white bean sandwiches

Just as you can process garbanzo beans into hummus, so too can you process any bean your little heart desires into a paste that performs like hummus. Mexican cuisine is big on black beans flavored with lard in lieu of olive oil, and cumin instead of za'atar or sumac or whatever other Middle Eastern spice you manage to scrounge up at the spice market. 

This paste is produced from a can of white beans.  White beans because I carelessly opened a can by mistake last night when I was going for a can of chick peas.  Dummkopf.  That'll teach me to read labels.   Incidentally, I went ahead and opened a can of chick peas and proceeded with my plan, which was to heat them whole in a saute pan with olive oil and garlic then add chicken broth, wine, and chicken bits.  While I was at it, I included a few mustard leaves that must be used or lost, cut into strips and steamed along with the beans.  I popped a few Beanos™ and had at it. Ate the whole thing. I'm such a pig. It produced a rather unattractive pile, too ugly to photograph, but I didn't care. I fixed a plate, then another, then another, and BANG!, it was gone. I do believe I've discovered a new favorite thing. This is the sort of thing vegetarians do. I imagine. Minus the chicken, of course. That's what I was thinking when I made these sandwiches, "Dude, have you gone off?" No animals were sacrificed in the production of these sandwiches.

Bread.

Used ingredients that would go into a brioche:

* 1/2 Cup of milk
* 1 egg
* Tablespoon of Butter

^^^ warmed in microwave to 125℉, added 1/2 teaspoon yeast.  

* 1/2 teaspoon white sugar (yeast food)
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* handful of wheat grains run through coffee grinder into powder
* AP flour by the tablespoon to form a dough

What to do.

Mix dough, divide into thirds. Divide each third into thirds and form into patties like you intend squat little pizzas. Press into floured board and cover with plastic. Cover that with kitchen towel.  Allow to rise. Fry till done. I like to keep a lid smaller than the pan so I can drizzle a small amount of water onto the lid and let it seep through the crack and steam the frying bread underneath. That way they're fried and slightly steamed simultaneously. Helps assure the insides of the bread is cooked.

Bean paste

* can of white beans
* processed with
* juice of 1/2 lime
* 1/4 Cup white wine
* any seasoning you have on hand. Be imaginative. Here's your chance to experiment. I took a dry bay leaf and crumbled it into a coffee grinder along with some rather rough sage. I used a lot. Then, on a whim, used some proprietary herb combination from a nearby herb shop. It was called "Denver mix" I have no idea what's in it but I know it's supposed to be a little hot, probably has some paprika in it. Also added Jamaican jerk from the same shop, advertised as hot. Pffft. This shop doesn't know from hot. Ha ha ha Anyway, I really spiced up the beans. They were delicious all by themselves. Could have been dip. Or a pile of tasty paste as a side dish for a dinner. Or just eat it with crackers. Anything, really.

Made mayonnaise again, just for this. I learned, blend the egg first, then drizzle in the oil very slowly at first, then dump in the remaining oil, then add vinegar. This time I used 1/2 lime. It was sitting there, veritably crying, "Use me." What was I to do, leave it?" Hell no. I squished it in, then drizzled some white wine which a guest left at my apartment. +grated garlic clove +grated ginger, since I had them right there. Stone ground mustard. At this rate, I'm going to use up that jar of mustard in no time. The mayonnaise was for the salad portion of the sandwiches.

*goat cheese. Flavored goat cheese left over from the party, put to use here. Still have a knob of it left. This stuff doesn't last, goat cheese goes rank really fast. Therefore, it's something of a race to see if I can use it before it must be tossed.

Gosh, almost forgot to mention, grew the tomatoes on the balcony.