Roasted Tomatoes with Mashed Lima Beans

The menu plan said "lima bean salad".  This sort of qualifies as a cooked salad.  When you look at the way I ended up plating it, this vegetarian main would be very expensive at a fancy restaurant.

I wasn't exactly sure what this was going to taste like, and kept throwing in ingredients that seemed appropriate.  Wow, it's good.  You sort of think you're having the creamiest mashed potatoes ever, but they don't taste like potatoes.  Then the roasted tomato and its herbs hit, making everything creamy and tangy at the same time.  The feta and olives can be considered optional garnishes, but they do enhance the flavors.

The L.A. Times put out a special booklet of famous chefs presenting recipes that a decent home cook could make.  Yes, they were not hard, but most of them used unusual ingredients.  If there was more than one specialty item that I don't normally buy, I didn't even read the recipe.  The only dish that fit my requirements was a deep fried cauliflower with tahini dressing.  Not a bad idea, but I'll probably roast it instead.  I was thinking of all that frou-frou food while inventing this dish.  Dried lima beans are the only thing here that the average person couldn't find an easy use for, and they're at Ralphs/Kroger in the generic dry bean section for around $3 a pound.

My tomatoes are starting to ripen, and I had two Romas left from the 25 lb case.  Having several kinds of tomatoes in the mix was an interesting change.  I threw in a couple of oven-dried as well, to add to the texture.

3/4 C dried lima beans
*1 lb tomatoes, mixed varieties to look interesting
olive oil as needed
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp parsley flakes
1 tsp other dried herbs of choice (I used dried celery leaf)
*1/2 C diced onion
*1-2 cloves garlic, minced
*1 C kalamata olives, optional
Feta to garnish, optional

1.  8-12 hours before, rinse the beans and soak in water to cover by 2 inches.  They're going to get big.  Drain and remove any loose skins.  Add to a saucepan with water to cover by at least an inch and a light pinch of salt.  Bring to a low boil for 5 minutes.  Lower heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until completely softened, about 90 minutes.  If you find more floating skins, skim them off.  They aren't evil, they just won't mash later.  Drain and set aside.

2.  An hour before serving, drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil in an 8x8 roasting pan and preheat the oven to 375º.  Add the tomatoes, cutting anything larger than a cherry one into wedges or bite-sized pieces.  Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, then with the parsley and other herbs.  Roast about 45 minutes to one hour, until softened and the oil is infused with the tomato juice.

3.  10 minutes before serving, heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in the pot you cooked the beans in, to make it easy on yourself later.  Cook the onion and garlic on medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the drained limas back into the pot, stir to combine, and mash everything together with a potato masher.

4.  Spoon up the mashed limas on plates or in a serving bowl.  Top with the roasted tomatoes and their olive oil.  Garnish with olives, feta, and/or more oil as desired.

Difficulty rating  :)