This summer I've been eating a lot of variations on the classic three-bean salad. I make a one-bean (green beans), two-bean (green beans and cannellini beans), three-bean (green, cannellini, garbanzo), four bean (green, cannellini, garbanzo, and kidneys). Basically, a bean salad can have whatever bean you want in just about any variation you prefer.
I like to cook my own beans because it's cheaper and tastes better, but if you used canned beans, just rinse them of all the goopy stuff you find in a can. When I cook my own beans I soak them overnight, and then in the morning I cook them while I'm getting ready, and them let them soak in the cooking water until I get home that evening when I finish off the cooking.
To make a bean salad really tasty, you just need to add a few extras. Here are some suggestions-- you can add any variation of these ingredients:
chopped tomatoes
garlic
olives
red onion, finely chopped
shaved parmesan
chopped salami
sauteed fennel bulb
I like to have a slightly sweet dressing on my beans:
equal measure of olive oil and vinegar (rice or apple cider)
a dollop of dijon mustard
a measure of brown sugar or honey
salt
pepper
Let the beans marinate as long as possible before you eat, but if you can't wait to eat I don't blame you. If you want to pump up this salad even more, serve it on quinoa or israeli couscous.
Showing posts with label vegetarian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vegetarian. Show all posts
Monday, August 9, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
poached egg
A good poached egg is truly and unappreciated food item that is mangled in many restaurants. I just have one question. Why is it so fucking hard to make sure my poached egg doesn't have a hard yolk? So disappointing.
There are "egg poachers" out there in the world, but all they really are is egg steamers, which is different from a poached egg. You don't need no stinkin' egg poacher anyway, all you need is:
a pan
water
egg
spatula
Fill the pan with about 1 inch of water. The pan needs to have a tight lid, I forgot to mention that. Put the lid on and bring the water to a hard boil. Crack your egg into the water, and cover. Now, you have to stand there, do not walk away. This is why restaurants always fuck up poached eggs, they walk away. Not only do you have to get that egg off pretty quick, the water will boil over in your pan. When it does that, lift the lid. When the boiling calms down, put it back on. Repeat. About 3 times. At some point you will look at your egg and realize that it's white all over. Now is the time to rescue your little egg from the pan.
Now this is where it gets tricky and why most people would prefer a fried egg. Very gently ease your spatula under the egg. Wedge it under there, making sure the yolk is supported. Pull it out of the pan, letting the water drain off for a few seconds. Gently ease it off the spatula onto your english muffin, into your soup, or on top of your sauteed spinach. Hmmmmm, sauteed spinach and poached egg...
No matter how careful you are, it's possible you will still break the yolk. At this point, it's an emergency extraction so you can save as much yolk as possible. It's very sad when this happens, but you just have to move on and eat what you get. I usually serve this one to Andrew, because I'm very selfish about yolk, and he does not notice as much.
You will notice that there seems to be a lot of egg white left behind. It's true, there is a lot of egg white left behind. I suppose if you like egg whites and order "egg beaters" in a restaurant then you will be sad that you are missing a significant portion o the egg whites. But trust me, you're missing nothin'.
There are "egg poachers" out there in the world, but all they really are is egg steamers, which is different from a poached egg. You don't need no stinkin' egg poacher anyway, all you need is:
a pan
water
egg
spatula
Fill the pan with about 1 inch of water. The pan needs to have a tight lid, I forgot to mention that. Put the lid on and bring the water to a hard boil. Crack your egg into the water, and cover. Now, you have to stand there, do not walk away. This is why restaurants always fuck up poached eggs, they walk away. Not only do you have to get that egg off pretty quick, the water will boil over in your pan. When it does that, lift the lid. When the boiling calms down, put it back on. Repeat. About 3 times. At some point you will look at your egg and realize that it's white all over. Now is the time to rescue your little egg from the pan.
Now this is where it gets tricky and why most people would prefer a fried egg. Very gently ease your spatula under the egg. Wedge it under there, making sure the yolk is supported. Pull it out of the pan, letting the water drain off for a few seconds. Gently ease it off the spatula onto your english muffin, into your soup, or on top of your sauteed spinach. Hmmmmm, sauteed spinach and poached egg...
No matter how careful you are, it's possible you will still break the yolk. At this point, it's an emergency extraction so you can save as much yolk as possible. It's very sad when this happens, but you just have to move on and eat what you get. I usually serve this one to Andrew, because I'm very selfish about yolk, and he does not notice as much.
You will notice that there seems to be a lot of egg white left behind. It's true, there is a lot of egg white left behind. I suppose if you like egg whites and order "egg beaters" in a restaurant then you will be sad that you are missing a significant portion o the egg whites. But trust me, you're missing nothin'.
omelet
The omelet is one of the world's perfect foods. The best thing about it is that once you know what you are doing with the omelet, you can be a Master Omelet Maker. Let's be clear: most people do not know what to fuck they are doing when it comes to making and omelet. But you are about to.
Back to the perfection of the omelet: It's fast, it's easy, it's nutritious and tasty. You can also throw just about anything into it and it will taste good. Know why? Because an omelet contains melty cheese, and melty cheese is good with everything. Name one thing that is not good with melty cheese. ... ... ... Can't do it, can you? Now, this is the meal you make when you forgot to plan any kind of dinner. Or lunch or breakfast. The omelet is one of those rare things you can eat for breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner.
For an omelet you need:
a non-stick omelet pan, or a wide and shallow pan
a rubber spatula
butter
eggs
salt
milk
cheese
whatever you are going to throw in there. You can throw pasta into an omelet and it will taste good. If you are using vegetables, give them a saute or a steam first.
Now the key to a good omelet is lots of butter. Coat the pan with it, I want to see some froth on that pan when the butter melts. You want your temperature to be medium-- not too hot, not too cool, but if you must err on any side, too cool is better than too hot. If you cook an omelet too quickly it will not be right. Crack your eggs into a bowl and stir them just enough to break up the yolks and integrate the salt (big pinch) and the milk (a splash). Also, have your cheese ready if it needs to be grated or sliced. I hope you know enough to know you can put any kind of cheese into an omelet.
When the pan has some nice heat on it, pour your eggs in. Let's talk pan-to-egg ratio a minute: you don't want to load up the pan with to many eggs. If you pour too much in there, it will take forever to cook. You want no more than a half inch of eggs in the pan. When you pour in the eggs, just let them sit. Don't fuck with them, these are delicate chicken fetuses we are dealing with. What you are waiting for is for the edges to set a bit. When they do, whip out your rubber spatula, gently lift up the edge of the omelet, as much of it as you can, and tilt the pan so the runny stuff flows off the top of the omelet and onto the pan where you just lifted the omelet. Shimmy your way all around the pan with this method. Keep doing this until no more runny stuff is left. When this happens, turn the heat down a notch and clap a lid on the pan. This will finish the cooking of the egg, and any runny stuff you couldn't tuck underneath the cooked egg.
Go get your filling supplies, take the lid off the pan, and cover half of the omelet with it. Which half you ask? The left half if you are right-handed, and the right half of you are left-handed. The reason for this will become clear in a moment. Clap the lid back on, and turn the heat off so your cheese can get melty, and any cooking that still needs to get done can finish up.
Assemble your plates. Now, if this is one person-one omelet, then shimmy (I love that word) the omelet onto your plate, filling side first. When the first half of the omelet hits the plate, lift the pan so that the unfilled side can flip over and land on the filling, making the perfectly folded omelet. If this is a two-or-more omelet, then cut it in the pan, and manually fold it over and lift each individual piece. Now, why do you cut the omelet while it is still open? Because it is easier to cut the filling without a layer of egg coming between you and your knife, therefore making you look even more masterful as you present this perfectly cooked and perfectly presented omelet. Viola!
Back to the perfection of the omelet: It's fast, it's easy, it's nutritious and tasty. You can also throw just about anything into it and it will taste good. Know why? Because an omelet contains melty cheese, and melty cheese is good with everything. Name one thing that is not good with melty cheese. ... ... ... Can't do it, can you? Now, this is the meal you make when you forgot to plan any kind of dinner. Or lunch or breakfast. The omelet is one of those rare things you can eat for breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner.
For an omelet you need:
a non-stick omelet pan, or a wide and shallow pan
a rubber spatula
butter
eggs
salt
milk
cheese
whatever you are going to throw in there. You can throw pasta into an omelet and it will taste good. If you are using vegetables, give them a saute or a steam first.
