Kidney Beans with Apples and Sherry (HCEV)

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or butter, plus a little more for garnish (optional)
• 2 shallots, sliced, or 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups chopped or sliced Golden Delicious or Granny Smith apples
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves (Yet another example of me leaving things off the grocery list for some reason.  Perhaps I didn't think the dish through I realize it required fresh herbs.  Just bought some thyme, rosemary and parsley plants today, and hopefully I don't kill them.)
• 3 cups cooked or canned kidney beans, drained but still moist
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Mise en place.


Softening the shallots and apples.


Bittman suggests that this is a complete meal with boiled cabbage and multigrain bread.  The bread is a demi-ciabbatta from Stop and Shop.  Not multi-grain.
I don't eat an awful lot of sandwiches and buying artisanal loaves of bread when cooking for one doesn't make an awful lot of sense.  This is probably why it will take me longer to get around to baking bread for the first time than say making pasta and bacon for the first time.