lima bean puree

hi. it's me.

you may remember me,

but just in case...

my name is brooke.

i cook and take pictures

of what i've cooked

and write about what i've

cooked and taken pictures of...

when i have time.

and even though cooking,

taking pictures and writing

rank very high on several lists:

(-things i'd prefer to be doing,

-things i love doing,

-things i'm often thinking about doing),

they also fall high on

another list:

-things i often need to ignore to make

way for life and work.

but, i refuse to give up on this little

blog-that-could, um, maybe-can.

and, i hope you don't either.

because even though it's taken me

almost three months to tell you about

this lima bean puree, i've thought

of it often and have been writing this

post in my head for almost as long.

--

larry and i spent our september wedding

anniversary in new orleans. while that might

sound romantic or sweet or well-planned,

it was none of those things. ok, wait. that's not fair.

let me start over.

we spent the summer trying to find one week

to go on vacation. but, suddenly,

it was almost the end of august

and we had not gone away, nor had we found a

week that would work. i looked and saw one free

five day period - starting tuesday afternoon,

that we could run somewhere, anywhere.

i also realized that this was it - if i held out for a

full week, i'd be waiting until after the first of the

year. we found a place with reasonable

fares and jumped into a half-assed vacation, feet first.

and during that time, we recognized that somehow,

our anniversary

fell during that 5 day period. suddenly,

we were going away for our anniversary.

we made many reservations - determined

not to miss out on the barbecued shrimp at Mr. B's,

the incredible steal of a lunch at restaurant august,

the cochon at cochon - but, still, none for the evening

of our anniversary. i researched, trying not to be

ridiculously indulgent, trying to take the night

seriously. and, then, i found mila.

it was a small menu, which ordinarily turns me

off, but everything seemed just right. so, i read

a few reviews, made reservations and knew

that if the meal was a bust, we would probably

still be a little full from lunch, anyway.

the dinner was lovely.

we enjoyed a gorgeously arranged salad featuring

frisee and cornbread croutons and heirloom

tomatoes and large crystals of sea salt.

they brought us out celebratory glasses of

champagne, that we never would have thought

to order on our own, and i ate a pasta dish that

was decent, if not sorely in need of a squeeze

of lemon.

but, what i fixated on that evening,

and what i continued to talk about in the same

breath as those barbecued shrimp when we got

home, was the lima bean puree that they served

in a little cast iron skillet,

alongside cornbread and sweet potato biscuits,

when we first sat down.

it was so simple.

warm lima beans blended into silkiness,

and lightly flavored with...i had no idea.

i preach that i love crazy combinations and

bold impressions. but, this puree was

neither and i couldn't get enough of

the subtle mystery flavor.

i asked the waiter - who was more than

happy to talk to us after learning that we

were from new jersey, too.

he came back and gave me this:

the lima beans were steamed.

they were then pureed with a pepper vinegar.

hmmm.

that was not it.

i talked about the puree on the walk back

to the hotel, on the plane ride home and

in the grocery store when i bought a bag

of dried lima beans to begin operation recreation.

i researched the recipe and found nothing.

i thought about calling the restaurant, but

let's be honest - i chickened out.

and, then i decided that i had to get started

or kiss my lima bean puree-obsession, goodbye.

for attempt number one, i decided to use

hot chile peppers. i'm not sure why - the puree

wasn't even slightly spicy. but, i really cannot

stand the flavor of bell peppers and i was pretty

sure that if they used them to make the

vinegar, i would have been able to taste it.

yet, i was pretty sure i was barking up the wrong

tree with the fresnos.

i cut the peppers into 1/2" pieces,

crushed a couple large cloves of garlic and

tossed both into white distilled vinegar.

the next day, i simmered the soaked beans

until they were ultra tender and then transferred

them, still warm into the food processor.

