Bitchin’ Beans (accidentally vegan)
This was what I cooked for my family on Wednesday night. Best served hot with couscous, this can most aptly be described as “what if an english garden had a child with tagine?”
Ingredients—
Olive oil
1 can garbanzo beans
1.5tbsp tomato paste
1 large carrot, diced
1 bulb fennel, diced
7 mangled scallions, chopped finely
6 cloves garlic
Salt
Mushrooms (as many as you want!)
Tomatoes
2 beets, boiled and skinned, large dice
~1 cup Red wine
~1.75 cup Veg broth…????
Spices— cumin, corriander seeds, fennel seeds, a bit of paprika, SALT…, oregano. Lemon and orange zest.
Addt.
Can add mushroom seasoning, msg, vegetable buillon cube, or ~1.5tbsp miso paste, if you desire a more umami taste.
1. healthy glug of olive oil. With heat on medium, caramelize your carrot/fennel/scalions. Add a little bit of salt to sweat it out.
2. Add tomato paste (and optional miso paste). IMPORTANT!!! You MUST allow the sugars in miso/tomato paste to burn off and caramelize, or else it will not be nearly savory enough. Add spices. Allow to form a bit of crust on the bottom.
3. Deglaze with your veg broth and red wine.
4. Add beans (simmer for a little bit). Add mushrooms(simmer). Add beets, salt to taste, beets absorb salt like nobody’s business.
5. Simmer for ~15… add tomatoes 😝
6. Add lemon and orange zest, generously. Simmer for ~10 mins.
7. Sample and add more spices to taste.
8. Make your couscous about now (bring .5tsp salt, 1tbsp olive oil, 1 cup water to boil. Take off heat and add one cup dry cous cous. Let rest for 5 minutes)
9. Et voila! Plate and eat…!
