2 thyme sprigs
2 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 medium carrot, peeled and cut into pieces
1/2 celery stalk, cut into 2 or 3 pieces
1/2 medium yellow onion, quartered
1/4 medium fennel bulb
One 3- to 4-ounce piece of pancetta
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
Salt and freshly ground pepper

PESTO
4 cornichons
2 teaspoons capers
3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 soft-cooked egg
1 oil-packed anchovy fillet
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups arugula leaves, roughly chopped
2 cups spinach leaves, roughly chopped
1 cup fresh chervil leaves, roughly chopped
1/2 cup fresh tarragon leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon leaves for garnishing
1 tablespoon chopped parsley for garnishing

Makes 4 servings

Put the thyme sprigs, parsley sprigs, and bay leaf on a piece of cheesecloth, gather the corners, and tie the bundle securely.

In a soup pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the carrot, celery, onion, fennel, and pancetta and saute until the vegetables begin to soften and caramelize, about 10 minutes. Add the beans, cheesecloth bundle, chicken broth, and enough cold water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a simmer and season with salt and pepper. Cook uncovered until the beans are just tender, about 11/2 hours.

Transfer beans and their broth to large bowl and let cool. Remove the vegetables, pancetta, and cheesecloth bundle, and discard. Drain the beans, reserving the broth.

Make the pesto: Put the cornichons, capers, mustard, garlic, egg, and anchovy in a blender. With the motor running, slowly add the oil until it is completely incorporated. Add the arugula, spinach, chervil, and 1/2 cup tarragon. Puree until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Put the beans and the reserved broth in a medium saucepan and warm gently over medium heat. Add about 1 cup of the pesto and stir to incorporate, making sure not to let the stew boil. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Ladle the stew into warmed bowls and garnish with the tarragon and parsley.

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 large heads celery, preferably with leaves, trimmed then sliced into 3/4-inch chunks (leaves reserved for making celery salt)
3 bunches green onions or 12 spring onions if in season, green parts included, sliced into 1⁄3-inch rounds
8 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
Scant 2 teaspoons caraway seeds, lightly crushed
Fine sea salt and flaky sea salt
One 28-ounce can whole plum tomatoes, drained, rinsed, cored, and roughly chopped
4 to 6 cups cooked Rancho Gordo Christmas Lima beans, bean broth reserved
Oily black olives, pitted and roughly chopped, for garnish
1 lemon, cut into eighths

Makes 8 servings

Preheat the oven to 250°F.

Heat ¾ cup of the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the celery and stir until coated with oil. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add two-thirds of the green onions, the garlic, caraway seeds, and a couple big pinches of fine salt. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the vegetables soften and begin to caramelize a bit.

Make sure the celery leaves are as dry as possible if you’ve recently washed them. Spread out the leaves on a baking sheet and bake for 15 to 25 minutes, tossing once or twice, until dried out. Alternately, you can toast them in a large skillet over low heat, tossing regularly, for about 30 minutes. Crumble the dried celery leaves with an equal part flaky salt.
Add the tomatoes and 2 teaspoons of the celery salt and cook for another few minutes. Add the beans along with 5½ cups of liquid (ideally 2 cups bean broth plus 3½ cups water) and the remaining ¼ cup olive oil.

Bring to a simmer, taste, and season with more salt or celery salt if needed. Ladle the stew into bowls and top with a spoonful of chopped olives and a squeeze of lemon. Garnish with the remaining green onions.

2 cups (1 pound) uncooked small red beans
1 garlic clove
1 sprig epazote, 1 avocado leaf, or 1 Tbsp dried oregano or marjoram
4 tsp sea salt, plus more as needed
3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
2 large garlic cloves, finely minced
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
4 to 6 heads Little Gem lettuce, rinsed and damaged outer leaves discarded
8 to 12 Tortillas de Maiz (corn tortillas)

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Rinse the beans thoroughly, removing any debris, then place them in a medium pot and cover with about 4 inches of water. Add the garlic and the epazote, avocado leaf, oregano, or marjoram. Bring the water to a boil, then immediately decrease the heat to maintain a low simmer and cover the pot with a lid. After 30 minutes, stir the beans, because the ones at the bottom of the pot will cook faster and you want them all done at the same time. Add more water if needed to maintain 2 to 3 inches over the top of the beans. Cover and let simmer for another 15 minutes, then taste a bean for doneness. The beans probably will not be finished yet, but at this point, you should start checking them every 10 minutes, stirring gently each time and adding more water if needed. Let the beans cook until they are just a bit softer than you think they should be but still whole, with their skins intact.
At the very end of the cooking time, add 3 tsp of the salt to the cooking water and turn off the stove. Let the beans cool in the pot of water for about 20 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk 3/4 cup of the oil with the lime juice and the remaining 1 tsp salt. Add the garlic and parsley. Cover and set aside. Once the beans are cool, drain them. I encourage you to reserve the broth, which makes a simple and delicious soup or can be added to another soup as a base. Transfer the beans to the bowl of vinaigrette and stir gently. Let the beans marinate for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours before serving.
Cut the lettuce heads in half lengthwise, brush their cut sides with the remaining 1 Tbsp oil and sprinkle with salt.
Warm the tortillas on an ungreased comal or in a skillet over medium heat and place them in a basket or other container with a lid to keep warm. Heat a grill pan or cast-iron skillet over high heat. When you lay the heads of lettuce face down on it, you should hear a sizzle. Let them cook for about 1 minute before flipping. Cook for about 1 minute on the other side. Press lightly with a spatula. You want them to wilt slightly, and—if using a grill pan—for the cut surface of each head of lettuce to have nice dark lines. But they should also hold their shape and remain crisp and sweet.
Serve the lettuce cut-side up, topped with a scoop of bean salad and dressing from the bottom of the bowl, passing the tortillas at the table.

