A Tipple of Sherry

Today I'm cooking with the cheapest alcohol at Trader Joe's.

E says one of my specialties is pasta dishes that aren’t quite sauced and aren’t quite soup. Do you mean stew, I ask? No, he says, and I agree. This type of dish—I suppose it will remain nameless for now— is what I’m making for dinner tonight and even as someone who advocates for eating soup in the Summer, stew in June sounds absolutely nauseating.

What does sound good is Caballero beans (“so creamy you might think it’s a dairy product”). Can you friggin’ believe I haven’t made pasta with beans and greens for more than two weeks? *Cue identity crisis.* This morning I sauteed a medium leek in olive oil, then deglazed the pot with a generous glug of medium dry sherry before adding the beans and water. I believe sherry recently had a brief comeback as a cocktail ingredient, but I can’t for the life of me understand why more people don’t cook with it. Seriously, if you’re out of stock and need some oomph, sherry is the answer.

Sherry alone isn’t enough ooph for me today and…maybe I’ve mentioned? We’re currently rich in alliums from the garden. Twelve whole cloves of confit garlic went in too, along with bay leaves, salt and a pinch of sugar. Later I’ll add trofie pasta, lots of parsley, a cold pat of butter to help emulsify the liquid, a generous spoonful of bomba sauce, kale or zucchini! I haven’t decided yet!, and top everything with Greek feta and a squeeze of lemon.