Class #5: Back Pocket Basics & Component Cooking / Beans, Grains, Seared Potato Bowls, Minestrone
“There’s no feeling in the world like the one that comes from making something delicious by pure instinct - like you stepped up to the podium without writing a speech and delivered the monologue of a lifetime.”
Takeaways
Notes
A well-stocked pantry + some back pocket basics + fresh, seasonal goodies = my favorite formula for an easier, more joyful mealtime.
Knowing how to prepare or cook a few very basic things and having them on hand can make cooking and meal time much more of a breeze. These aren’t necessarily recipes, but more of a starting point. They are building blocks that will make up or fill out your meals, like a pot of beans or grains, baked potatoes or other roasted vegetables, prepped greens, a good sauce or two, quick pickles, etc. These are things that you won’t need a rigid recipe for, or if you do, it’s very easy to memorize for a lifetime and modify according to the ingredients that you have or what you’re craving.
I call this kind of cooking component cooking or component meal prep, and this is the closest that I usually come to meal prep, since it allows for so much more flexibility and creativity. Instead of having very rigid meals prepared for the week, you can freely put together dishes using different components, based on your current cravings.
Find your own back pocket basics, evolve them, and make them the perfect fit for you. Repeat their cooking method often, memorize it, and you’ll be able to always lean on these trusted components in the kitchen.
Recipes
To cook beans from dry,
soak 1-2 cups of dry beans in plenty of water (optionally, add a splash of apple cider vinegar to help rid the beans of phytic acid) overnight or up to 24 hours. Strain and rinse the beans well. Add the beans to a large pot and cover with plenty of water (by about 3 fingers’ width, or as much as you prefer - beans make delicious broth). Add plenty of salt to season. Optionally, add aromatics, like onion, garlic, leek tops or other vegetable scraps, herbs, peppercorns, kombu seaweed (helps break down phytic acid even further), etc. Optionally, add a glug of olive oil for richer broth. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and simmer the beans, covered, until tender and creamy. The cooking time will depend on the kind of beans you’re using, how long you soaked them, and how fresh the beans are. Start checking at around the 30-40 minute mark.
Once the beans are done, have a bowl of the beans and their broth, maybe garnished with fresh herbs or salsa verde, as a chef’s treat. The rest of the beans can be stored in their broth, refrigerated, for up to 5 days. The beans can also be frozen right in the broth, which conveniently helps prevent freezer burn. Just make sure that there is at least 1” of empty space at the top of your container, as the broth will expand as it freezes. The broth can also be strained out and used anywhere vegetable broth is needed.
Here are some of my favorite bean and aromatics combinations:
(I like to add onion/leek tops, garlic, and kombu every time, no matter the bean type)
chickpeas + black peppercorns + carrot + a few strips of lemon zest
white beans + black peppercorns + a few sprigs of fresh sage or rosemary
black beans + dried chiles or broiled fresh chiles + Mexican oregano
red beans + celery + bell pepper + smoked paprika
Related recipes: Marinated Lentils, Staple Red Lentils
To make coconut rice,
in a medium pot, combine 2 cups white rice with 1 1/2 cups water, 1 13.5 oz/400 ml can full fat coconut milk, and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the lid and put a towel over the pot. Return the lid to the pot, over the towel, and let the rice steam for another 10-15 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve.
To make simple quinoa,
rinse 1 cup of quinoa really well. Heat a medium pot over medium heat, add enough olive oil to just coat the bottom. Add 1 diced shallot and 1-2 minced garlic cloves. Saute for about 5 minutes, until the shallot is translucent. Add the quinoa to the pot, along with 1 1/2 cups of water, and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the lid and put a towel over the pot. Return the lid to the pot, over the towel, and let the quinoa steam for another 10-15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.
To bake potatoes,
preheat the oven to 400° F (200° C). Put your potatoes or sweet potatoes on a parchment-covered baking sheet and prick with a fork several times. Roast for 40 minutes-1 hour, until soft throughout.
To blanch greens,
stem and tear a few bunches of sturdy, dark greens like chard, kale, or collard greens. Set a pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the greens to the boiling water and blanch for 1-2 minutes, until bright green and tender. Strain the greens and run cold water over them. Squeeze as much water as you can out of the greens, forming a ball. Keep the greens refrigerated in an airtight container. Thinly slice off as much as you need in thin ribbons when ready to add greens to whatever you’re cooking.
Related recipe: Garlicky Sesame Kale
To prep broccoli and cauliflower,
preheat the oven to 400° F (200° C). Start with 1 large head of cauliflower and 3-4 small-medium heads of broccoli. Cut half of the cauliflower and broccoli into florets, and put on a parchment-covered baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, all to taste. Mix to coat. Roast the vegetables for 35-45 minutes, until cooked through and caramelized/charred in parts.
Finely chop the remaining half of the cauliflower and broccoli. Store in air-tight containers until ready to use.
To make tahini sauce,
combine 2 tablespoons creamy tahini, 1 tablespoon white miso, 2-3 teaspoons maple syrup, and the juice from 1 lemon. Mix until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add a few splashes of ice water, until you achieve a smooth and runny sauce consistency. Keep refrigerated in an airtight container.
