Cinnamon rolls, laser tag and beans
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We started this morning with a platter of homemade cinnamon rolls which is always a magnificent way to start anything. Especially once you slather them with cream cheese glaze.
Then to laser tag for several hours, a Mexican-Salvadoran taqueria and finally home to spend a lazy'ish afternoon.
Tonight for dinner? Chile verde and some incredible stewed beans. I bought a bag of dried cicerchia, fava chickpeas, at an Italian spot in Easton, MD, last summer, and today before we left for laser tag had the foresight to put them up to soak. I think I knew I would not make it to the market later, even though I really need to go.
In any case, when I bought these, I loved both the look of them -like flat chickpea pebbles smoothed by years of waves washing over them- as well as the promise of cooking them slowly with lots of olive oil and herbs. Like a meatless cassoulet of sorts.
So this evening, I boiled them (with bay leaves, allspice berries and salt) until nearly tender and then drained them while my braiser of olive oil and lots of garlic heated gently on the stove. I poured the drained cicerchia and herbs into that warm oil, added more oil and some chicken broth, salt and pepper, a bit of fresh rosemary and sage and cooked it in a 350 oven for an hour or maybe more.
These were truly outstanding: creamy but not mushy, complexly flavored but subtly so, filling in a delightful, hearty way, and really just quite delicious.
