When I was college-aged, I worked briefly for the Forest Service. Afraid of the sack-lunches, I signed up for the vegetarian option, assuming it would be the safest. Brown-bread, refried bean, and alfalfa sprout sandwiches. All cold out of the sack, along with an apple and cookie. They didn’t kill me, but I don’t crave them.
This one - all toasted and melty - looks good.
The next few days are forecast to reach freezing, barely, but mainly stay below that point. Such weather demands hearty food, and cassoulet tics all my boxes. Today I shall confit chicken legs in duck fat, start defrosting a tub of rich, dark chicken broth, and start soaking a bag of fancy-schmancy Tarbais beans. Our daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter will join us for dinner. They all love beans.
I Googled some recipes for baked bean toasties and baked bean grilled cheese. It looks like the baked bean toastie is fairly popular in the UK , being a decadent step from baked beans on toast. Jaffle is the Australian term for toastie, and baked bean jaffles are online. I won’t bother posting the recipes since they are typically:
Butter
Bread
Cheese (sometimes more than 1 type)
Baked beans
Optional bacon
Optional Worcestershire
Optional tomato
Optional spinach
Some are griddled, some are panini-pressed or snack mastered, some are air-fryed.
A few North American bean canneries have recipes for baked bean grilled cheese.
Baked beans sandwiches (not toasties) ,served with cold baked beans as the filling, are thing in New England, as well. https://newengland.com/food/baked-bean-sandwich/
Dead simple dal makhani. Made yesterday during an exceptionally boring conference call and eaten over a baked potato last night. These are the leftovers. Taking half to my mom tomorrow. Pardon the exceptionally ugly picture; promise it was delicious.
I have made a nearly identical cassoulet but used confit chicken legs in duck fat, a very nice approximation.
Pineapple and bacon in these baked beans.
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sue-and-glorias-baked-beans-recipe-1916910
Interesting! I don’t understand “pickled zatar”, but even plain zatar would be great!
I happen to have just picked some chard and pickled the stems. Hoping other unlabeled white beans in my freezer will work.
I didn’t either.
It’s from a Turkish market in Gazientep, Turkey, mentioned by a British food writer on IG
I did find Zaatar flavoured pickles, maybe that’s what the label on his pickles meant.
Or he means pickled savoury/ Zaatar like this: https://youtu.be/_pzbh6mK1UE
Pickled thyme is the pickled Zaatar in Lebanon. Apparently it’s sold at Kalustyan’s. https://forums.egullet.org/topic/44336-pickled-thyme/
Thank you!
This, from P. Wolfert about “thyme” sounds familiar
“Actually, it isn’t organo at all, it is thymba spicata, a pungent assertive herb that is often confused with herbs in the same thyme, oregano, marjoram, savory family.”
The Thymbra Spicata Hole 
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/thymbra-spicata
Any idea why he specifies soaking the beans in a plastic container? Seems odd
No idea! More microplastics for flavour!? Lol
Chickpea breadcrumbs:
I triple this recipe and bake on a 1/2 sheet SS tray.
For one can:
1 can rinsed/drained c peas
Place them in food processor and pulse carefully into small nugget bits.
Place on SS tray. Season if you wish (I use dried herbs to taste).
Toss in 2T olive oil and 3/4 tsp salt (depending on the dried herb I may use less salt) and Bake in 350* oven for 30 mins. or more until crunchy.
I have used this recipe from cookbook author Bonnie Stern to coat cutlets, as a binder in ground meats, in stuffed shell filing and as a falafel shortcut.
Only make what you intend to use OR store in frig knowing you will need to crisp the crumbs a second time.
It’s lighter than traditional breadcrumbs and comes together easily.
Is it something like this (for our GF friends)?
Yes, but no coconut oil (instead we use peanut butter OR powder peanut butter and almond milk) and no oats (instead we used almond flour).
The ones we made are “no bake” so we use almond flour (which can be eaten raw).
