Bleeding Espresso

Borlotti beans are one of the staples of our diet in my house in Calabria, so it’s about time we talked more about them, don’t you think?

Borlotti beans are also known as cranberry beans or French horticultural beans and are some of the cutest darn beans around if you ask me.

Don’t get too excited about how festive they look, though, as that color goes away with cooking. They eventually turn brown.

What do they taste like? I’m not a bean expert or anything, but to me, borlotti beans taste most like what those of us who enjoy baked beans are used to having. They’re meatier than your average white cannellini bean, aren’t at all sweet, and hold up *extremely* well with tomatoes in particular. I speak from experience (we’ll get to that in a minute).

Here you can find borlotti in all kinds of ways–dried, fresh, jarred, canned. If you get the dried version, you’re going to have to soak them overnight before using them.

And they’re good for you! They’re high in protein (23.03g in 100g dried) and fiber (24.7 g). See more nutritional information at (where else?!) Borlotti.com.

So now I’m sure you’re wondering what to do with these loverlies. Well, they’re great in just about any type of dish from soups and stews to cold salads, so I do encourage you to use your imagination.

For some guidance, though, I posted a recipe a very long time ago, my very first recipe ever posted in fact, so you may have missed it:

Borlotti Beans with Tomatoes, Garlic, and Basil

We eat this literally once a week here throughout the winter, so it comes *highly* recommended. By the way, please don’t mind the photos in that post; I didn’t have a digital camera yet, but I assure you the beans are *delicious.*

For some other ideas on what to do with borlotti, check out what some of my blog friends have shared:

• Barbecue Baked Beans with Bacon at Sara’s Ms Adventures in Italy
• Braised Borlotti Beans with Red Peppers, Parsley, and Berbere Spice at Ilva’s Lucullian Delights
• Cowboy Beans with Smoked Sausage at Jenn’s The Leftover Queen
• Cranberry Beans, Kale, and Sausage Stew at The Passionate Palate
• Minestrone with Fresh Borlotti Beans and Farro at Susan’s Porcini Chronicles

What is your favorite bean dish, borlotti or not?

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It’s here! It’s here! Happy World Nutella Day!

Before I get to my recipe, be sure to check out my co-host Sara’s Nutella and Mascarpone Cream Chocolate Tarts at Ms Adventures in Italy–and remember we’ll be posting the round-up of ALL 2010 World Nutella Day recipes on our blogs on Monday. Be sure to come back!

This year, since my frozen overripe banana collection is getting a bit out of hand, I decided to play with a brownie recipe for World Nutella Day: a banana-chocolate chip brownie recipe to be exact.

You could certainly still throw the chips in here, but I wanted the Nutella to really shine, so I left them out.

I think next time I make this, though, I might add just a bit of espresso…mmmm….

These came out rather cakey, but not crumbly at all. I’m not sure if this is the way they’re supposed to be or not; my oven doesn’t have a temperature dial, so I have to guestimate, and that may have changed things a bit. Either way, they were delicious!

Banana Nutella Brownies

• 3/4 cup butter (melted)
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 egg
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• Nutella to taste

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter into sugars.

2. Add vanilla, egg, and bananas.

3. Add flour and baking powder.

4. Spread mixture into a greased 13 x 9 inch pan.

5. Swirl Nutella into top of mixture. I didn’t use any particular technique other than swirling it around with a knife. Martha Stewart would’ve been appalled, I’m sure.

6. Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes or until center springs back to the touch and edges are just turning golden.

Buon appetito!

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Lenticchie, or lentils, are a common menu item for New Year’s Eve/Day meals in Italy, often served with cotechino. They are supposed to bring good financial luck because of their shape like small coins.

Well, we didn’t do the cotechino this year, but I did manage to come up with a way to enjoy our lentils.

Pasta with legumes is a big thing in La Cucina Povera (peasant food/cooking); they’re both fairly cheap, always on hand, and together make a great stick-to-your-ribs dish. You’ve seen it before with Pasta e ceci, one of our all-time favorite meals, and now it’s time for Pasta e Lenticchie for this What’s Cooking Wednesday.

I came up with this recipe by taking bits of online Calabrian recipes–adjusting things to our tastes. You may find that you want a little more tomato or that you like it more like a minestra, or soup. Please feel free to play. It’s hard to go wrong with these ingredients.

Also note that I used already cooked lentils from a can because that’s what I had on hand; if you use dried lentils, check out these cooking tips for dried lentils.

Pasta e Lenticchie
(Pasta and Lentils)
Makes 2-3 servings

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped finely
• 1 peperoncino, chopped (optional)
• 2 cherry tomatoes, diced (remove skins via quick plunge in hot water if you like)
• 2 cups (500g) water flavored with bouillon cube or strongly flavored stock
• 300 g (about 3/4 cup or one can/jar) cooked lentils
• Small bunch of parsley, chopped
• Basil leaves to taste
• 1/2 pound (250 g) small soup pasta, like lumachine
• Parmigiano reggiano or Grana Padano cheese (optional)

1. Heat olive oil in medium pot and add onion, peperoncino, and tomatoes and let saute for a few minutes.

2. Add water, lentils, parsley, basil, and dry pasta.

3. Turn up the heat so that it comes to a slow boil and cook until pasta is done. If you need more stock to cook the pasta thoroughly, add a little at a time; alternately, if you just want more of a soup, add at least another cup of stock.

4. Test for salt and other flavors and adjust accordingly. Serve hot with shredded Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese.

Buon appetito!

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It’s been a while since I’ve posted a recipe, but believe me, this What’s Cooking Wednesday was worth the wait.