Now the key to a good omelet is lots of butter. Coat the pan with it, I want to see some froth on that pan when the butter melts. You want your temperature to be medium-- not too hot, not too cool, but if you must err on any side, too cool is better than too hot. If you cook an omelet too quickly it will not be right. Crack your eggs into a bowl and stir them just enough to break up the yolks and integrate the salt (big pinch) and the milk (a splash). Also, have your cheese ready if it needs to be grated or sliced. I hope you know enough to know you can put any kind of cheese into an omelet.
When the pan has some nice heat on it, pour your eggs in. Let's talk pan-to-egg ratio a minute: you don't want to load up the pan with to many eggs. If you pour too much in there, it will take forever to cook. You want no more than a half inch of eggs in the pan. When you pour in the eggs, just let them sit. Don't fuck with them, these are delicate chicken fetuses we are dealing with. What you are waiting for is for the edges to set a bit. When they do, whip out your rubber spatula, gently lift up the edge of the omelet, as much of it as you can, and tilt the pan so the runny stuff flows off the top of the omelet and onto the pan where you just lifted the omelet. Shimmy your way all around the pan with this method. Keep doing this until no more runny stuff is left. When this happens, turn the heat down a notch and clap a lid on the pan. This will finish the cooking of the egg, and any runny stuff you couldn't tuck underneath the cooked egg.
Go get your filling supplies, take the lid off the pan, and cover half of the omelet with it. Which half you ask? The left half if you are right-handed, and the right half of you are left-handed. The reason for this will become clear in a moment. Clap the lid back on, and turn the heat off so your cheese can get melty, and any cooking that still needs to get done can finish up.
Assemble your plates. Now, if this is one person-one omelet, then shimmy (I love that word) the omelet onto your plate, filling side first. When the first half of the omelet hits the plate, lift the pan so that the unfilled side can flip over and land on the filling, making the perfectly folded omelet. If this is a two-or-more omelet, then cut it in the pan, and manually fold it over and lift each individual piece. Now, why do you cut the omelet while it is still open? Because it is easier to cut the filling without a layer of egg coming between you and your knife, therefore making you look even more masterful as you present this perfectly cooked and perfectly presented omelet. Viola!
spicy eggplant stir-fry
This recipe is one of my standbys, I found it in a Sunset magazine at my physical therapist's office. You can make it without the pork, and substitute or add any vegetable you may have on hand. The really yummy part of this recipe is the sauce, and the eggplant is delicious too. I will typically substitute green beans, or broccoli, or greens like chard or kale in the recipe.
1 pound eggplant
1 Tbs peanut or canola oil
1 Tbs sesame oil
1 Tbs minced ginger
1 tbs minced garlic
1/2 pound ground pork
1/4 soy sauce
1 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs rice or white wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp red chili paste (totally worth buying for this recipe because you will make it all he time)
2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 pound extra-firm tofu, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
Rinse eggplant and cut crosswise into 1-inch thick rounds. Cut rounds into 1-inch-wide strips.
Pour vegetable and sesame oils into a 12-inch nonstick frying pan or a 14-inch wok over medium-high heat. When hot, add eggplant and stir frequently until soft when pierced and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer eggplant to paper towels to drain.
Add ginger and garlic to pan and stir frequently until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add pork and stir until crumbled and brown, about 5 minutes.
In a bowl, mix soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, chili paste, cornstarch, and 1/4 cup water. Pour into pan and stir until mixture is simmering and thickened, about 1 minute.
Gently stir in tofu, eggplant, and green onions until heated through.
1 pound eggplant
1 Tbs peanut or canola oil
1 Tbs sesame oil
1 Tbs minced ginger
1 tbs minced garlic
1/2 pound ground pork
1/4 soy sauce
1 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs rice or white wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp red chili paste (totally worth buying for this recipe because you will make it all he time)
2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 pound extra-firm tofu, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
Rinse eggplant and cut crosswise into 1-inch thick rounds. Cut rounds into 1-inch-wide strips.
Pour vegetable and sesame oils into a 12-inch nonstick frying pan or a 14-inch wok over medium-high heat. When hot, add eggplant and stir frequently until soft when pierced and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer eggplant to paper towels to drain.
Add ginger and garlic to pan and stir frequently until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add pork and stir until crumbled and brown, about 5 minutes.
In a bowl, mix soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, chili paste, cornstarch, and 1/4 cup water. Pour into pan and stir until mixture is simmering and thickened, about 1 minute.
Gently stir in tofu, eggplant, and green onions until heated through.
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