(was that a mistake? would limas get pasty like

potatoes? should i have been using a masher?)

and even though it seemed like it was too simple,

i didn't have any other jumping points.

so, i poured in a few tablespoons of the limas'

cooking liquid, a couple of the very spicy vinegar

and a couple of olive oil. i blended with my eyes

half closed and when the mixture seemed smooth,

i gave it a taste. it was...close. very close.

i added another tablespoon of the spicy vinegar,

and then one more for good measure, sprinkled

in a few more pinches of salt and blended again.

oh my goodness.

i did it.

first try.

blind guessing.

completely confused about the crazy spicy vinegar

that gave the lima beans a touch of mystery.

but, here it was, in my food processor.

hot and craving

a sweet potato biscuit.

i made larry - who i think enjoyed the puree

a normal amount the first time - try it.

he confirmed it tasted like mila's.

i was shocked. still am, if you can't tell.

and, then i realized:

no pictures. it had never even occurred to

me to take out the camera for what i assumed

would be a non-event. that was the beginning of october.

it took me until two sundays ago to make them

again, to serve alongside a turkey meatloaf and

shredded lemony brussels sprouts.

i was worried that i wouldn't like it as much.

that i wouldn't be able to get it right again,

that the flavor wouldn't ring true or stand out.

but, from the moment that i tested one lima bean

to make sure it was tender enough to blend, i knew

we'd be ok. better than ok.

i still loved it - subtle, unexpected,

but somehow just right.

just like our anniversary trip this year.

lima bean puree

(kind of adapted from mila's)

i have to warn you one last time, this puree will not knock you over with its uniqueness or its shocking lingering flavor. but, it is a lovely mixture to serve with the intention of slathering on warm bread, or served alongside chicken, fish, or as we did on this night, meatloaf. also - know this: this puree will probably not be your best friend at a dinner party. while, you can keep it in the food processor covered for quite a while, if you try to serve it too early, it does form a bit of a crust on top, as it did at mila.

i reserved extra lima bean cooking liquid and stirred into leftovers the next night before reheating. the flavor and texture were pretty spot-on from the night before.

puree

1 bag (16 ounces) dried lima beans, picked over

1/4-1/3 cup spicy vinegar (recipe below)

3-5 tablespoons lima bean cooking liquid

3 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper

place lima beans in large bowl; cover with at least 3 inches cold water. stir to make sure all beans are submerged. let sit 6-8 hours (you can put them under water before you leave for work and make the puree when you get home).

drain beans. place soaked lima beans in large saucepot; cover with at least two inches water. bring to a boil; reduce heat to a bare simmer and let cook 45 minutes-1 hour, or until beans are very tender, skimming off foam as necessary. (to test beans, halve bean and look: you don't want the center to be any darker than the center. if the bean is the same color all the way through, it's a good sign you're ready to go. then taste it. there shouldn't be any resistance. but, for your most sure-on bet, use this trick i learned from anne burrell: after the first one is tender, check four more. if all five are soft and cooked through, it's time).

before draining beans, ladle out a cupful of cooking liquid. drain beans; let lima sit 10 minutes. transfer beans to bowl of food processor; add 1/4 cup spicy vinegar, 3 tablespoons cooking liquid and olive oil. process 30 seconds, or until smooth. taste; and adjust seasoning, adding more vinegar if the puree tastes too flat or more cooking liquid to smooth it out; season with salt and pepper. blend again, tasting and adjusting as necessary.

fresno pepper and garlic vinegar

5 large fresno chile peppers

3-4 large cloves garlic

1 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar

cut peppers into 1/2" pieces. smash garlic with back of knife. transfer peppers and garlic to glass jar or container; cover with vinegar and stir to combine. let sit at least one day before using. (note: the next day, the vinegar will be extremely spicy. that's ok - don't let it stop you from using it in the puree.)

homemade sriracha

those who know me,

know that i will never get

over the thrill - a thrill that

is probably only mine - of making

something in my kitchen that

a saner person would settle for

coming out of a bottle, box or bakery.

so, i appreciate my small doses of joy,

making marshmallows and quince paste

and preserved lemons, and other things

like beer mustard, grape nuts,

graham crackers and sesame-topped

hamburger buns, which

i don't think i've ever told you about.

(scratch that - i did talk briefly about

the buns.) i always keep my eyes

open for the next homemade adventure.

i discovered the newest project to

make my family ask why,

(why, brooke, why?

you know you can just buy that, right?)

several months ago,

tucked into the finalist page of

food52. the contest was

your best condiment and

the candidate i was instantly

drawn to was

fresh sriracha (aka, homemade "rooster").

to be honest, this one was chosen as the

runner up and i cannot remember what won.

