Royal Corona – Experiments in my New World Kitchen and Garden

A Constant Favorite: Fennel, Potato and White Bean Soup

This is a soup I keep coming back to. The surprise is the fennel. When well cooked, there’s still the hint of anis but it caramelizes beautifully and the combination of fennel, beans and potato are inspired. This weekend I made it with our new crop Cassoulet beans and it was incredible. I also added half an onion, thinly sliced to the fennel mixture. The liquid was about 1/3 bean broth and the rest was wild rice broth I had on hand.

I have never been to the restaurant Moro in London but it’s on my list. Their three cookbooks create a cuisine where the Moors and Christians ditch the fighting for feasting. Spain, the Middle East, road trips and music all get mixed up for a really unique look at familiar cuisines. I can’t imagine being without all three books. This is from Casa Moro, with adaptions.

Recipe: Sopa de Hinojo (Fennel, Potato and White Bean Soup)
Serves 4

½ pound dried Rancho Gordo Royal Corona beans (or Cassoulet or Alubia Blanca)
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
4-5 fennel bulbs, about a pound, outside layer removed, halved and finely diced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon fennel seeds (optional)
3 medium waxy potatoes, about 15 ounces, peeled, diced and lightly salted
1 quart bean liquor and/or water
About 40 threads of saffron, infused in 2 tablespoons boiling water
2 tablespoons chopped fresh fennel leaves or flat-leaf parsley
Sea salt and black pepper

Bring the beans, covered in about 2 inches of water, to a rapid boil for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to low and maintain a simmer until they’re soft, about 2 hours or so. Drain the beans, reserving the bean broth. You can soak the beans up to 8 hours if you like but be careful not to oversoak.

In another large saucepan with a heavy bottom, heat the olive oil over a medium heat. Add the diced fennel with a pinch of salt and stir well. Lower the heat and continue to fry for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fennel begins to caramelize and become soft. Now add the garlic, fennel seeds (if using) and the potatoes, mix well and fry for another 5 minutes. Pour on the bean liquor and/or water or stock and the saffron-infused water. Stir well, scraping the bottom of the pan to release any caramelized bits, and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for another 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft, then add the drained beans. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for a few minutes before stirring in the chopped fennel tops or parsley, and serving with a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

White Beans from Brigit Binns

Brigit Binns and I share some mutual friends and we’ve developed an online friendship that will no doubt blossom into the real thing if I ever make it past San Francisco when I head south.

She’s a smart, funny writer and I told her I’d love to share some bean recipes once we get some decent-sized white beans in. Happily, we have the Alubia Criollo bean in stock and while it’s smaller and less potatoey than Gigantes, I think they’d be perfect for this recipe.

Brigit writes:

I thought your readers might enjoy this one, from the
as-yet-untitled
cookbook of a very talented NYC Greek chef/restaurateur, to
be published
toward the tail end of 09

Note: For garlic puree, simmer a big handful of peeled garlic cloves very slowly in enough decent but not great olive oil to cover, until they are melt-in-your-mouth tender. Drain (save the oil for vinaigrette) and puree. Bob’s your uncle.

Gigantes Plaki
Makes 2 ½ quarts

2 pounds dried gigante beans (large limas/habas grande, or Rancho Gordo Alubia Criollo), soaked in water overnight
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large Spanish or sweet onion, finely chopped
2 large carrots, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
3 fresh bay leaves or 6 dried
¼ cup tomato paste
Water as needed
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
1/2 cup Garlic Puree
2 cups crumbled feta cheese
9 whole scallions, sliced thick
1 cup coarsely grated Graviera cheese (or young Manchego or Pecorino)

1. In a large pot, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add all the vegetables and bay leaves and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, to soften without browning. Add the tomato paste and stir for 1 minute. Add the drained beans and enough fresh water to cover everything by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of salt and a generous grinding of pepper. Reduce the heat, partially cover, and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours, until the beans are soft. Check occasionally, and add a little water if the level drops below the surface of the beans.
2. Drain the beans, transferring all the liquid back into the pot, and the beans and vegetables to a large bowl. Reserve the beans.
3. Place the braising liquid over medium-high heat and reduce until very thick. This will take some time. To the beans, add the garlic puree, feta, scallions, and only just enough of the reduced braising liquid to lightly coat the beans. Fold together and taste for seasoning.
4. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Transfer the beans to one large or several smaller gratin dish(es). Top with the grated cheese and bake just until warmed through and the cheese is melted, 25 to 30 minutes.

Bean spread

Snack-a-licious! This is leftover pureed Royal Coronas with some smoked bittersweet Spanish paprika, topped with some lump crab, drizzled with Bariani olive oil and then finished with endive from California Vegetable Specialties (endive supplier to the stars!) for dipping and scooping.

2 Nights later: Leftover crab

Mini tortillas, Happy Girl salsa (I was too lazy and it’s very good), the leftover crab and just a smoodge of crema. I’m pretty sure smoodge is a real word.