You can definitely use leftover beans for this recipe, but especially White Beans with Garlic (page 441) or Aromatic White Beans with Chicken Stock and Tomatoes (page 442). If you must cook beans from scratch, it would be best to combine them with some garlic and other aromatic vegetables and a few sprigs of thyme while they cook.

　　

Ingredients

makes enough to fill 4 to 6 large tomatoes or peppers, 8 or more cabbage leaves, or up to 30 or so grape leaves

　　1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

　　1 large onion, chopped

　　Salt and black pepper to taste

　　1 cup pine nuts or chopped walnuts

　　1 cup well-seasoned cooked chickpeas, white beans, or red beans (page 431)

　　1/2 cup cooked rice

　　1 teaspoon fennel seeds

　　Pinch of cayenne

　　About 1/2 cup mixed fresh herbs: parsley, dill, mint, and/or basil leaves

　　Zest of 1 lemon, minced

　　

Step 1

Put the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. A minute later, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally and sprinkling with salt and pepper, until well softened but not at all browned, at least 5 minutes. Add the pine nuts and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

　　

Step 2

Add the beans, rice, fennel seeds, cayenne, and some more salt and pepper and cook, mashing and stirring, until the mixture is pasty and well combined, about 5 minutes. (If you are stuffing tomatoes or other vegetables with pulp, add the pulp at this point and cook for another 5 minutes or so.)

　　

Step 3

Stir in the herbs and minced lemon zest. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to a day before stuffing tomatoes, peppers, or grape or cabbage leaves.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.