Beans and greens

The wet, rainy trips to the greenmarket have me craving cooked greens lately rather than fresh salads. Cooking greens and adding mellow, creamy beans is a great way to temper any bitterness that you may find in the variety of spring greens available at this time of year. Here, I used rainbow chard and red Russian kale, but any green will work. Adding a splash of white balsamic brings out their sweet flavor and lifts the earthy flavor of the beans nicely.

Here, I used cranberry beans, an heirloom bean variety that looks like a pinto bean but has a pinker color. You could use cannellini, pinto, kidney or other heirloom beans in their place. I pressure-cooked the beans for 25 minutes with kombu and bay leaves. If you boil the beans, make sure that they are completely soft; it’s fine if they fall apart a little.

Serves 4

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

5 shallots, cut in ¼ inch slices

Sea salt

3 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced

5 garlic scapes, thinly sliced

2 cups sliced kale

4 cups sliced rainbow chard

2 cups soft-cooked cranberry beans

½ cup bean cooking liquid

1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar

Black pepper

Warm olive oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté 10 minutes or until beginning to brown. If shallots are sticking to pan, lower heat slightly, add a pinch of salt and continue cooking until caramelized, about 5 minutes longer.  Add garlic and garlic scapes and cook for 3 minutes more. Stir in kale and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add chard and cook for another 2 minutes or until wilted. Add beans and bean cooking liquid and bring up to a simmer, stirring to prevent sticking. Stir in balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and serve warm or room temperature with a drizzle of olive oil.

Rye, radish and goat cheese tartines

You can use any good thinly sliced sourdough rye here—or your favorite bread.

Serves 4

8 slices 100% rye bread, lightly toasted

Extra virgin olive oil

6oz fresh goat cheese

Thinly sliced radishes, I used a mandolin

Coarse sea salt

Fresh dill sprigs

Freshly ground black pepper

Drizzle rye toast with olive oil and spread with goat cheese. Top with thinly sliced radishes, coarse sea salt, dill and pepper.