squash and pepper pilaf with cannellini beans, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes

naomi — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:19:25 +0000

Yesterday morning we were leafing through the last issue of Gourmet (sigh) wondering what to make for dinner when these beautiful dishes jumped out at us. Healthy, quick, and tasty, it’s the perfect dinner to make at the end of a long day (and after the tedium of my Bilingual Exceptional Child class.)

Squash and Bell Pepper Pilaf
adapted from Gourmet

I cannot overstress how simple, and how delicious both of these dishes are. There are so few ingredients, the recipes are so easy, and most of the time you’re just waiting for the rice to cook (or writing a paper on Italian syntax and letting the rice burn), and yet they are so flavorful and so fulfilling.

The original recipe calls for a red pepper, but I had an extra green pepper loafing about in my fridge, so I used that instead. I replaced the long-grain white rice with a mix of brown rices I had in my cupboard because I prefer the chewiness and nutty flavor of brown rice.

3/4 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch squares
1 bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup rice
2 cups water
1/2 cup raw green (hulled) pumpkin seeds, toasted
salt and pepper, to taste

Cook squash, bell pepper, onion and bay leaf, 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper in olive oil in a 12-inch medium skillet (or medium pot) over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables start to brown, about 8 minutes.

Add rice and stir until coated. Add water and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low and cook until rice and vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with seeds before serving.

Spanish White Beans with Spinach
Adapted from Gourmet

The recipe asks for 19-oz cans of cannellini beans, I don’t know where they’re shopping but I could only find 15 oz. cans, which seems to be the standard can weight for beans.

1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (they say oil-packed, mine weren’t, it was fine)
6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp sweet smoked paprika (I used regular paprika)
2 (15-oz) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup water
2 (10-oz) bags spinach (I used on 16-oz container)
salt and pepper, to taste

Cook onion and sun-dried tomatoes in 1/4 cup oil with some salt and pepper in a large (5-6 qt) pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is browned, 6-8 minutes. Add garlic and paprika and cook for another minute.

Stir in beans, water and spinach and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the spinach is wilted, about 5 minutes (honestly, it took about 5 minutes just to get all that spinach mixed in). Season with salt and pepper and serve.

the honey eater » last issue

squash and pepper pilaf with cannellini beans, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes