summer bean salad

Summer's not over yet and, thusly, here's a great recipe for Summer Bean Salad from a little booklet put out by Progresso Foods called Today's Italian Touch.  Since it was published in 1992, it could also be called Yesterday's Italian Touch -- the recipe is a classic, however, with a nice, healthy contrast of flavors.

Summer Bean Salad

1/2 cup Progresso Olive Oil
1/4 cup Progresso Red Wine Vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cans (11 ounces each) mandarin orange segments, drained
1 can (19 ounces) Progresso Chick Peas, drained
1 can (19 ounces) Progresso Red Kidney Beans, drained
1/2 medium red onion, cut into matchstick strips
1 green pepper, cut into matchstick strips
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Lettuce leaves

1.  For dressing, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, sugar and black pepper.

2.  In large bowl, combine oranges, chick peas, kidney beans, onion, green pepper and parsley.

3.  Pour dressing over salad; toss gently

4.  Serve on lettuce leaves.

Makes approximately 7 servings

You can also substitute a bit of the mandarin orange juice for the sugar in the dressing, or a pinch of cumin for the black pepper.

eternally delicious

Plums, Cherries, Apples and Pears
Johann Walter (1604-1674)

edna lewis's in pursuit of flavor

Edna Lewis (1916-2006) was one of America's great chefs, making her way from Virginia to New York to become the celebrated cook at Manhattan's Cafe Nicholson -- after first finding success as a dressmaker/designer and being involved in various political causes.  Later, Edna authored several cookbooks, including In Pursuit of Flavor, many with a focus on the deliciously enduring appeal of Southern cuisine.

The majority of recipes of In Pursuit of Flavor are based on the cooking Edna grew up with in rural Freetown, Virginia, with a sense of season and natural harvests.  Or preserving the best of summer and early autumn, such as her chapter on canning fresh fruits, making jellies/jams, and putting up chutneys and pickles.  There is an unaffected yet timeless savor to these some 200 recipes, like Cheese Custard, Cold Tomato Soup with Basil, Whipped Cornmeal with Okra, Red Rice, Sauteed Chicken with Hominy Casserole, Red Snapper with Olive Mayonnaise, Pan-Braised Spareribs, and Pumpkin with Sauteed Onions and Herbs.  Desserts feature Peach Cobbler, Red Currant Pie, Coconut Layer Cake with Lemon Filling, Pralines, Mincemeat Tarts with Brandy Butter, and homemade ice creams and sherbets.  Anyone who enjoys classic American cooking should investigate this book, which represents Edna's lifelong goal of presenting food at its best, "simply and lovingly prepared."