Cannellini-Bean Pasta With Beurre Blanc

 

I made my first-ever vegan beurre blanc last night! And it was delicious!

Given the dairy element in this recipe I sought out a vegan beurre blanc recipe which had a slightly different prep method - it's here and I added garlic powder, onion powder, mustard powder and fresh parsley at the end.

For the Beurre Blanc Sauce:

• 1/4 cup vegan dry white wine
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 2 shallots, minced
• 1/2 cup cold vegan butter, cubed
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh fennel fronds, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• Freshly cracked pepper

• For the Beurre Blanc Sauce:

  1. Heat saucepan on medium-high.
  2. Add white wine, vinegar, and shallots. Let boil and reduce down to 2 tablespoons of liquid. Take off heat and let cool for about 1 minute.
  3. Put saucepan back on burner without turning on the heat. Throw in a few butter cubes at a time and whisk until butter is melted. Continue until all butter is melted.
  4. Add herbs, salt, and pepper. Mix.
  5. Cover, turn heat to very low, and let sit.

The pasta recipe was fucking amazing. I added some Daiya shreds in at the end and kale chips on top and it was just so creamy and incredible. Also a splash more water as I added more than 1 cup of pasta. Other than that, 10/10 can't wait to cook again.

OG recipe https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020546-cannellini-bean-pasta-with-beurre-blanc

This recipe, like so many great straightforward, inexpensive go-tos, starts with little more than a can of beans — then transforms it into a luxurious meal. Jack Monroe, the British food writer, uses a classic beurre blanc to do that work, simmering a splash of wine, vinegar and butter together, then tipping it into a pot of boiling beans and pasta, letting the liquid reduce to a starchy, nearly creamy consistency. If you think of beurre blanc as fancy and fussy, this simple, unexpected use for it may change your mind. You can also build on the basic recipe, adding a bunch of chopped chard or mustard greens in with the sauce, or covering the top with torn herbs.

INGREDIENTS

Yield:2 servings

• 1(15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed
• 3cups chicken or vegetable stock
• ¼cup white wine
• ¼cup white wine vinegar
• 1shallot or small white onion, finely chopped
• 3tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1cup small pasta, like shells
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• Grated Parmesan, Pecorino Romano or other strong hard cheese, to finish

PREPARATION

1. Step 1

   Add the beans and stock to a large pot, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down, and let simmer for 20 minutes.

2. Step 2

   While the beans cook, combine the wine, vinegar, shallot and butter in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium-low for about 15 minutes, shaking the pan as the liquid reduces to keep it from burning. Turn off the heat, and set the beurre blanc aside.

3. Step 3

   Stir the pasta into the beans and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is cooked through, about 10 more minutes. Stir in the beurre blanc, and season generously with salt and pepper. Serve with a little grated cheese on top.

Fennel blue cheese bake.

Via those What's the Beef humans. This was an ungainly looking dish so maybe not a special dinner party vibe, but fucking delicious for a weeknight home meal. I added some shreds to the mix and the almonds were smoked and chopped but apart from that was as is. x

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Roasted fennel with apples, almonds & blue cheese

(a slightly adapted recipe from Joshua McFadden and Martha Holmberg's Six Seasons)

olive oil

1 pack of veggie sausages (400g)

1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes

1 big bulb of fennel (approx 600g)

1 large apple

1/2 cup toasted almonds

1 teaspoon dried thyme

150g creamy blue cheese (or taleggio), torn into little bits

salt and pepper

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon butter

Pre-heat the oven to 190°C.

Trim the green stalks and root end off the fennel and cut the bulb lengthwise into 8 pieces or so. Peel and thinly slice the apple. 

Break up the sausages into kind of bite-sized pieces and fry in a large frying pan with the olive oil and fennel seeds, for about 5 minutes until lightly browned (this is not an especially crucial step with veggie sausages I expect). Set aside. 

Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan along with the garlic and cook it very slowly, for 5 minutes or so until it just starts to brown up. Add the chill flakes and sliced fennel and stir together. Pour in about 1/2 cup of water and over the pan, simmering and steaming the fennel until it softens. Add more water as needed, it took us about 10 minutes to get things pretty soft. 

Stir through the sausage, apple, almonds, thyme and about half of your cheese and season with salt and pepper.

Pour the mix into a baking dish, top with the leftover cheese and the breadcrumbs and dot with the butter. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the breadcrumbs are nice and golden and everything is hot through. 

Leave to rest for 5 minutes and then serve. 

Broccoli avocado salad

 This was delicious. Steamed the broccoli in oil and garlic, then some Massel chicken stock. Added some white miso to the dressing and sliced pickled onions to the salad. Would be good with toasted walnuts too. 

BROCCOLI AND DRESSING

1

avocado, halved

1

small garlic clove, finely chopped

¼

cup tahini

1

teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

7

tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided

⅓

cup cilantro leaves with tender stems, plus more for serving

8

tablespoons olive oil, divided

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

1

pound broccoli (about 2 medium heads), stems peeled, heads halved lengthwise

1

medium red onion, sliced into ½-inch rings

1

tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Preparation

1. BROCCOLI AND DRESSING

   Step 3

   Prepare a grill for medium, direct heat. Purée one avocado half, garlic, tahini, lemon zest, 5 Tbsp. lemon juice, ⅓ cup cilantro, 4 Tbsp. oil, and 2 Tbsp. water in a blender, adding a splash of water if needed, until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

   Step 4

   Toss broccoli and onion with 2 Tbsp. oil; season with salt and pepper. Grill, turning occasionally, until broccoli crowns are dark brown in places and stems are crisp-tender, 5–7 minutes. Let cool slightly.

   Step 5

   Coarsely chop broccoli and onion. Toss in a medium bowl with remaining 2 Tbsp. lemon juice and 2 Tbsp. oil; season with salt and pepper.

   Step 6

   Spread tahini dressing on a serving platter and top with broccoli mixture. Drain some of the pickled jalapeños (you will have extra). Top broccoli mixture with remaining chopped half of avocado, sesame seeds, drained jalapeños, and more cilantro.