OLCF Lunch Hour No. 3 — Greens & Beans
Every Tuesday, we get together at the One Love Community Studio to make lunch — for a communal meal and to pack up meals for fridges.
During Lunch Hour we cook with recipes from friends & members of our community and focus on fresh produce that are included in the weekly CSA bag and that we stock the fridges with.
Recipes by Miguel Yatco
Lemon Navy Beans, Sauteed Dark Greens, Cucumber Ribbon Salad & Pan Con Tomate
This Week’s Produce Highlights
Basil
Cucumber
Flowering Mint
Kale
Swiss Chard
On The Menu
Lemon Navy Beans
Cucumber Ribbon Salad
Sauteed Greens
Pan Con Tomate
Strawberries & Dates
Lemon Navy Beans
Ingredients
5-6 Cups Soaked Navy Beans (overnight)
2 Lemons
1 Head of Garlic (peeled)
Onions (any variety)
Generous Amount of Olive Oil (see directions)
Handful of Bay Leaves
Diamond Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Directions
Start by soaking your beans overnight. Once soaked, discard the water. Place the beans in a stock pot or dutch oven. Cover with fresh water until there’s about 2 inches or so above the surface of the beans and salt the water heavily— up until it tastes like the ocean. Bring the beans to a boil.
While waiting, slice your lemons in half along its equator and place them face down onto a high heat pan with oil. Let them char until the segments have dark lines. Put aside.
When the beans come to a boil, skim the scum/foam and discard. Once the surface is clear of foam, lower the heat to a soft simmer.
Add your peeled garlic (smash some of the cloves, but not all), onions (we used a mix of small red & white onions and kept them whole), handful of bay leafs (do not skimp), freshly cracked pepper (as much as you’d like) and most importantly— a wildly generous amount of olive oil. Make sure the surface of the water is covered in fat.
Let this cook for about an hour or so, keeping it at a very gentle simmer. Check on the doneness of the beans until soft.
Plate the beans (make sure to include some of the tender garlic cloves & onions to the plate) and drizzle with more olive oil.
Sauteed Dark Greens
Ingredients
1 Bunch Kale
1 Bunch Swiss Chard
1 Small Onion (or a couple of shallots— thinly sliced)
1 Lemon (and its rind)
3 Tbsp White Wine Vinegar
Shaved Parmesan
Olive Oil
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Salt & Black Pepper
Directions
Start by de-stemming your dark greens. Once done, chiffonade the greens by stacking several leaves, rolling them and slicing into thin strips.
In a large pan, start with your olive oil over medium high heat. Peel some rinds off of your lemon and slice in half. Once the pan is hot, add the lemon rinds, onions/shallots, crushed red pepper flakes to taste (we like a bit of kick to it) and freshly cracked black pepper.
Let the aromatics cook and release their flavors into the fat. After a few minutes, add the dark greens and mix. Add salt to taste.
After several minutes or until the dark greens start to wilt, add the white wine vinegar. Coat and continue to cook until tender. It’s important that the pan doesn’t completely dry out— if the greens are still a bit tough, squeeze in your lemon to incorporate more moisture. If that’s not enough, just add water accordingly and make sure to salt as you go.
Once tender, pile your dark greens on a plate and top with shaved parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.
Cucumber Ribbon Salad
Ingredients
White Cucumber (Or Any Variety)
Basil
Flowering Mint
White Wine Vinegar
Diamond Kosher Salt
Maldon Salt
Directions
Take your cucumber and use a vegetable peeler or mandolin (be careful) and shave your ribbons lengthwise into a bowl.
Add kosher salt and toss to cover— let it sit in the bowl for about 10 minutes to let the excess moisture out.
While waiting, pluck your basil and flowering mint (either the flowers or leaves will do— in this case, we used the flowers).
Rinse the cucumber and pat dry.
Combine the ribbons, basil, flowering mint in a bowl with white wine vinegar.
Toss & plate. Finish it off with Maldon Salt.
Pan Con Tomate (Family Style)
Ingredients
8 Medium Tomatoes
2 Small Garlic Cloves
White Wine Vinegar or Lemon
Maldon Salt
Bread (we had a sourdough loaf)
Directions
Grate all the tomatoes using a box grater. There will be a lot of juices so make sure to grate on a plate with a lip. Once finished pass the grated tomatoes through a sieve to remove the excess water and place in a large bowl.
Using a microplane, grate your fresh garlic into the tomatoes and add a splash of white wine vinegar and heavily salt. Taste and make sure the tartness is sharp and apparent. If you’d like a more rounded sourness, use lemon.
Pour the tomato mixture onto a plate and let it fill out the shape of the dish. Finish off with a healthy drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle with maldon salt. Serve alongside warmed bread.
Spread the tomato mixture onto your bread and enjoy.
Recipes by Miguel Yatco