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.

classic italian cooking for the vegetarian gourmet

Classic Italian Cooking for The Vegetarian Gourmet (Beverly Cox with Dale Whitesell) was published in 1984 and is indeed a classic full of great Italian meatless recipes from antipasti to pasta to pizza, risotto, egg dishes, breads, salads and sweets.  The pasta and sauces offerings range from the more creamy dishes of the northern parts of Italy to the spicier and/or sometimes (but not always) simpler cuisine of the south.  The pizza recipes also tend to be regional.  Pizza alla Siracusana, for example, includes olives, eggplant, red peppers, tomatoes and zucchini, all representative of the noted "influences of Greek cooking" found in Sicily.  Pizza Veneziana, on the other hand, has asiago baked into the crust with a fennel and tomato topping.

My mom bought this cookbook years ago and I happily appropriated it, and you truly could just make a point of using only this collection of recipes for a whole month and the variety would be delicious.  You'd also learn quite a bit about the diversity of Italian cooking and never miss the taste of chicken, beef, pork or fish.  Just some sample offerings beyond pizza and pasta are Caponata (or eggplant caviar as we call it), Rice-Stuffed Tomatoes, Tuscan Bean Soup, Grilled Vegetable Polenta, Fontina Salad with Creamy Mustard Dressing, and Olive Oil & Herb Bread,   Then for dessert are Almond Macaroons, Pears Stuffed with Gorgonzola and Hazelnuts, Cheesecake, Biscotti and Sambuca Sherbet, plus many more. There's a glossary of Italian cheeses as well and a basic overview into what to have on hand for a well-stocked Italian kitchen.  And here's a fairly easy but memorable recipe for Green Beans with Mint:

2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh mint
2 ripe plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and crushed
2 tablespoons olive oil, preferably extra virgin
2 pounds green beans
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Crush garlic and mint in a mortar or finely chop them together.  When you have a fine paste, add to the tomatoes, stir in the olive oil, and reserve.  Trim the ends from the beans and cook in several quarts of salted boiling water, or steam over salted boiling water, for 3 to 4 minutes until just tender yet still firm.  Drain the beans and toss them with the mint sauce.  Season with salt and pepper and serve. (Serves 6).