Today’s lunch required some ingenuity. Having had bread as the centerpiece for the past four meals, I decided against sandwiches in any form. The refrigerator was about half empty, so many of my favorites were not available. The leftovers roster was meager but not bare. (I had to throw out the extra chickpeas that were sitting there for 10 days, and the remaining lobster risotto did not appeal.) I did find a plastic bag with lovely Swiss Chard ribs. There was also a small container of cannellini beans, so I decided to use those elements as the core.

Step 1 was to chop up a very fragrant, fresh garlic clove from Clark Farm, along with fresh Lemon Thyme from our garden, picked yesterday. I cooked those ingredients slowly in organic Greek olive oil for several minutes. When the garlic started to color, I added the chard ribs, salt and pepper. Things looked lonely, so I looked around the counter and saw some small croutons to add to the mix.

Next, I added the white beans and 1/2 cup of water. Slowly, the chard ribs and the cannellini began to soften. It was time to enhance flavor; a jar of leftover Italian tomatoes in sauce provided one crushed tomato and juice. To that, I squeezed a bit of Harissa from a tube. This spicy Tunisian ingredient add zest and darker color. A little more water, and the lunch was ready. Cheap, colorful, flavorful and satisfying.