David and Elaine's Recipes

Servings: 6
Though the ingredients are ordinary, this bean and summer vegetable stew has an intricate balance of flavors. The inspiration for it came from a book on Pueblo Indian cookery t goes well with the Potato Gordas, but if made a little on the dry side, it can be eaten in tortillas with Salsa Picante.

Ingredients
1¼ cups pinto beans, soaked overnight and drained
1 teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 pound tomatoes, fresh or canned, peeled, seeded, and chopped; juice reserved
2 ancho chilies
1 pound mixed summer squash
4 ears corn (about 2 cups kernels)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon coriander seeds
2 tablespoons corn or vegetable oil
2 yellow onions, cut into 1¼ -inch squares
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons red chili powder, or more, to taste
8 ounces green beans, cut into 1-inch lengths
4 ounces jack or muenster cheese, grated
½ bunch cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
Whole cilantro leaves, for garnish

Directions
Cook the pre-soaked beans for about 1½ to 2 hours in plenty of water with the salt, bay leaf, and oregano. Remove them from the heat when they are soft but not mushy, as they will continue to cook in the stew. Drain the beans, and save the broth.

Prepare the tomatoes, or use puréed charcoal-grilled tomatoes. Open the chili pods and remove the seeds and veins; then cut the chilies into narrow strips. Cut the squash into large pieces; shave the kernels from the corn. Grind the cumin and the coriander seeds into a powder in a spice mill or with a mortar and pestle.

Heat the oil in a large skillet, and saut6 the onions over high heat for 1 to 2 Minutes. Lower the heat, add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and coriander, and stir everything together. Add a little bean broth, so that the chili doesn’t scorch or burn.

Cook until the onions have begun to soften, about 4 minutes, then add the tomatoes and stew for 5 minutes. Stir in the squash, corn, green beans, and chili strips along with the cooked beans and enough broth to make a fairly wet stew. Cook slowly until the vegetables are done, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Taste the stew and adjust the seasoning. Stir in the cheese and chopped cilantro, and garnish with whole leaves of cilantro.

Servings: 8
Source: Fine Cooking, May 2007
Yields about 8 ½ cups; serves eight.

This recipe looks long, but half of the ingredients are for making a quick vegetable broth. Look for carrot juice in the produce section of your supermarket. (I suspect you could skip the broth and use 5 cups of chicken broth with good results too).

Ingredients
FOR THE BROTH:
¼ cup medium-diced peeled carrots
½ cup medium-diced dark green leek tops (from 1 to 2 leeks; rinse thoroughly after dicing; save the white and pale green parts for the soup)
½ medium onion, cut into medium dice (about ¾ cup)
¼ fennel bulb, cut into medium dice (about ½ cup)
¼ celery stalk, cut into medium dice (about 2 Tbs.)
1 small clove garlic, smashed and peeled
1 small bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
1 sprig parsley

FOR THE SOUP:
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
5 medium shallots, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
¾ cup thinly sliced leeks, white and pale green parts only (from 1 to 2 leeks; rinse thoroughly after slicing)
2 small cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
Kosher or sea salt
3¾ cups medium-diced peeled carrots (about 1½ lb.)
2 Tbs. granulated sugar
2 cups carrot juice, either homemade or store-bought
1 Tbs. peeled finely grated fresh ginger
Freshly ground black pepper
3 to 4 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 small Fuji apple

Directions
Make the broth: Put the carrots, leek tops, onion, fennel, celery, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, and parsley in a 4-qt. (or larger) saucepan. Add 10 cups cold water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 1 hour. Strain the broth into a heatproof bowl and discard the solids. Measure out 5 cups of broth for use in the soup; save the remaining broth for another use. Rinse and dry the saucepan and return it to the stove.

Finish the soup: In the saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the shallots, leeks, garlic, and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the carrots and sugar. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are soft, 15 to 20 minutes.

Add the 5 cups broth and the carrot juice. Bring to a simmer, uncovered, over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

Wrap the ginger in a small square of cheesecloth and use the cloth to squeeze the ginger juice into the soup (discard the squeezed-dry ginger). Remove the pan from the heat.

Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth. Pour each batch of the pursed soup into a medium-mesh sieve set over a clean heatproof container. Use a rubber spatula to help the soup pass through, but don’t press on the solids yet. Once the last batch has drained through the sieve, press lightly on the solids (but don’t mash them through the sieve) to extract the remaining liquid. Discard the solids. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and 1 to 2 tsp. of the lemon juice.

When ready to serve, peel and core the apple and cut it into medium dice. In a small bowl, toss the apple with 2 tsp. of the remaining lemon juice. Reheat the soup, if necessary, and ladle it into individual serving bowls or cups. Serve immediately, garnishing each bowl with a small spoonful of the diced apple.

Dan Barber is the chef and co-owner of two restaurants: Blue Hill in New York City and Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, New York.