Cannellini Bean Salad
This is a random recipe I came up with because:
- It was raining outside.
- We had some random veggies to use up.
- I really want more bacon in my diet.
For a random, self-invented recipe this dish came out really good. It is clearly a dish meant for innovation and switcheroos. Say for instance that you don’t have 4 stalks of celery that have been sitting in your fridge since you made Kim’s Yummy Pasta (for our less frequent readers, that was a good 2 months ago), well heck my friend, simply don’t add it. On second thought, celery is part of the holy French trinity of the Mireprox so maybe it is better not to mess with a good thing. Actually if a bag of celery cost about a $1 and can last in the fridge for over a month, maybe it is better to have around just in case… Shit this really isn’t helping me tell the story of how I just threw this dish together in a playful manner. Maybe it is just better to follow this little recipe I invented.
For those of you looking for smart ass food trivia that will help make you feel superior than your friends, Cannellini beans can also be referred to as White Kidney beans. However, your friends will probably be more impressed by Cannellini than White Kidney beans, so you might be on your own. Also friends that are more impressed by you talking about food than cooking it are not real friends…or you should stop talking and start cooking. Like I am about to do….
Cannellini Bean Salad
Directions:
- 1 15 oz can Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 strips of bacon, minced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 6 or so sage leaves, minced
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp rosemary, minced
- 1/4 cup onion, minced
- 1/4 cup celery, minced
- 1/4 cup carrots, cut into match sticks, (I just quartered some baby carrots)
- 1/3 cup water
- Salt
Ingredients:
- Cook the bacon over medium heat in a sauce pan until the fat starts to render and the bacon browns.
- Add the carrots, celery, onions, thyme, oregano, and sage and cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. If things look a little dry add some oil. What the heck, add some oil even if it doesn’t.
- Add the beans and water.
- Cook over medium-low until the water has almost all evaporated. Stir every now and then. Add salt to taste.
Steak Night
Buried deep in the genetic code of all dudes (except vegetarians) is a love of meat. The meatiest of meats is cow…or maybe lamb, um no, cow is better. So when Carolyn goes on a trip for work what better time to cook up a nice, thick steak? Of course I didn’t get any old steak, I got a nice dry aged NY Strip steak from Whole Foods. While this was not the best steak I have had…it was still pretty expensive, way too much for corn feed beef. The dry aged version was $2 more a pound. While you can dry age steak in your own fridge, it takes at least a day and I didn’t have time to waste. For me the dry aging was money well spent.
One of the best places to get steak in DC is Wagshal’s Market. You can actually get Prime beef there, unlike the Choice that everyone else has. Also, they are real butchers…not just styrofoam tray jockeys.
To cook up the streak I followed my tried and true method for cooking steak. Well, I almost followed the recipe…I over cooked it in the oven a little too much. It ended up being more “medium” than “medium-rare.” Lesson learned, take the steak out a little early and check…just in case. I also seared it a little too long on the stove. Get the pan hot and sear away. Stop a little early though because after cooking in the oven the steak is already well on its way to being done.
Looking for some “steaky” reading? Try these on for size:
Curried Chickpea Salad
Carolyn is a big fan of Devon and Blakely, a lunch spot in Washington, DC that serves lots of different soups and salads. One of her favorite side salads is Channa - chickpeas baked with olive oil, curry, cilantro and caramelized onions.
So, me being the good person I am, set out to try and recreate the salad. A quick googling search resulted in a recipe for curried chickpea salad. The salad turned out great, and she said it was pretty close to the Devon and Blakely recipe, but not exactly the same. The quest lives on, but I have found a great recipe in the process!
This recipe calls 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, which is a lot. Seriously. However, it does not end up tasting too spicy. I happened to have whole cloves on hand. That is just because I tried making mulled cider once. Most normal people don’t have this though. Sub in some ground cloves instead, maybe 1/4 teaspoon or so. The cloves really add a lot to the flavor, so don’t forget them.
Curried Chickpea Salad
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 onions, medium sized, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger root, finely chopped
- 6 whole cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- salt
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 (15 ounce) cans garbanzo beans (drained and washed)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Directions:
- Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, and fry onions until tender.
- Stir in garlic, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, salt, cayenne, and turmeric. Cook for 1 minute over medium heat, stirring constantly.
- Mix in garbanzo beans and the water. Continue to cook and stir until all ingredients are well blended and heated through.
- Remove from heat. Stir in cilantro just before serving, reserving 1 tablespoon for garnish.
Note: The Devon and Blakely salad is served slightly warm, but both salad versions taste great warm or cold.
Chicken Curry Wrap
I saw this recipe for chicken curry salad on Simply Recipes which reminded me of a great chicken curry wrap I had a while ago. Next I was at the supermarket, I grabed supplies and gave it a try. I have never really cooked with curry before, I am a bit of a wimp when it comes to Indian food. It is way too hot in DC, so this ended up being the perfect cool dinner meal.
Just because I like spice things up a bit, I used boneless thigh meat. The thigh meat has more flavor in it (… and fat), which gives the dish more body.
Chicken Curry Wrap
From: Simply Recipes
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 large tortillas or wraps
- 1 1/2 lb skinless chicken breast or thighs, cut into 1 inch cubes
- Salt
- 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 2 heaping Tbsp yellow curry powder
- 1 cup raisins or currants
- 1 apple (tart or sweet, your preference), peeled, cored, and diced
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (just lightly packed)
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 1 Tbsp mayonnaise optional
Directions:
- Rinse and strain the chicken. There should still be a little bit of water left on the chicken. Heat olive oil on medium/medium-high heat in a thick-bottomed sauté pan. Add chicken pieces and cook, stirring frequently until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. The water in the pan from the chicken should have evaporated. Sprinkle some salt on the chicken pieces while cooking. Check doneness by removing the thickest piece and cutting it in half. If it is still pink in the middle, keep cooking. Try not to overcook the chicken or it will be dry. Remove chicken pieces with a slotted spoon, set aside in a bowl.
- Add yellow onion and cook. After a few minutes, when the onions are beginning to get translucent, add 2 heaping tablespoons of yellow curry powder. Cook a few additional minutes, stirring frequently. If the curry sticks to the bottom or the mixture gets dry, add a bit more olive oil to the pan. As you stir, scrape up the stuck curry bits. Add raisins, and cook, stirring another minute. (If adding optional mayonnaise, remove curry from heat and mix in mayo. If you are using thighs, you will probably not need to add any extra mayo. The thighs have a little extra fat on them.) Add raisin and onion mixture to chicken and mix well, coating the chicken pieces with the curry infused olive oil.
- Refrigerate until cool. At this point you can make the salad a day a head of time.
- When you are ready to make the wraps, mix in the apple, green onions, and cilantro.
- To make a wrap, place 1/4 of the salad in the middle of wrap. Fold the sides over the salad. Fold the bottom flap over the salad. Now roll up the wrap starting at the bottom.
Spicy Green Beans - ‘08
It is full-on summer time. That means barbeques and, of course, Spicy Green Bean Salad. We make this dish every year to bring to our neighbor’s Memorial Day party. It is always hit. I have learned a few tricks though. Well, actually one trick, and that is to use frozen, cut green beans. I know this sounds like crazy talk, but the truth is that I don’t think you can tell the difference.
For this recipe you cook the beans and then bury them under a sauce, so the difference between fresh and frozen is pretty minimal. The advantage of using frozen is that the beans have their end cut off and are already cut into bite size pieces. This will trim out a lot of prep time. So if you are looking for something to bring to your next backyard barbeque, give these beans a try.
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