SMOKY BLACK BEANS

3 tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable (or extra-virgin olive oil in a pinch)
½ small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes (any kind)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
3 cups cooked black beans (½cup cooking liquid reserved)

FOR THE BOWLS

1 tablespoon unsalted butter (or oil, if you’d like it to be dairy-free)
4 large eggs
1⁄3 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Cooked rice (optional)
¼ small red onion, minced
1 avocado, chopped

Makes 4 servings

1. Make the smoky black beans: In a medium pot, combine the oil, onion, tomatoes, and salt and black pepper and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the onion is soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste, smoked paprika, cumin, and cayenne (if using), stirring everything together and allowing the tomato paste to sizzle and toast for about a minute. Toss in the beans and reserved bean cooking liquid (or ½cup water if using canned beans) and heat until everything has warmed through and the beans have soaked in the spices, 10 to 15 minutes. (The beans should be slightly stewy; if they aren’t, add a little more water to loosen them up.)
2. Meanwhile, for the bowls: In a nonstick skillet, heat the butter (or oil) over medium-low heat. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, cilantro, and salt and pepper and pour into the skillet. Let sit without stirring to allow the eggs to set. Flip once the eggs are mostly cooked around the edges. (You can also cut the omelet in half with your spatula if it’s easier for you to flip that way.) Slide the eggs from the skillet onto a cutting board and slice into bite-size pieces.
3. Divide the beans and the eggs among four bowls (or over four bowls of rice, if using) and serve with the red onion and avocado.

4 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 medium red onion (7 ounces/200g), finely chopped
3⁄4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
4 garlic cloves, finely grated or pressed
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup (225g) dried yellow split peas, rinsed thoroughly and drained
3 cups (710ml) water
21/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
Chopped capers, minced fresh flat-leaf parsley, smoked paprika, for garnish
Warm bread, for serving

Makes about 31/2 cups

IN A MEDIUM SAUCEPAN, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat until it shimmers. Measure out 2 tablespoons of the red onion and set aside for garnish. When the oil shimmers, add the rest of the red onion and ¼ teaspoon of the salt and sauté until translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the split peas, water, and remaining ½teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat until the liquid is at a simmer and cook until the split peas are soft, about 30 minutes.

Reserving the cooking liquid, use a slotted spoon to transfer the split peas, onion, and garlic to a blender. Measure out ¾ cup (180ml) of the cooking liquid, adding water if necessary to reach that amount, and transfer it and the lemon juice to the blender. Cover with the lid and remove the center cap. Hold a kitchen towel over the hole to avoid splattering and blend, beginning at low speed and gradually increasing to medium. Drizzle in the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil while blending and puree until the dip is creamy, about 30 seconds. If the puree is too thick, add a little more of the cooking liquid or water and blend until it is the texture of thick pancake batter. Taste and adjust seasoning. The dip will thicken as it sits. Serve the dip warm or at room temperature. (You might taste it and season again with more salt or lemon juice just before serving if it has cooled, as the flavors will have muted.) Spoon onto a plate, spread it into a swoosh, and garnish with the reserved minced red onion, capers, parsley, smoked paprika, and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with warm bread.

1 1-pound bag of black-eyed peas
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and chopped, feathery fronds set aside
4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 star anise
2 bay leaves
1 navel orange, preferably organic,unpeeled and cut into 8 wedges
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup chopped fresh dill fronds

Makes 6 servings

Place the black-eyed peas in a large pot with ample water and bring to a boil. As soon as they come to a boil, remove and drain. 

In the same pot, heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil and saute the onion, fennel, scallions, and carrots until translucent and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, add the blanched black-eyed peas, and toss to coat in the olive oil. 

Add the tomato paste and stir all together. Add enough water to come about an inch–not more–above the black eyed peas, then add the star anise and bay leaves and squeeze the orange wedges into the pot. Simmer over low-to-medium heat until the black-eyed peas are tender, about 40 minutes, checking the liquid content and adding a little more water as needed. About 10 minutes before removing from the heat, season with salt and pepper.

Remove from heat, then remove and discard the bay leaves and star anise. Sir in the herbs and remaining olive oil, and serve with the cooked orange wedges.