cups water

2 TBS oil

flavorings( carrots, onion, garlic, bay leaf, etc...)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl add beans, water and salt. Mix thoroughly.

2. Soak beans overnight(8-12 hours). With my brine, I left mine about 8 hours or so. Drain and rinse well....or do ATK'S quick soak method above.

3. Add beans to pressure cooker, then add water and oil ... the oil keeps the foam from bubbling up.

• for 1 cup of soaked dried beans I use 4 cups of water...if using more than 1 cup beans, I use 3 cups of water for each cup of soaked beans....
• add 1 TBS oil for every cup of soaked dried beans to the water... so 2 cups beans will have 6 cups of water and 2 TBS oil.
• add any flavorings of choice, bay leaf, carrots, onion, celery, garlic. Do not use acidic products when cooking... such as tomatoes....add them at the end.

4. Close lid, heat on high until pressure is reached. Lower heat to low and cook for 10-15 minutes...depending on beans.

If you want to use the beans in a salad, cook the beans using the minimum time... if using the beans for a dip, cook the beans a bit longer.

Time is approximate...for my electric stovetop, at my altitude. You may need to adjust...but start with the less time, as you can always cook further, if need be.

• Northern/Navy takes about 10-12 minutes
• Pinto takes about 11-13 minutes
• Garbanzo takes about 12-15 minutes
• Black beans takes about 10-12

5. Turn off heat ...and release pressure.

5. You can make a larger batch...which is what I ended up doing for mine. Freeze in small containers/bags. ~No more canned beans... ok, maybe if you must:).

Read More

Black Bean Brownies with Orange Zest

Black Bean Brownies with Orange Zest... Well, here it is! Finally, the long awaited Black Bean Brownie Recipe...at least for me anyway:). You see, I have been wanting to try this recipe for a long time now, but didn't have the guts to make it until recently. Many of you may have seen this recipe, others may have even tried it, while others may be thinking, "No way!". Come on, with a name like that?...I wasn't about to waste my time... I mean, really,.... bean brownies?!! I know, I know... but that's exactly what I was thinking. The recipe for black bean brownies has surfaced all over the blogging world and many have raved about it. There are all sorts of variations, some use different sweeteners, some use coconut oil, others don't use any leavening, but the main ingredient is always black beans. The first time I heard about it, I thought very little of it. You see, I love brownies and don't care to mess around with the ingredients too much. But, as time went by, I thought about it again. I mean we all love to eat healthier, don't we? So, why not make healthier brownies and eat them without so much guilt. Well, I decided it was high time that I tried them for myself. I knew instantly that I would add some additional flavors to the basic recipe, so I chose to bring in the orange flavor. I love the combination of orange and chocolate,.... though you can do a variety of flavors such as: peppermint/raspberry/mocha/Irish cream/Kahlua flavor. I also knew that I would like to use some sort of of leavening. I had seen too many pictures of the brownies that didn't use any baking powder/soda... and they all looked too flat. I came across this recipe that used baking powder to give the brownies some height. Because I chose to use the extra dark cocoa, the brownies baked darker in color than normal and were probably more chocolaty in flavor. The recipe uses the regular cocoa, so feel free to use that.
Ok, so how did I like them? Well, I thought they were very good. I did think they were a bit grainy, which I kind of expected. So, if you can get past that, I think you will like them. I did not taste the beans in the brownies at all! They were chocolaty, moist and fudgy. The orange flavor really stood out and I think was the key ingredient. There was something about the brownies that made me go back and grab another piece....trying all the time to see if I liked them or not:)! My only problem with this recipe, is that it uses 3/4 cup of white sugar. Somehow, I have mixed feelings about them being extra healthy. I feel that the brownies could definitely be healthier if I used another natural form of sweetener...maybe honey, date sugar, etc. I am not a big fan of artificial sweeteners. I would love to make them healthy enough so that I could eat a piece without worrying about the sugar content. Eventually, I would like to experiment with them. If you do try these, and use another type of sweetener, will you let me know how they come out? Even if you try them with the regular sugar, I would love to now what you think of them.

You will need:adapted from here with a slight variation.

15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed very well

3 large eggs
3 tablespoons canola oil
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder (I used EXTRA DARK...therefore the EXTRA DARK chocolate color:)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips, divided

1 TBS grated orange peel

1/2-1 tsp orange extract

I think this brownie needs additional flavoring to bring it over the top...

I chose to do mine with orange flavor but you can easily add a variety of flavors such as:

add 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract, subsitute chocolate chips with Andes chocolate chunks

add 1 TBS Irish cream and 2 tsps instant coffee

add Kahlua flavoring

add raspberry flavoring

add nuts

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8 X 8-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. I like to use parchment paper for mine...just as an extra precaution.
Place the black beans in the bowl of a food processor Process until smooth and creamy. I used my VitaMix for this to ensure absolute creaminess, but you don't need to. Just process until smooth. Add the eggs, oil, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, orange extract,orange peel, baking powder, and salt.

Process until smooth.

Add ¼ cup of the chips and pulse a few times until the chips are broken up a bit.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.

Sprinkle the top with the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips(or nuts if using).
Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until the edges start to pull away from the sides and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Mine was done in 30 minutes. Cool in the pan before slicing.

This would be extra good with some vanilla ice cream.

Read More