(ok, to be fair (or maybe meaner?),

i just looked up the winner.

it is called

dead guy sauce.

maybe i never knew?

i think i would have remembered

something with a name like that.)

but, i've digressed.

back to the rooster.

we are a family who

always has sriracha in the fridge door

(along with too many other hot sauces,

mustards and other condiments to count),

so how could i pass up the opportunity to

make a from-scratch batch?

there was only one roadblock:

red fresno chilies. i could not find

them anywhere and when a recipe

only has 5 ingredients, i think it's

a pretty good idea to stick closely

to the original.

i looked in my local grocery stores.

i looked in my asian markets.

i asked people, from my friends to

my boss, to keep an eye out for red fresnos,

promising that i'd pay them back and

give them sriracha for their troubles.

my (now former) boss said ok,

but i think he was surprised and tried,

as was his right to do, to promptly

forget the request.

and then, because everything has

just been slightly easier over the past

couple weeks, i turned around in

a new-to-me market and realized

i was staring at a basket of them.

i grabbed three handfuls and headed

to the scale, shocked that i had

pulled exactly 1/2 pound and thinking

maybe this was a sign that the recipe

was meant to be.

when i got home,

i set to work seeding and chopping

the peppers using my wing and a prayer

method: don't use gloves and then

cross your fingers that you don't

accidentally touch your eyes.

i tossed them into a container with

a few giant cloves of garlic,

distilled white vinegar and kosher salt.

i shook it a couple times, because

i can't leave well enough alone, and

faced the consequences the next morning

when i accidentally tipped a good tablespoon

or two onto the counter.

later that next day,

i tossed the whole lot into a

small saucepot with a few tablespoons

of tropical, gooey palm sugar, let the whole

thing simmer for five minutes and then,

waited really impatiently for the

mixture to cool. after 10 minutes,

steam was still rising from the top.

so, i transferred it to the blender,

hoping it would cool faster outside

of the hot pot. after 10 more minutes,

i couldn't take it. i wanted out of the

kitchen. sometimes i get like that.

so, i took my chances, tossed a dish towel

over the blender, hit puree and pressed on the lid

with all my might, praying that larry wouldn't

come home to me and our schoolhouse slate-colored

walls, covered in chili sauce. he didn't have to.

and two minutes into the blending, i gathered

up the nerve to let go and take a picture.

i almost didn't strain the mixture.

it seemed like the right consistency, and frankly,

i have a certain hatred for straining, especially

when recipes instruct you to press hard to

extract all the liquids. but i did and it was

barely any work.

and, then, i tasted the sriracha,

worried that i would be forced to admit

that i should have, for once,

just left well enough

alone and continued to buy our

standard squeeze bottle.

but, happily, that is not the case.

this recipe does everything it promises -

delivering the same flavor we expect

from our asian chili sauce, but significantly

fresher, less salty and, as i already knew

from the ingredients, without the

crazy preservatives.

and, i'm sure you'll be shocked to know:

i think it was totally worth it.

homemade sriracha

adapted from edamame2003 via food52

i wasn't sure if i was meant to seed the peppers or not - it didn't say in the recipe (which i think most people would take to mean, don't seed). i opted to take the seeds out, worried about the potential spice level if they were kept in. but, i did make the decision not to sweat it if some seeds made their way into the vinegar. i was very happy with the spice level, but for a spicier sauce, i'm guessing you could keep them all in.

also - as i think you can see from the picture, the chili sauce was slightly foamy when first made. that went away after it spent a night in the fridge.

1/2 pound red fresno chili peppers

4 large cloves garlic, peeled and trimmed

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup distilled white vinegar

2 tablespoons palm sugar

halve peppers; seed (or don't - see note). chop peppers. place in jar or container with lid; add garlic, salt and vinegar. stir; cover tightly. let sit overnight.

the next day, transfer mixture to small saucepot; add palm sugar and stir to combine. over high heat, bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low. let simmer 5 minutes. remove from heat; let cool.

transfer cooled mixture to blender; puree 5 minutes, or until smooth and mixture is an orange-reddish color. pour into strainer set in bowl; pressing to release as much liquid as possible. (it may seem a little thin, but it will thicken up in the fridge.)

transfer chili sauce to a jar, bottle or squeeze container. the mixture should keep for about 1 month.