First off, see that “macaroon” in the title? We are *not* making macarons of the French variety. For those, check out my fellow expat Sara of Ms Adventures in Italy. She’s the expert!

Here we’re talking about macaroons with two Os, and if you love chewy and coconut and easy peasy, these are for you.

Now, if you’re a novice baker and are feeling a little nervous about the thought of beating egg whites till they form stiff peaks, I assure you: do not be afraid of this. It may sound intimidating (it did to me), but all you do is stick the mixer in the whites and let it do its thing. Seriously.

The prep time on these cookies is only about 10-15 minutes, and 20-25 minutes after that, you’ll have two dozen cookies. You can do it!

Chewy Coconut Macaroons

• 2 2/3 c flaked coconut
• 2/3 c granulated sugar
• 1/3 c flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 egg whites
• 1/2 tsp almond extract

1. Lightly grease and flour two medium cookie sheets (or spray it with nonstick spray, which is what I did) and preheat oven to 325°F.

2. In a medium bowl, combine coconut, flour, sugar, and salt.

3. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites on high until they form stiff peaks, adding almond extract and beating it in just before they’re done.

4. Fold egg whites into coconut mixture and mix together till it’s all moist.

5. Drop mixture by rounded teaspoon 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets.

6. Bake at 325°F for 20-25 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

7. Let cool completely on a wire rack before storing.

Buon appetito!

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This isn’t a traditional What’s Cooking Wednesday post. In fact, it’s not even written by me (welcome dear Heather of Yummi Sushi Pajamas!), but it’s full of great information–and TWO recipes–for those trying to eat healthier and save money. Pretty much all of us, I imagine?

But before we get to Heather, in other food news:

I wanted to let you know that Sara of Ms Adventures in Italy and I, as co-hosts of World Nutella Day, (yes, it’s coming faster than you realize!) are holding a contest and giving away some Nutella!

All you have to do is tell us about your first time. Eating Nutella, of course. Get the deets, enter over at the World Nutella Day Facebook Fan Page–coming up on 1800 fans!–and why not become a fan while you’re there?

OK, take it away Heather!

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I am so excited to be guest posting on Bleeding Espresso!  Here I am to talk about Mediterranean cooking on a budget.

I’ve been lucky enough to make three separate trips to the Mediterranean.  Every time I come home, I look around and wonder how I can bring something of the Mediterranean lifestyle into my American living.  It’s not an easy thing to do since in a lot of ways the culture couldn’t be more different, but there are some things I’ve been able to manage.

For me, food was the easiest change to make.  Mediterranean meals are based on fresh, local ingredients with smaller portions of meat, healthy fats, and lots of veggies. I loved the food when I was there, and I knew I could find ways to work it into my cooking.  Following the Mediterranean diet (whole grains, healthy fats, lean proteins in small amounts, and tons of produce) helped me lose six pounds without ever having to measure a serving or count a calorie.

The problem came when the economy took a downturn and I changed my shopping style.  Instead of shopping from a preplanned list, I’ve started clipping coupons and shopping sales.  It saves us a lot of money, but makes it tough to purchase particular items for specific recipes.  Saving money meant changing the way I thought about incorporating the Mediterranean mindset.

Instead of searching for Italian or Greek inspired recipes, I’ve started shopping at local farmers markets.  I spend a lot of time putting together recipes from whatever I’ve got in the pantry (lots of canned fruits, veggies, and beans) and whatever produce I am able to grab from the local stands.  I am trying to embrace the fact that it’s not olives, capers, or lamb that make a meal Mediterranean.  I am learning to embrace the Mediterranean mindset of using what’s fresh and local instead of trying to incorporate specific ingredients.

Last week’s attempt resulted in two extremely good dinners made from local ingredients and pantry leftovers.  My first experiment was born from the need to use up two pounds of plums before they rotted.  I peeled and pitted all of the plums, then put them in a skillet with:

• A clove of minced garlic
• 1 ¾ cups of sugar
• ¾ cup cider vinegar
• ½ tablespoon ground mustard
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

I boiled it all down, using a spoon to crush the plums a bit better, and waited for it to reduce.  It took maybe a half hour total.  I used the sauce to top some cooked chopped chicken I had in the freezer, and put it all over some ziti.  It turned out really well, and went great with a simple side of sautéed zucchini.

Experiment two was even more adventurous.  I sautéed the rest of the zucchini in a little bit of olive oil and garlic.  I boiled some penne pasta while the zucchini cooked.  After I took the zucchini out of the pan, I tossed in a little more olive oil and a can of sardines I’ve had sitting around forever.  The sardines (I chopped them first) cooked down nicely until they were just crisp salty bits, and I tossed in some bread crumbs to soak up the leftover oil.  Once that was all done, I tossed the zucchini and pasta into the pan just so it could all warm up together.  It was really good and so easy!

Now I feel confident that I can get whatever is fresh at the farmers market every weekend and just make it work with what I’ve got at home.  I try to keep some basics like olive oil, lemon juice and capers on hand, and just toss in whatever else I have.  It takes some courage, and lots of experimentation, but eventually you’ll find your own style using things you can get inexpensively and creating quick, easy meals that are reasonably healthy.

I know these ideas don’t compare to the amazing recipes featured here on Bleeding Espresso [so NOT true, Heather!], but they’ve been a hit at my house!

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Heather Hurd is a freelance writer and blogger.  She writes about food and wine for Examiner.com and blogs at Yummy Sushi Pajamas about raising a family and enjoying the good things in life.

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They sound delicious!

How have you been saving money on food lately?

Do you enjoy the Mediterranean Diet?

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