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Saturday, July 25, 2009

Souper Simple Tuna & Bean Salad

Have you seen Mark Bittman's newest cookbook, Mark Bittman's Kitchen Express? It is totally Zeppelin (as in...it rocks, hard)! I love how Bittman describes this book in his introduction. He calls its recipes "precisely imprecise". It is a fabulous collection of 404 "recipes"...101 for each season. Each "recipe" is just a few simple lines stating approximate amounts and ingredient suggestions...core recipes, if you will. You can adjust amounts to suit your needs at any given time; and everything in here can make it to the table in "twenty minutes, max." And of course I love his remembrance of Jacques Pepin (amazing) once remarking to him that the old adage about "never stepping foot in the same river twice holds true for recipes also: You don't start with the same amount of ingredients, they're not at the same temperature, they're not the same age or from the same place, the ambient temperature and humidity are probably different, as are your equipment and mood. Everything is different, and the results will be too." Genius...love that way of thinking...cooking...creating!

I was flipping through looking up key ingredients in the index that I might already have in my pantry or fridge and came upon a great "recipe" for Tuna and Bean salad. I want to write it exactly as he did, so that you can see the basic idea of this amazing cookbook.

Tuna and Bean Salad
from Mark Bittman's Kitchen Express p.170

Mix a cup or so of precooked or canned cannellini beans (drained) with a can of good tuna (packed in olive oil), a handful of chopped parsley, salt, pepper, a teeny bit of garlic (optional) or shallot (or red onion, or scallion, or whatever), and, if you have it, a sprig of rosemary. Drizzle with olive oil, toss, adjust seasoning, and serve with good bread or alongside cold cooked asparagus.

That's it...his simple recipe...that's how they're all written- nice, huh? Anyhoo...here's the process:

I opened one can of white tuna packed in olive oil and dumped it into a bowl, then dumped in ~1 cup of canned, drained Great Northern Beans.
Next, I chopped a handful of parsley, minced a small clove of garlic, and finely diced ~1/4 of a small red onion and added it all to the bowl. Then I added freshly cracked black pepper and some Black Truffle Sea Salt.Then I added a (blurry) glug of olive oil and tossed it all up. Just before I mixed up this quick, healthy salad, I blanched some tiny asparagus spears and chilled them. I served the salad with the asparagus (both sprinkled with some more pepper & truffle salt), a hunk of good bread and a glass of Chardonnay. Delicious!This was another of those books that I had to run over to Amazon and buy right away! But, I know it will get a lot of use...so it will be well worth it! I'm sending this salad over to Deb at Kahakai Kitchens for this weeks Souper (soup, salad, sammie) Sundays!

Would you like to comment?

  1. Busy salad and very nutritious too! Looks good! :)

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  2. Mark Bittman's cookbook sounds something I like, hahaha, your salad looks so scrumptious^^.

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  3. Awesome! I used to make something very similar to this at a place I worked at, but it had a red vine vinegar dressing. Light and nutritious!

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  4. I love this book! It sounds like a process that I use often on my own - and you probably do too when creating original recipes. Were so used to writing out recipes in a certain format with exact measurements - a lot of the time I just estimate the amounts. This salad looks great - I make one very similar with chickpeas. It's simple but so delicious.

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  5. ...yes, Reeni! That is probably why I love it so much...such a great philosophy! Cooking is so much from the heart that usually a recipe is just a jumping point, anyway ;)

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  6. This looks like a great quick salad. I love cannellini beans.

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  7. I just bought this book on amazon so I am happy to hear you love it--helps me justify buying it! ;-) I love tuna and beans together--this salad looks perfect. Thanks for sending it to Souper (soup, Salad and Sammie) Sundays!

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  8. I haven't seen this cookbook but it does look great! So does your Tuna and Bean Salad! :P

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  9. Oh wow!! I love that approach. Lets see if my fried brain can remember this book the next time I hit up (shit...whats that bookstore called???....errrr) Oh ya...Barnes & Noble.
    I'll have to try this recipe with canned chicken (fish doesn't like me....wants to turn me into a puffer fish...bummer). But I love your salad!

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  10. I love the contrat of the herbs and the red onion. so pretty. and the plated meal looks good enough to eat!

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  11. Not familiar with that cookbook but sounds interesting! This dish looks like something that I would love. And your pics, as always are fantastic!

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  12. The nutritious salad with the appetizing look!

    Angie's Recipes

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  13. That looks really good. Tuna and beans. Mmm... Just what I need right now. Sometime delicious and healthy!

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  14. oh yes - now THAT is a recipe for me in the immediate future
    love beans, love tuna, love salad
    thanks! I'm on it!

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  15. you're just walking my way, girl. I'm so in salad mood these days, I can't get enough of them.
    The book sounds real cute in approach to cooking

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  16. I've never considered beans in my tuna salad, although it sounds very good. Thanks for sharing.

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  17. This sounds like a great way to combine two of my favorite ingredients... Who'd have thunk tuna and beans!! Hey is thunk a word?

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  18. Bittman is a prolific cookbook author and is one of the best at it.

    Versions of this salad have been around forever, made mostly with pantry staples. However, you and Mark have put a modern, healthy twist to it by serving it on bright green asparagus.
    Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous.
    Sam

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  19. I'm back. I clicked over to Amazon and they show the complete index of Mark's new cookbook. Now I'm wanting (or maybe craving) yet another cookbook.
    Sam

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  20. yummy beans and tuna together love it thanks for sharing love his style

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  21. What a wonderfully nutritious salad.

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  22. Doesn't this look yummy. Just in time for National Salad Week. I'm going to "grab" the link just in case I get around to doing a salad week post. Thanks Heather. Your blog is ever so inspiring!!!

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  23. tuna and beans really are perfect together.

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  24. I've seen beans with tuna in a couple of places lately, and after this I'm thinking that I need to get it a shot. So much lighter, more refreshing, and flavorful than plain old mayo tuna salad. Yours looks delicious. Thanks for the heads up on the cooking book. I'd love to check it out.

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  25. You are directly responsible for yet another book going on my wishlist!
    Looks great, I love casual recipes like that.

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  26. Delicious! Grand ingredients. I thoroughly approve because I make something similar. And it's so easy and tasty.

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  27. That's the kind of cooking that I've been leaning towards lately. Love the simplicity and the jumping off point of it. Donna Hay does something similar in her magazine every so often.

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  28. Oh wow! Looks great!! White beans and tuna, I'm all over it!

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  29. Never imagined those two together, but will have to try.

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  30. I have a can of tuna waiting at home for me... Think I will try this with it.

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