This is a soup I keep coming back to. The surprise is the fennel. When well cooked, there's still the hint of anis but it caramelizes beautifully and the combination of fennel, beans and potato are inspired. This weekend I made it with our new crop Cassoulet beans and it was incredible. I also added half an onion, thinly sliced to the fennel mixture. The liquid was about 1/3 bean broth and the rest was wild rice broth I had on hand. I have never been to the restaurant Moro in London but it’s on my list. Their three cookbooks...

As you may have read, I love cooking in clay pots. I also like slow cookers, pressure cookers, Le Cruset and pretty much anything technique for cooking beans. But my heart is with clay.  This pot is from Spain and I was lucky enough to get it because now the importer has stopped because of too much breakage. The pot is very heavy and it takes a good long while to heat up, but once it does, it stays hot for a long time.  As is my habit, I started with onion, garlic, olive oil and some Mexican oregano. I...

Brigit Binns and I share some mutual friends and we've developed an online friendship that will no doubt blossom into the real thing if I ever make it past San Francisco when I head south. She's a smart, funny writer and I told her I'd love to share some bean recipes once we get some decent-sized white beans in. Happily, we have the Alubia Criollo bean in stock and while it's smaller and less potatoey than Gigantes, I think they'd be perfect for this recipe. Brigit writes: I thought your readers might enjoy this one, from the as-yet-untitled cookbook of...

Snack-a-licious! This is leftover pureed Royal Coronas with some smoked bittersweet Spanish paprika, topped with some lump crab, drizzled with Bariani olive oil and then finished with endive from California Vegetable Specialties (endive supplier to the stars!) for dipping and scooping. 2 Nights later: Leftover crab Mini tortillas, Happy Girl salsa (I was too lazy and it's very good), the leftover crab and just a smoodge of crema. I'm pretty sure smoodge is a real word.