Yes, yes, it sounds weird. Everyone tells me so. And then they try it. And really, really like it. Sautéed cucumber is milder than zucchini with deeper flavor. If watched carefully, it maintains a crunchiness that is wonderful. The trick is to cook it just until it heats through and is turning translucent. This dish is a wonderful combination that goes well with fish or chicken, or as a foil to something richer like brisket braised in porcini stock.
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This a colorful and aromatic dish that has plenty of crunch due to just cooking the vegetables lightly and quickly. The recipe lists shiso, which is a Japanese herb that usually shows up in sushi. If you do not have it, don’t worry, carry on without it. I used as it was in the garden, and it adds depth to the dish, but you won’t miss it if it is not there. Leftovers make a good cold salad as is, or you could lightly dress it with a little white balsamic vinaigrette.
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Slowly braising Romano beans renders them meltingly tender, but they retain their shape and pick up a sweet and nutty quality. The other vegetables in the dish become silky and the chard adds depth and earthiness. Bacon always goes well with beans and greens, but if you prefer not to use it, substitute some sweet smoked paprika.
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Although any pretty much any carrot will work, big Chantenay carrots are great here. Chantenay become sweeter and seem to be tenderer as they get larger, and for slow cooking, as in this recipe, they are perfect. The nuts added at the end add crunchy contrast to the tender vegetables, and the nutty flavor adds depth to the dish.
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Slow cooking the Romano beans brings out the sweetness of the bean and leaves them meltingly tender without getting that furry feeling that over cooking these beans in water can yield. The scallions add the bass line to this dish, and the sweetness of the fennel adds top end. Once this dish gets going, resist the urge to stir it, or even open it, for at least 30 minutes.
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This is the classic Ligurian version of pasta with pesto from the area where pesto as we know it today was “invented”. Some recipes will tell you to cook the potatoes and beans in the water with the pasta, but that could over cook them, so here they are cooked until almost done and then the pasta is cooked separately. If you use fresh pasta, cook them together by all means.
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Beans and peas are one of those marvelous crops that not only taste delicious, they actually give back nutrients into the soil. Peas can take nitrogen out of the air and “fix” it into the soil. Nutritious for you, nutritious for the earth. We offer several kinds of beans throughout the season.
Click for cranberry shelling bean recipes
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One day I read about how some Southern cook did her beans, and had to try it. I was so happy I did. This method produces meltingly tender beans that are sweet and have a full bean flavor, but the beans hold their shape. Just remember, patience is a virtue! Don’t keep checking the pot, stirring it, or otherwise messing with it. And you can’t hurry it. But it really is worth the wait.
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