Flapjacks...!?

The season is filled with parties and celebrations. Besides the holidays we have had two birthdays in the family this month with one more coming in mid-January. I have been cooking and baking and everything got vacuumed up by guests and family members before I even had a chance to get the camera out. So forget about pics and/or recipes for now. Except for today, when our younger one complained that "how come no dessert to go with the dinner"? And this in a family where desserts are usually served only once or twice a month. I suppose the onset of addiction to sweets is very rapid.

So... I told the wise guy to go and find a recipe that he can prepare for himself - thinking that he will abandon the idea. Wrong! After googling a bit he decided on a flapjack. He apparently was vacillating between two recipes: old fashioned and Epicurious's pancake type flapjacks , but then he still decided to go with the simpler one.

We all enjoyed his creation, it brought back memories :) for the older generation, and I promised to prepare a batch of the pancakey version soon.

White pea bean stew

First of all I have to apologize for the lack of imagery, but this dish also fell victim to my family's vacuum-style eating habits, not giving me a chance to snap an artful representation of it. Well, next time! Because by popular demand there definitely will be a next time. :)

Yesterday I discovered a bag of who knows how old white beans, about a pound of it. I soaked it overnight, and this morning I cooked it for a while before I had to go for my doctor's appointment. So I just took the pot off the stove and resumed after I got home.

First I thought I would make a bean salad with some other colours added. But then I decided to go for a little spin on the net, and I happened to find a recipe for a Basque White Bean Stew. Hmmm... it sounded good, but I didn't have any leeks at home. I looked around in the kitchen and I found two hafty broccoli stems, leftovers from yesterday's broccoli quiche. I figured, they should do as far as vegetable content is concerned.

Everything went well, except the beans did not soften fast enough and the family was clamouring for food. Half an hour later the beans were acceptably soft but the dish seemed still too watery. So I used bit of flour to give the sauce a bit of body. But by that time the family was too hungry and it became obvious that the amount in the pot will not be sufficient to appease their hunger. Luckily I had some lovely Basmati rice, the addition of which then completed the creation of this lovely dish.

Ingredients:
1 pound (1/2 kilo) white pea beans
3 tbs olive oil
1 onion chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 medium red pepper, chopped
2 thick broccoli stems, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon/half cube chicken or beef soup flavouring
1 tablespoon flour
2 cups cooked rice
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
2 teaspoons dried dill weed

Soak beans. Pour off soaking water, add fresh just to cover, bring it to boil, then reduce heat and let it simmer until the beans are al dente. At this point you can pull it off the stove and wait until ready to finish it.

Chop the vegetables (onions, peppers, broccoli stems), then saute them in the oil for 5-10 minutes. Add to the beans, the flavouring, and cook the whole thing until the beans are softened.

Sprinkle the flour over, add a bit of water if necessary to create a sauce and cook it to thicken. Stir the rice into the pot, together with the parsley and dill, again adding some water if needed. Simmer a bit longer to get the flavours to mix properly. Make some final adjustments with some extra salt and pepper before serving.