Beans

Growing up I never liked Heinz baked beans. The sweet artificial tasting syrup that leaked from the pile of squashed beans was enough to render inedible anything it touched. I know that by saying this I risk being hanged, since it is probably a law in this country to like baked beans, fry-ups and roast dinners (and baked beans are by a long shot not even my most hated on that list). Despite social exclusion, disliking baked beans has an enormous advantage. Firstly, it means that I grew up associating beans with a variety of different meals and as an ingredient (not as a household tinned good), and secondly this allows me to experiment with bean-tomato-slightly sweet-reduced-on toast type meals without thinking that some sort of blasphemy has occurred.
To demonstrate my point I recall a Saturday morning cookery programme I watched years ago. A chef (I can't remember which one) spent a good hour and a lot of effort preparing his version of baked beans. Much to his disappointment the tasting panel all said they didn't really like it because when they thought of baked beans they thought of Heinz, which they grew up on. Shame. But as I said, the advantage of not liking them growing up means I am free from their grip - which means I can make my own "baked beans". Don't be put of by the ingredient list, most of which are dry goods and are probably lurking somewhere in most people's cupboard. I usually use three different types of beans, the two listed below plus pinto; however I only had butter and red kidney beans. If you do use three types then use 100g of each.
Also, if this is being made for a weekend brunch then a handful of smoked lardons would go wonderfully, tossed in a few minutes after the onions.

A new falafel

Some foods seem to respond well to tinkering with tradition, others yield an end result which tells the maker not to have bothered. Not only this, but if one does move a food away from its traditional context and list of ingredients then they face the wrath of the food puritans.
I have eaten falafel since I was a kid, but a couple of days ago it dawned on me that I had never eaten anything other than traditional falafel. I had a browse through my grain cupboard and picked out a few things I thought may work, and then got soaking. The result was interesting. It had a new dimension of flavour and texture and, in my opinion, from now on replaces traditional falafel made in my house.