I've been flipping through The New Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas for the last few days. For some reason I always forget that I have it and it is such a great cookbook. It usually takes me awhile to decide what to make since absolutely everything in there is delicious and totally approachable. It's pretty rare to find an entire cookbook made up of things that you have on hand in your kitchen.

I originally decided on Thomas' recipe for white beans with baby potatoes and herbs but once I got in the kitchen I went a little crazy trying to use up things that I had in my fridge. In the end, the only similar remaining ingredients were white beans, potatoes and rosemary but the results were YUM!

Millennium pork and beans

260 grams white cannellini beans (1 small can)
1/2 cup vegetable stock
100 grams smoked lardons
1/2 large Granny Smith apple
2 handfuls arugula
6 small new red potatoes
3 Tbsp olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper

Heat oven to 225° C. Set water to boil then add salt and potatoes. Once the potatoes are soft remove and cut lengthwise. Spray the potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with half the rosemary and some salt. Roast the potatoes.

In the meantime, fry the lardons in a skillet (no added fat) until all the lard has cooked off and the remaining meat is brown and crispy. Remove all excess grease.''

Heat olive oil and add finely chopped garlic. Add white beans. I added a ladle of homemade vegetable stock and a little water to soften canned beans and to give them some flavor. If you use dried beans, you can season them during cooking and skip this step.

Chop apple into small cubes leaving a few larger slices for decoration.

In a large mixing bowl combine the beans, lardons, potatoes and apple. Add the remaining fresh rosemary and season to taste. Just before serving, add the arugula and toss.

Note: This makes a great simple meal served with grilled lemon chicken