White Beans with Rosemary and Thyme

If you have room for just 3 plants on your Southern California patio, choose rosemary, thyme and bay. They grow well in pots, are drought tolerant (their flavor is more intense when they are mildly stressed), and make a big flavor pop in whatever you're cooking. They require a few hours of sun a day to thrive. The bay will try to be a tree. Trim it to the size you like.

I ventured into the rain last night to pick these herbs to serve with the big white lima beans from Lompoc that I buy at the Hollywood Farmers Market. I cooked the beans with bay, garlic, leek and carrots, and then stirred in a pesto of rosemary and thyme at the end. Wow. Served with acorn squash, it made a wonderful fall dinner.

For a quicker version, use 2 cans of cannelini beans. Drain them well and add to 2 cups simmering vegetable broth. Cook until they are warmed through, stir in the pesto, and dinner is served. You can speed up the roasting of the squash by cutting it into wedges, tossing it in olive oil, and roasting it for 20 minutes until tender. Or serve steamed vegetables or greens as a quick side dish.

White Beans with Rosemary and Thyme
1 1/2 cups dried white beans
6 cloves garlic, peeled - divided use
1 carrot, cut in 1" lengths
greens from 1 leek, washed well, (save the rest of the leek for another recipe) or 1/2 onion cut into large pieces
1 bay leaf
4 tsp rosemary leaves, stripped from the stems
1 tbsp thyme leaves, stripped from the stems
1/4 cup olive oil

Soak the beans overnight. (Or do the quick soak method. Cook beans 10 minutes in boiling water. Let stand one hour. Drain and proceed.)

Combine the beans with 3 cloves garlic, carrot, leek greens and bay leaf. Cover with 2 inches of water, bring to the boil, and cook until tender, about 45 minutes, adding some salt and pepper in the last 10 minutes. Drain, reserving 2 cups of the cooking broth. Discard the vegetables. (All their flavor will be in the broth.)

In a mini-chop or blender, mince the rosemary, thyme and remaining 3 cloves garlic. Add the olive oil and purée. (It will look more like salad dressing than regular pesto.) Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Combine the pesto, beans and reserved cooking broth. Warm over moderate heat. Serve in the squash halves.

Baked Acorn Squash
Preheat oven to 450°. Put the whole squash in the oven and cook 30-45 minutes (depending on the size of the squash) until a knife slides in easily. Let the squash cool until you can handle it. Cut it in half and scoop out the seeds. Serve the halves, or cut it into wedges for smaller servings.

Serves 4.