Once in awhile I get it right.  I mean REALLY right!  Tonight was one of those occasions.

I had finished reading 25% of the written assignments I received last night in class, so I am well on the road to completing grading in record time.  Barbara was out, taking care of our grandsons to give our daughter a break, so I could play in the kitchen on my own (that is, until she returned).

Sometimes I conjure up a dish in my mind, inspired by reading cookbooks, thinking about ingredients, and savoring the smells and flavors in my imagination.  Tonight it was slow-cooked vegetables, beans, and rice as done in Greek countryside cooking.

I did have a head start.  A few days earlier I had soaked three different kinds of dried beans from the larder, then prepared them the next day in a Basque bean pot.  The varieties were Scarlett Runner, Controne, and small Black Beans.  They were happily resting in the bean stock from the cooking water on a refrigerator shelf , so they were ready to go.  I also had acquired some superb Greek ingredients in recent weeks, to enhance the flavors — Greek olive oil, Greek medium grain rice, oregano, Chili Flakes, and Caper Leaves — more about that later.

I was not working from a recipe.  Instead, it was purely by feel.  There were a number of little steps, not hard or too time-consuming, but as long I ate dinner by 8 PM, I was in no hurry.  Here are the steps:

• cut one zucchine in quarters lengthwise, then in 1/2-inch pieces
• place cubes in a strainer and sprinkle with Kosher salt, for 1/2 hour or more
• cut one leek in quarters lengthwise, then in 1/2-inch pieces
• dice about 1/2 medium onion in 1/2 inch pieces
• chops celery hearts in a small dice
• wash and coarsely chop baby arugula, 2-3 cups or more
• chop 3 cloves of garlic
• take a handful of good quality pinoli (pine nuts) and put in a small prep bowl
• spoon 2-4 cups of cooked beans and their cooking liquid into a bowl
• reserve 3-4 canned Italian plum tomatoes with some juice in a bowl
• put 1/2 cup of medium grain rice in a bowl
• put Greek or Italian oregano, dried and crushed, into prep bowl
• do the same with chili flakes and caper leaves, in amounts to taste
• prepare a pint of good vegetable stock, homemade if possible

Now, start cooking.  I had the good fortune of purchasing an 11″ wide, deep nonstick sauté pan from Zwilling via Food52 (a bargain at $69) recently, but any good sized skillet or sauté pan will work.

• start with 2 Tbs. olive oil over medium heat
• when oil is hot, and leek, celery, and onion, cooking until lightly colored and just tender
• wipe zucchine dry with paper towels, and add to the sauté pan
• cook a few minutes, then add pine nuts and garlic
• add oregano, Kosher or sea salt, and black pepper (always freshly ground)
• as zucchine begins to become tender, add the rice and stir
• add all the stock and stir again
• after cooking a few minutes, squeeze the tomatoes into the pot, along with some of the liquid
• add the cooked beans and their liquid, then sprinkle on the Chili Flakes (smoky flavor is good here)
• cover loosely and simmer until the rice becomes tender, adding stock, bean liquid or water, as needed
• remove the cover, add some caper leaves if you have them, caper buds if no leaves, or just whisper “capers” into the pot if none else is available
• add a couple more Tbs of Greek olive oil, stir and simmer a bit longer, until the rice is very nice and tender

Serve hot or at room temperature.  You could lightly dust the dish with paprika if you wish.  Serve with a full-flavored red wine.  My choice was AN/2 from Mallorca.

Caper Leaves