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.)

there and back again

i have been gone for a long time.

i have been working late or

weird hours and

occupied on the weekends. i have

been committed to a time consuming,

one hundred percent

self-imposed project.

i have been

falling asleep really early

and for at least two weeks, i didn't

even take my camera out of its bag

once. and, i'll be honest with you:

for a little bit there, it was nice.

i didn't make fancy or interesting

things and i didn't feel guilt. i got

our simple dinners on the table

in less than an hour most nights

and when we ate, our food was hot

or cold because, well a lot of times,

it was just a salad.

but, as someone has

taken to reminding me, i have a blog

and i have been ignoring it. so, while

now, i kind of wish i had taken

the time to talk about my mom's birthday,

the delicious roasted grapes i made one evening

or the red bank farmer's market we've made

an effort to frequent on some weekends,

i'm skipping them. instead, opting to

get back on track with our vacation to

san diego and temecula last week.

the san diego part of the trip had been

planned for over a year.

one of larry's oldest friends,

joe was marrying his girlfriend, jen.

larry is one of those lucky people whose

high school (or maybe i should say

elementary school) friends have sustained

the test of time. six of them attended different

colleges, followed varied careers and some

have moved to different parts of the country.

but still, their friendship has stayed a top

priority to all of them. everyone came together

two years ago for our wedding and we finished

off august by meeting in san diego for joe's,

a couple years after he had moved to the west coast.

the weekend turned out to be just as much

about time together as it was the wedding

and from thursday, at the margaritas and taco

party at joe and jen's apartment building

to sunday morning at brunch, that's what

we did. but, saturday.

saturday was all about the wedding.

after, the wedding, we took a few days to ourselves,

traveling to temecula, southern california's answer

to wine country. originally, we had been torn

between hawaii and sonoma, but becoming

homeowners had made our decision significantly

easier: three days and driving distance.

i treated these three days with little respect.

as the trip neared, it became apparent

that this was an awful time to travel, work-wise.

i was hesitant to spend the money to go

somewhere for even three days

and truth be told,

i just wasn't so interested in any of it.

suddenly, it was the 18th of august

and i realized that even

though we had owned our plane tickets

for months, we were leaving on the 26th

without a second hotel reservation.

this is not me.

i research. like crazy.

i read reviews. like crazy.

i find the perfect-fit funky restaurants

that we absolutely must visit and even

if i won't quite admit it, i have the days

mostly decided in my head.

like, maybe, i'm a little crazy.

but this time?

no reservation.

no research.

no restaurants.

a friend of the family had recommended

temecula a few weeks before. i looked at

a couple hotels, skimmed a couple opinions,

shrugged and booked.

kind of disrespectful.

and, now, we were in the car,

driving to this temecula place,

with only a little extra information:

there was a winery famous for

almond champagne, the vineyard

we were staying in allowed

eating grapes off the vine and

the town housed a casino.

it was beautiful and we were

blessed with gorgeous weather,

a welcome change from the sweltering

east coast heat we had been

battling all summer. the area wineries

and streets proved charming enough

that i rarely let go of my camera the

entire time we were there.

but, it turns out that

temecula, proud of its old town,

westernish charm, is not known for

its food.

luckily, it doesn't matter how behind

i get: i'll never stop loving my research.

if you can imagine me, sitting on a bed,

facing a vineyard reading

yelp on my cell phone, you'll understand

how i spent a good part of the trip,

determined to not regret the fact that

we weren't in hawaii. we didn't.

just before leaving san diego, larry and i stopped at urban solace, a restaurant that i had read about on chowhound, for bloody marys, a quinoa-flecked veggie burger and beef cheek hash.

south coast winery was a bit of a larger operation than we usually go for, but luckily they're quiet during the week and our small villa in the back made it very easy to never see anyone. this was our view.

we really tried to take advantage of our surroundings, joining a vineyard tour and tasting that turned out to be a tour for four: us, a very friendly german couple from arizona and a very, very perky guide. we ate grapes from the vine, sampled different wines with different cheeses and afterward, we stayed put, eating lunch only a few feet away.

