Arroz Con Beans

Ok, so lets see what we have here.
3/4 cups cooked white beans. Throw in a pot with about 1/2 cup water,press 2 cloves of garlic into the glop, pour in a teeny bit of olive oil,cook till mushy. Toward end of cooking,as it thickens, add 1 tsp grated romano pecorino cheese. The trick is that the funky strong cheese permeates the beans so you get the impression that you are eating a LOT of cheese, not a mere tsp. Plus it binds the beans and makes it gooey rather than gloppy, the olive oil adds smoothness for better mouthfeel.

Bread

Slice some thick bread (i have french bread in the freezer, if you slice while frozen you get lovely precise thin slices. Generally I just tear hunks off, I wont lie.) Rub some smashed garlic on bread and coat top with extra virgin olive oil. Broil.

Toppings

Take a tomato and cut it up. Take a red onion, cut half of it up. Toss it into a container, in this case a pyrex measuring cup. Add some vinegar. I added rice wine vinegar. HA! ARROZ for the beans, genius!!!! Throw in about a tsp of capers and brine. More if you like. A pinch of lemon thyme from last years garden, roll it with finger in palm till pulverized and throw in the cup. Do the same with some oregano. Now, for my secret- I couldnt find the rosemary and I KILLED my rosemary tree when transplanting it. So I used a pinch of lavender buds! Let it marinate.

tastes better than it looks

Ok, now take the glop and put it on the bread and sprinkle cheese on. I use like a dash of cheese. Total cheese use for me was 1 tsp, feel free to use more, like I care-I don’t measure. Broil. Add tomato mixture. Eat

Where I went wrong- I used a touch of garlic salt on the bread. Too salty, bad move. Next time I would start earlier to let the tomatoes and onions meld more with the herbs. Other than that? No prob. My daughter ate the leftover beans right off the wooden spoon, its so thick that she held it like a popsicle!!

I like her writing style and recipes, reminds me of my own blog voice. And we have similar fud philosophies and tastes, so I’ll point u in her direction. More white beans on bread.