Friday, March 5, 2010

Lima Beans? What am I your grandmother?


Yes, I decided to cook with lima beans. Frozen little green guys. As much as I thought I would never eat these, or cook them, it's actually turned out to be a tasty dish. Very tasty. I have to thank the cooking show I caught last week which used edamame, but you could probably use any type of green pea or bean. Maybe even garbanzos or other veggies. What I decided was to make little asian flavored raviolis. They've got a great zesty flavor thanks to the magic combo of garlic and ginger, and with a good broth, cilantro, soy sauce, and some lime juice, you really have a great meal, a meal that for the most part is very very healthy.

Ingredients:
1 cup lima beans, thawed in water or in the fridge
2 cloves garlic
A lump of ginger about the size of a sugar cube
Handful of flat parsley
Coarse salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Wonton wraps

Veggie broth-homemade or otherwise, maybe 2 quarts
Soy sauce
Chopped cilantro
Juice of a lime

Directions:
What I did was mash the garlic, ginger and a pinch of salt in a pestle and mortar. This is pretty necessary to have a good mashing, and the oils don't get lost in your final dish. Add the parsley leaves and mash those in too. Once it's all lovely looking and juicy, throw it into a bowl. The beans also need to be mashed, so you could do those in the mortar too, or use a food processor. Either way, I wipe them in the pestle and mortar to pick up any leftover oils from the garlic smashing. Add a glug of olive oil, check your salt and pepper, and this is your filling.


The wontons are simple. They stick when wet, so watch that you have a dry surface to make these. Put a small spoonful of your green mash in the center of the wrap and with a finger dipped in water, wet just a finger width edge line on two sides of the square wonton. Pull the other side over and press the edges down so that you have a bulging triangle wonton. It should be sealed and look good. Avoid any extra water. Just use the minimal amount to wet the edges and then when they're done put them on a plate or platter ready to boil. Save them all up on that plate before you boil them. They cook quick. Just think of it as assembly line cooking.


With your veggie broth boiling, add a few of the wontons. Don't crowd them, so only three or four should be done at a time. They take about 4 minutes and shouldn't break open. Gently pull them out with a slotted spoon and rest them on a big plate or in bowls. Each person could be served about 5 for starters. Continue to cook them all. They don't need to be kept warm since you'll add broth at the end to each dish which will reheat them a bit.

When they're all cooked, keep your about half of your pot of broth cooking and add some soy sauce to the pot, maybe 1/8th of a cup. Add the lime juice and the cilantro, and if you want some green onions. Check the salt and flavor. Tweak if needed. Then laddle some of your tasty broth on to the waiting bowls of wontons. Top with a sprinkling of chopped herbs and a crack of black pepper. Eat immediately. Have extras for those who tend to eat fast like me.

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