we visited public house, the only place i could determine was worth the effort of finding, and the restaurant did not disappoint. it was, however, quite dark and the only redeemable picture was of this "appetizer" that would have served a better purpose as a meal. regardless. call it dinner, lunch, a starter or just delicious, this was one of the tastiest things i have eaten in a very long time: goat cheese toasts drizzled with a reduced balsamic and brown sugar tomatoes, all surrounded by arugula.

and we used the last day to eat a very cheap, unexpectedly good breakfast (larry's, below) and to see a few of the other wineries, finally sipping the almond champagne at one and stopping by another that had been deemed, quirky and unpretentious.

we tasted (and bought!) olive oil and smoked salt, drove past a place for honey that, in retrospect, i would have like to have visited and on the last night, we enjoyed a cheese plate and a bottle of riesling on our little deck, falling in love with the quiet, the peace and the oozy piece of honeycomb that sat just beside the humboldt fog.

and, we relaxed. just a little bit.

maine. finally.

i don't even remember

who started it,

why it began or

how many years ago it

first took place,

but for almost as long

as i remember our relationship,

i remember us discussing

a vacation to maine.

we pictured it,

i think, like a nonstop

lobster festival,

heading from park

to restaurant,

enjoying lobsters,

steamed,

on a roll,

tucked inside omelets

and grilled atop

open flames in a field.

for some reason,

it was always a far-off

dream, not

exotic or untouchable,

just never really the time.

we spent years - literally -

traveling the country for

friend's weddings,

then preparing for our own

and the honeymoon

(in the process, missing

the wedding of larry's

friend from college, who married

one week before us. in maine).

but this year,

after realizing we were

obligation-free and in need

of relaxation,

we finally summoned up

the decision to go for it,

and in june, we booked

before we could change our minds:

a couple days in portland,

before finishing off the week

in ogunquit.

there was just one problem.

--

i've loved lobster forever,

proud that at a very young age,

i knew what to do with a cracker

and always oddly, even prouder,

that while everyone covets the tail,

i would probably trade mine

(albeit, a bit hesitantly)

for an extra claw.

always faithful to steamed -

i never wanted to bog the meat down

with stuffings or sauces -

i finally had my first lobster roll

two summers ago at

ed's lobster bar

in nyc.

it was without a doubt,

one of the most amazing foods

i've ever had.

if there was mayonnaise,

i didn't notice. a small slick

of melted butter and a good

sprinkling of chives - it

was unbelievable.

so good, that a month

later, for our culinary school's

grand buffet (aka, our graduation),

i decided to make mini lobster rolls.

which also meant, that i had to

kill 40 lobsters. the right way.

earlier in the year we had been

instructed to follow

the-knife-between-the-eyes

method, which was scary enough.

but now, our new chef, believed

it was better to simply pull

the tails off the still-alive bodies,

then toss them in the water.

it was...an experience.

i prepped them all on saturday

and on sunday -

the day of the buffet -

my chef walked toward

me looking kind of worried.

chefs in culinary school

- chefs in life -

don't look worried. they look

confident and no-nonsense.

they tossed your rolls last night,

he said. my rolls. mini. hot dog-

shaped brioche. special ordered.

gone. and too late in the day

to make our own.

together, we worked out a back-up

plan: shot-glasses filled with

avocado crema,

lemon and chive lobster,

roasted corn

and whipped corn cream.

they were very successful.

and it was a good thing,

too. because it was my last

positive experience with lobster.

one year later,

i went to pearl oyster bar,

specifically for a lobster roll.

the whole experience,

from a very mayonnaise drenched,

just ok lobster roll

to sneaky almost over-charging

was kind of a bust,

but the worst part came later

in the night, when i really didn't

feel well.

a little over a month later -

on labor day, actually -

i steamed lobsters at home.

that night, again, i was sick.

i think there was a little voice,

somewhere in the back of my

mind that hinted at the problem.

