Dinner.  Cover recipe from Heidi Swanson’s new cookbook, Super Natural Every Day. The flavors here are more subtle than I’m used to (normally I just douse everything in lemon juice and pile on the cayenne and cumin), but once I lasered in, I found a lot to enjoy. Slight spiciness of the barely-cooked cabbage plays off the creamy sweetness of the beans (I used canned fagioli) and tiny diced Yukon Gold potatoes. I actually smiled at a burst of tangy-smokiness from the sauteed shallots.  It’s the kind of dish where each ingredient matters because it all comes together quite quickly in one pan, so you can fully taste the fresh produce* without relying a lot on spices. And because each flavor is independent, every spoonful yields a slightly different taste combination.  Which is dangerous, because it makes me curious to eat more and more even after I am so so full!

Here’s what I did, adapted from Heidi’s formula.

12 oz. fagioli white beans from a can, rinsed and drained
6 or 7 small Yukon Gold potatoes, each about golf-ball-size
1 large shallot
Half of 1 medium green cabbage
4 glugs extra virgin olive oil
two big pinches of salt
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Wash the potatoes well and dice them into tiny cubes. In a big frying pan (I used 2 skillets to ensure maximal crusty browning action) glub in 2 glubs of olive oil (that’s 2 each if you’re using 2 pans) and turn the heat to medium (5–6 on my burner dial). When the oil is hot, add the potatoes, sprinkle with the salt, and toss to coat. Cover and set a timer for 2 minutes; when it goes off, toss them again to help brown on all sides. Cook for a total of 5–7 minutes or until tender and golden.

Meanwhile, slice the shallot very thin, and chop/slice the cabbage thin, also. When the potatoes are cooked, add the shallot and the beans, and spread the beans on the bottom of the pan so they get a chance to get nice and crusty, too. (Scrape around the bottom of the pan to loosen all the crusty bits.) Let ’em hang out for a few minutes, finish chopping your cabbage, then add the cabbage and stir to warm through — just enough so it wilts a little and goes bright green.

When it all looks and smells tantalizing, turn out into a serving dish and serve with a dusting of parmesan cheese, or as-is for a vegan feast. Hell yes.  

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*Under communism, I am told, everyone will have fresh produce because there won’t be the kind of leave-the-unprofitable-extra-produce-to-deliberately-spoil bullshit that currently goes on, and instead we will grow food for use, not profit. Yay!