Canned, Dried and Frozen (Almost)

An unadorned jar of cannellini beans has had a habit of staring out of the cabinet at me, asking me, gently but firmly, why on earth I would choose to ignore it in favor of its neighbors, the zesty veggie crackers, the plump apricots, the tamari almonds. Ever so quietly it would whisper, "You don't even know where they came from. But you know me, man. Remember those long vines, swaying in the afternoon breeze under the weight of my ripe contents? Come on, man -ya canned me yourself, for Pete's sake." After casually pointing out that I merely wanted a snack (handful of almonds or handful of, uh, canned white beans?), the can would simply reply that its constituents were disappointed, but understood. Not no more, they aint. Inspired by the May-like temperatures of Colorado's Front Range, the itching to begin the gardening process gained momentum. As rewarding and recreational as the entire gardening process is, I tend to make a mental jump, true to form, to the harvest part of it all, imagining bushels of produce, man. Bushels! Inevitably these thoughts brought me to the preservation of the harvest, followed by the satisfaction of gazing at a freezer and cabinets full of various types of produce, variously preserved. And the tiny minority of all those cans, the cannellini, came right back to mind. Whether it was the spring-tease over the last week (and its resultant thought process), or in fact the whispering of a can of beans, I can't decide. The bottom line is that I was inspired. Further examination of the freezer and cabinets revealed quite a little bit of other homegrown goodies that somehow, magically, presented themselves in a seemingly winning combination. The jar of beans smiled. And hot diggety it was good. One of those rare occasions that I walked out of the kitchen feeling like I really hit the nail on the head. And it was, almost, all from the canned, dried and frozen goods from the garden! I was able to pull it off with minimal grocery store items, namely olive oil, butter, nuts, polenta and some cheese. Oh yeah - and salt and pepper. Eh, now that I think about it, the items purchased at the store would've provided a meal in and of themselves. So perhaps I too quickly pat myself on the back. At any rate, the addition of the garden stuff made it really good, something more than polenta cooked in oil with cheese. Although whooooeeee! that don't sound bad either - I have yet to get over the holiday craving for fat. Fat and brown sugar. Mmm and crisp bacon... I digress, however. The subject that was to be expounded upon has unfortunately taken a back seat to good eatin', and I have no regrets therein. I will throw in a great discovery, though. Several friends with whom I work have become a co-op of Door to Door Organics, a local produce distribution company. On a weekly basis we all put in a request for a certain amount of produce per member, and then they deliver boxes of goodness right to the office on Mondays. The seventy degree weather notwithstanding, Colorado is still not the kind of place where red peppers are in locally-grown abundance in the winter, so it's clear that much of it comes from far, far yonder. However, it has given us all a chance to support a local company and gain access to some organic produce with which our local organic grocery magnate can't compete. Admittedly, purchasing fresh produce has been a bit of a trial for me, given the bounty that our garden offered. And there are A BUNCH of frozen veggies, dried and canned tomatoes, and canned beans still on hand. But the craving for fresh veggies has been almost overwhelming, so there ya have it. I certainly think this small action on our part has some positive impact. Plus it’s tasty, and not once have any of those vegetables vocalized any of their disagreement like that sassy can of cannellini. Check 'em out: http://doortodoororganics.com/ I will now beg forgiveness for the above ramblings, and can only hope that sharing the following recipe shall amend said actions. The truly dedicated will make their own polenta, perhaps from corn grown by your neighbor. The truly adventurous will make their own parmesan. I didn't do either. It was still good. Cheers! Beans and Greens over Polenta 3 Tbsp. + ½ Tbsp. Olive Oil 2 T Butter 1 C. Onions, finely chopped 6 Large Cloves of garlic, minced 2 C. Kale, Well Chopped 2 Roasted Red Peppers, Chopped, seeds and skin removed 2 Cans of Cannelini beans (Italian Navy Beans) 1 Package of cooked polenta, cut into ½ ‘’ slices Parmesan Cheese ¼ C. Sliced Almonds ¼ C. Pine Nuts ¾ C. Sun-dried Tomatoes, Coarsley Chopped ½ tsp. Garlic Powder 1 Sage Leaf, crushed Dash of Garlic Powder 1 tsp. Oregano Leaf 2 tsp. Lemon Zest Salt and Pepper to Taste 1) In a medium Saucepan, heat 2 Tbsp. Olive oil and butter over medium-low heat. Add garlic and onions and cook for 2 minutes, covered. 2) Add Kale to pan, replace cover, and saute until the kale is tender, about 15 minutes. 3) While kale is cooking, heat the remaining ½ tbsp oil in a frying pan. Add nuts and sprinkle with the sage, garlic powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until nuts begin to brown. Remove to a separate bowl, and reserve oil in frying pan. 4) When the kale has become tender, add the roasted red peppers and a dash of salt. Continue cooking over medium low heat another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 5) Add beans to pot, sprinkle with a dash or two of salt, and cook until beans are heated through. 6) Reheat the frying pan used to brown nuts, and add slices of polenta. Cook until browned, flipping the slices after a few minutes. 7) Once beans have heated, stir in lemon zest and oregano and season with salt and pepper to taste. 8) Place browned polenta on serving plates. Spoon bean and veggie mixture over polenta. Top with a generous sprinkle of parmesan, followed by the sundried tomatoes, and finished with the browned nuts. Serve immediately.