but it was pesky. so i ignored it.

then came new year's eve,

when i put out the cheese plate

and later, steamed lobsters.

it was a bad night.

at 4 in the morning,

after finally making a connection,

i was googling "lobster allergy."

but, still, i was willing to (maybe)

chalk it up to poor planning.

who eats a cheese plate and then

lobster and makes it out ok, right?

when we booked

the trip to maine in june,

i worried about lobster.

about eating it,

not being able to eat it.

finally one night in the beginning

of august, i knew i had put it off

long enough. we went out - larry

got a lobster.

i didn't.

i ate a claw.

one tiny claw.

an almost not worth

it claw.

i waited and after a couple

hours, i fell asleep, thinking i had

somehow won. but, alas, i woke

up hours later, not feeling well.

and that night, i came to terms

with my fate:

a lobsterless maine.

--

because in theory, the trip

was about a vacation,

not about lobsters,

we were still going.

the alternative would have

been a bit extreme, i think.

and, we ate pretty well

anyway, dealing with it by

acting like adults,

with the exception of

one night, when i sat in a

restaurant, the air thick

with the smell of lobster

and i swear,

everyone around us,

at every table, was

either anxiously

waiting to recieve or

was busy enjoying

a freshly steamed lobster.

larry included.

some food highlights:

my mom's friend joelle, sent an e-mail telling me about the amazing scallop cocktail at "a funky little place - a fisherman's type bar with great food and delicious beer on tap." one of my favorite rolls at one of my favorite sushi restaurant is the spicy scallop roll. the scallops are raw, but also, chopped fine. i wasn't sure how i would feel about the whole large raw sea scallops at j's oyster bar- but larry and i voted, and for both of us, this was our favorite thing that we ate the entire trip.

toward the middle of the week, when we needed a mini break from seafood, we decided to go to this tiny restaurant, banditos, we had passed a couple times in ogunquit. we were the only ones in the entire place, something that usually scares us away on a first time visit. i'm not sure if it was fatigue from the sun, hunger or laziness, but we stuck it out. the quesadillas were perfect - made to order, not too big (and filled with portobella mushrooms!), but i could have survived probably on the peach and vidalia onion hot sauce they kept at the sauce bar. (sidenote: we were there for an hour and were alone the whole time, save for the owner and the two kids working the counter who were trying to construct a fountain from a water hose and some rocks in the front lawn.)

the first night, and our only reservation, was spent at hugo's, a restaurant we had chosen seriously, after reading many reviews of three popular dining destinations. we were not disappointed at all - enjoying very fresh raw clams, smoked salmon roe, a pork medley (loin, belly, and um, tail), and chicken liver agnolotti, which i could not get a good picture of for all my trying, but was so delicious, i had to share. first, the beautiful biscuits they served to start off the meal.

for all the seafood we ate, larry had his fair share of pork, too. after hugo's, he enjoyed this braised thick cut "bacon," which had been coated in five-spice powder, braised and served next to arugula with smears of a maple blueberry sauce, from an odd place in portland (with yummy drinks) called local 188. when we first looked at the menu, we had no idea what we were going to eat - but had picked the place based on its proximity to our b&b. even though the innkeeper had sworn to us many restaurants were a five minute walk, this was the first we found...10 minutes later and late at night. we went with tapas...larry's bacon, a flatbread with an olive-anchovy spread, sauteed wild mushrooms with swiss chard and these, pickled string beans and chili peppers, which while tangy and lovely, actually looked in person, exactly like they do in the picture - a little pale.

and yes, there was plenty of lobster for larry. i'm not that mean. his favorites. a lobster roll from the clam shack, in kennebunkport, that beat out one he had loved earlier in the week from a lobster pound in freeport. and, from katie's, a really clean, simple and friendly place, that served not only as the perfect final meal for our vacation, but also easily swept second place in larry's rankings: truffled lobster mac and cheese. so good, he ate the rest at the airport the next day (alongside my seared scallops with a corn risotto cake).