We live in a world where things are made to sound better because they can be done quickly. There are entire cookbooks devoted to dinner in less than 30 minutes. And according to the TV, five minutes a day is all that’s needed for flat, muscled abs. You’ve seen it all, I’m sure. It got me thinking about the kinds of things that aren’t done quickly and take a decent amount of time. The more I think about it, the more I realize that the best things, the things that really matter, cannot be done in less than 30 minutes and though these things are often varied, they have common denominators: time and care.
I’d like to offer, as examples of what we should spend time on: children and beef stew. Two wildly different things, I know. But children, like a Sunday stew, demand your attention and your time. We can indulge our children with gifts, but really, it’s time spent together that really matters. It’s listening to how their day was or playing a game of cards. And the stew? It’s the same idea: the slow stirring and simmering is what matters most. It’s precious, precious time.
In my world, time often relates to how I feed people. There are the things that are quick, sure, like the cup of coffee I make for my husband or the bagel I toss to Elliot, like we are passing a baton in a relay race as he runs out the door (late, again) to school. But what of the simmering pot of soup and the cinnamon scones with the crunchy sugar topping? Those are the things that take precious time and in my mind, show love. If you are ever lost for words but need to express love, you could do it with a lasagna, a cake, chicken noodle soup or a loaf of crusty bread. Something, anything that took some of your precious time, and that you offer up with a full heart. That food is a token of how much you care.
How sweet and touching it is, when food has been made for you and when it’s taken much of a Sunday, and maybe even a bit of the Saturday night before, to prepare. I’m not talking about rich or fancy foods, just dishes that take — and you know where I’m going here — time. Here are a few recipes for fall, for family, for anyone you love, things that take more than a few minutes from your day.
I am a bean lover and since I eat a lot of vegetarian food, beans are huge. I use canned beans, for sure, but when I take the time to soak and simmer and carefully prepare a big pot of garlic-scented beans, there’s a lot of love in that pot. The recipe here calls for cannellini beans, but I cook all kinds of dried beans: black, pinto, Roman, whatever, really, I can get my hands on. Once you’ve made that pot of beans, it’s like a blank canvas and the possibilities are many. Use them in chili, in soup, on salad. They are good simply out of the pot. The only tiny secret to getting a big, tasty pot of beans (aside from, of course, the time spent cooking them) is adding salt. I know, we’ve been told our whole lives to not salt beans. Salt makes beans tough, they said. Don’t add salt, they told us. I don't know who said it first, but it’s so ingrained that perhaps we are born believing it. And, get this: It’s not true. A little salt in the soaking liquid helps tenderize the skin of your beans, and a little more salt in the simmering liquid gives them flavor. Beans cooked without salt taste exactly like cardboard. I know this, because I’ve done it. So please, add a little salt, along with all that love, into your pot of beans. Here, cannellini beans are used as a base for flavorful roasted cherry tomatoes. Those simple little tomatoes become jammy and sweet when roasted and the feta changes texture, acting more like a creamy cheese than a crumbly one. All of this makes the kind of dinner I love: simple, rustic and those beans which took so much time to make? There was enough to eat and enough to share. What is not to love?
Next up is the kind of food my family swoons over: shreddy, tender beef, in a rich broth that’s got enough fat in it to be lip-smacking. Beef short ribs are another kind of blank canvas food, and still another that requires an investment of time. The meat itself is stewy, and requires long simmering in flavorful broth to achieve what people really want in comfort food: melty, savory pieces of meat that feel nothing but good when going down. Short ribs are good cooked in red wine, with prunes and rosemary, with only a whole head of garlic and broth. Here, they’re paired up with sesame seeds and oil, adding nutty flavor, ginger and a bit of spice. The tablespoon of chile paste won’t knock your socks off, but if you’re wary, scale it back to a teaspoon. You can always add more.
Last, a cake. A simple, fall-flavored cake. There are always apples knocking around in our crisper, the sad apples that are bruised or a little soft that no one wants to eat. I am their savior, and use them in cakes, which is much preferable to the compost. If you can, in any apple baking recipe, use a variety of apples: some sweet, some tart. This medley will give your baked goods more depth of flavor. The apples in this cake are peeled and grated directly into the batter and they kind of melt and disappear, leaving a gentle apple sweetness and a very moist crumb. I’ve topped it with brown butter, stirred together with bourbon and powdered sugar. Browning the butter gives the frosting a nutty flavor, and it’s plenty indulgent, with a hearty nip of bourbon, sugar and some salt, too, to balance it all out.
It’s pretty simple, the equation for feeding people and showing them how you feel. It looks something like this: food + time = love. What’s that you say? Lots of love, but very little time? I understand that, and your people do, too. Go ahead and make your own equation, with however much time you’ve got. Another secret is that it’s not so much the time you invest, but how much love you put into it.
Caroline Barrett is a freelance writer who lives in Delmar. You can reach her and follow her work at carolinebarrett.com.
Brothy Beef Short Ribs with Sesame, Ginger and Spice
Serves 6
Kosher salt
9 pounds of boneless short ribs
Canola or vegetable oil
2 quarts of unsalted beef broth
½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sambal oelek, plus more for garnish (see note)
1½-inch knob of ginger, sliced into rounds
For serving:
Rice
Baby kale
Sliced green onions
Toasted sesame seeds
Sprinkle all sides of each piece of meat with salt. In a large dutch oven set over medium heat, warm a few tablespoons of oil and sear the beef on all sides until browned and crisp. This takes some time, and try to not rush it, allowing for 5-6 minutes per side. Do this in batches so as not to crowd the pot, setting aside the finished pieces. When they are all seared, add all of the meat back to the pot and add the broth, soy, sesame oil, sambal and ginger. Bring to a gentle simmer and let it go for 20 minutes, covered.
Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Transfer to the oven with the top on and roast for 3 hours, and then check that the meat is fork tender. Cook for another 30 minutes or so if it doesn’t give easily. Taste and add salt, if desired. Use tongs to remove the ginger slices.
Serve the beef and broth over rice or tender greens (or both) and garnish with slivered green onions, toasted sesame seeds and sambal oelek.
Note: Sambal oelek is an Indonesian chile paste that’s got great flavor and a decent amount of heat. It can be found in the Asian section of the supermarket, or the Asian grocery.
***
Love Letter Pot of Beans
Served with Roasted Tomatoes and Feta Cheese
Serves 10
1 pound dried cannellini beans
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 bay leaf
1 rosemary stem
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Roasted Tomatoes and Feta Cheese (recipe follows)
Rinse the dried beans well. Place in a large bowl and pour enough water over to cover by a few inches and stir in 2 teaspoons of salt. Allow to soak overnight.
Drain the beans and place them in the bowl of a slow cooker. Add enough fresh water to cover by a few inches, then add the bay leaf, rosemary, crushed pepper and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook on low for 8 hours. Taste a bean and check for tenderness. If the beans are not completely tender, switch the setting to high and cook for another half hour, or until cooked throughout.
Serve with the Roasted Tomatoes and Cheese, or use in soup. Cooked beans can be drained and frozen for up to six months.
Roasted Tomatoes and Feta Cheese
Serves 4
3 pints of cherry tomatoes
1 head of garlic
7 ounce block of feta cheese
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a shallow baking dish ( 9-inch by 12-inch) with parchment paper. Lay the tomatoes on the paper. Halve the garlic horizontally and nestle in the tomatoes. Cut the feta into ¼-inch sections and add to the tomatoes. Pour the balsamic and olive oil over all and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft and blistered. Press the garlic head to remove the softened cloves and serve with a scoop of cannellini beans.
***
Spiced Apple Bundt Cake
With Bourbon Brown Butter Frosting
3 cups flour (spooned and leveled)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon each nutmeg and clove
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
½ cup granulated sugar
1 cup olive oil
¾ cup apple cider
1 tablespoon bourbon
3 eggs
3 large mixed variety apples, peeled
Bourbon Brown Butter Drizzle (recipe follows)
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a bundt cake pan. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, spices and sugar together in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Pour in the olive oil, cider and bourbon and crack the eggs in as well. Stir gently. Use the large holes of a box grater to grate the apples into the batter, and stir again until just combined.
Scrape the batter out into the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes. Allow to cool. Use a butter knife to loosen the edges, then invert the cake onto a plate. Drizzle the frosting over all and serve. Keeps covered for 2-3 days.
Bourbon Brown Butter Drizzle
Makes enough to coat one Bundt cake
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 tablespoon bourbon
¼ teaspoon sea salt
2-3 tablespoons apple cider
Place the butter in a heavy-bottomed pan set over medium low heat. Melt the butter and keep it on the heat until it turns golden brown and smells nutty, 7-8 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely. Combine the cooled butter (discarding any bits that may have burned on the bottom of the pan) with the remaining ingredients and 2 tablespoons of apple cider and whisk until smooth. Add another tablespoon of cider if you like it more spreadable.
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