Recipes for February 15

White Bean & Rosemary Soup with Roasted Pepper Puree
Soak beans overnight in plenty of water & drain
Wrap a few heads of garlic with the tops chopped off in foil & toss in the oven for 45 minutes
Cook beans in a decent amount of water or stock (somewhere between just covered and plenty) with bay leaves, rosemary and a few whole garlic cloves
When beans are soft, add a few chopped roasted, seeded peppers (I used jarred ones since it is winter, squeezed roasted garlic, S & P, and a dash of red chilies
Puree, or not, as you like, and simmer a little longer til the flavors meld
Take care of bay leaves if you do puree, and garlic cloves if you don't

Roasted Pepper Puree
Puree some roasted peppers, lemon juice, garlic, basil, S & P in your food processor, which you should have gotten by now

Serve soup with a generous dollop of delicious smokey roasted pepper goodness and some chopped parsley

Chard & Onion Tarts
Caramelize thinly sliced red onions on low heat with olive oil or butter til soft
Drizzle some molasses and S & P
Add a chiffonade of chard (thinly sliced ribbons)
Toss and cook gently til tender
Drain mixture (the liquid could be added to the soup!)
Lay out some prefab or homemade pastry dough on a baking sheet & top with the cooled chard mixture
Break off some small pieces of Syrian cheese or feta or goat or..
Wrap edges of pastry sheets around the mixture to hold it in so it looks pie-like
Bake at 400 for 20 minutes and watch it pouffe up
If you can, brush a little olive oil on the edges as it cooks
Sprinkle with Zatar & Sumac, if you have some
Eat preferably while warm