Day 162: bean mash
For me, I’m afraid, there is no substitute for mashed potato. It evokes wonderful memories from throughout my life - from childhood to last week’s dinner - and provides unmatched comfort. Sure, there are alternatives - wet polenta, mashed/pureed cauliflower, celeriac, carrot and other root vegetables, which all taste just wonderful - but none of them give me that reassuring tap on the shoulder or gentle nudge with a smile that tells you everything’s going to be okay. Before this cookalong, most meals I cooked were served with buttery mash, peas (frozen petit pois) and gravy/sauce of some kind. And, no, it didn’t get boring.
All that being said, it doesn’t mean I won’t try new alternatives, and my short witterings above will have meaning shortly.
It’s been quite the challenge to get my hands on some white beans - canned and dried - but I eventually had some luck at the weekend, which means I finally got around to making Nigella’s White Bean Mash, and, believe me, it’s been on my list for a long time!
Nigella’s White Bean Mash
Used a mix of jarred and canned cannellini beans here. As you’ve already heard me drone on about before, I tend to splash out a little when it comes to buying beans; I can’t stand the powderiness often found in the budget kind. This isn’t snobbery, it’s personal preference, and I’m not rich, I simply eat fewer beans but enjoy them more when I do.
Served with a bavette steak, simply seasoned, fried and sliced, and chard cooked with chilli, garlic and anchovies (like N’s spaghetti recipe in Cook Eat Repeat, minus the pasta). Squeezed a spritz of lemon into the steak pan to lift the sticky bits and then poured over the rested, sliced meat.
Flavour musings
I can now verify that I have indeed met a match worthy of the comfort that mashed potato provides: a truly addictive mash of white beans infused with the sprightliness of lemon and the gentle warmth of rosemary and garlic. It’s a (delicious) hug in a bowl.
I can also tell you that leftovers, heated through with a knob of butter and eaten with toasted sourdough, are equally divine.