Other sauces that work well for component meal prep: vinaigrette, almond butter dressing, salsa verde, mozz sauce
To make quick pickled red onion,
thinly slice 1 medium red onion and add to a medium glass jar. Add vinegar (white vinegar, apple cider, rice vinegar all work well) and warm water to cover the onion, following the ratio of 1 part vinegar : 2 parts water. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt and 1 teaspoon sugar. Optionally, add aromatics like fresh rosemary or thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns, cloves, etc. Close the jar and shake to dissolve the salt and sugar. Let sit at room temperature for about 1 hour, then refrigerate for up to 5 days.
You can use this method to quick pickle many different kinds of vegetables, like radishes, turnips, carrots, cucumbers, beets, jalapeños, etc.
Seared Sweet Potato Bowl
serves 1-2
olive oil
dash of smoked paprika
1-2 baked sweet potatoes (from above), sliced in half crosswise, then lengthwise
cooked chickpeas (from above)
blanched greens (from above)
tahini sauce (from above)
quick pickled red onions (from above)
Heat a medium non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Add the smoked paprika and swirl it into the oil. Put the potatoes in the skillet, cut side down. Let sear for 5 minutes, or until the undersides are golden. Optionally, add the chickpeas and greens to the skillet to quickly warm them up and flavor with the paprika oil.
Nestle the sweet potatoes into bowls, followed by the chickpeas and greens. Generously drizzle the bowls with the tahini sauce and garnish with the quick pickled onions. Finish the bowls by drizzling any of the remaining paprika oil over top and serve.
Quinoa Bowl
serves 2 or more
raw tender greens like Romaine, salad mix, arugula, other lettuces of choice
cooked chickpeas (from above)
simple quinoa (from above)
roasted cauliflower and broccoli (from above)
tahini sauce (from above)
quick pickled red onions (from above)
Assemble all the ingredients in a bowl (reheat the quinoa, roasted vegetables, and chickpeas as needed) and enjoy.
Intuitive Cooking Takeaways
To customize these bowls, sweet potatoes can be replaced by regular potatoes, or other starchy veg like plantains, yucca, winter squash. In place of chickpeas, try other kinds of beans or lentils. You can also vary the type of sauce, greens, and quick pickles based on what’s in your bowl and what you like.
Coconut Fried Rice
serves 2-4
olive oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil
1 shallot, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1” piece ginger, finely grated
sea salt
3-4 cups finely chopped cauliflower and broccoli (from above)
2 cups coconut rice (from above)
splash tamari, to taste
splash sesame oil, to taste
cilantro or scallions, for garnishing
Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and add enough oil to just coat the bottom. Add the shallot, garlic, ginger, and a pinch of salt. Saute for about 5 minutes, until the shallot is translucent.
Add the cauliflower and broccoli to the skillet, along with another pinch of salt. Saute for 10-15 minutes, until soft. Add the coconut rice, and saute for about 5 more minutes, until the rice is incorporated and slightly crispy in parts. Add tamari and sesame oil to taste (both are very potent, so a little goes a long way), mix to combine. Serve the rice, garnished with cilantro or scallions.
Intuitive Cooking Takeaways
Many different, seasonal vegetables can be used in place of the cauliflower and broccoli: green beans, bell peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, carrots, peas of all kinds, asparagus, scallions, etc. etc. (just adjust the cooking time accordingly).
Minestrone
serves around 4
olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
sea salt
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
chile flakes
about 2 cups cubed butternut squash
about 2 cups finely chopped cauliflower and broccoli (from above)
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (from above)
chickpea broth (from above), vegetable broth, water, or a mix
freshly ground black pepper
blanched chard (from above), sliced
juice from 1 lemon
Heat a soup pot over medium heat, and add enough oil to coat the bottom. Add the onion, celery, and a pinch of salt. Saute for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and translucent. Add the garlic and chile flakes to taste, stir around for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the squash, cauliflower and broccoli, chickpeas, and enough broth/water to cover the contents of the pot by about 1”-2”. Season with plenty of salt and black pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer, covered, for 25-30 minutes, until the butternut squash is tender.
Turn off the heat, stir in the blanched chard and lemon juice. Taste for salt and adjust as needed. Serve the minestrone as is or with quinoa (pictured), rice, garlic bread, etc.
Intuitive Cooking Takeaways
Minestrone is the ultimate recipe for exercising your cooking intuition! It can be a total kitchen sink recipe, and pretty much every ingredient can be substituted for something similar. To establish the flavor base for the soup, you can just use an onion or a leek, or onion and celery like I did here, or a mirepoix of onion, celery, and carrot (or just onion and carrot!). The butternut squash and cauliflower/broccoli can be replaced by any seasonal vegetables that do well in soup. It’s nice to have a balance of a more starchy vegetable (squash, potato, sweet potato) and more water-rich vegetable (green beans, fennel, zucchini, tomatoes) for varying textures and a more satiating soup. Greens can be pre-blanched, wilted directly into the minestrone, or replaced by a garnishing of fresh herbs. Try using white beans, cranberry beans, or even fresh/frozen peas in place of the chickpeas.