Abomination Tuna Sandwich | Lilo & Stitch #FoodnFlix

This month the Food 'n Flix club was invited by host Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla to take a virtual vacation to the islands. Instead of choosing one particular movie title or series, Camilla left the field open for us to pick anything set or filmed in Hawaii. Immediately two favorites came to mind, and I knew I'd be choosing one of them. I chose my favorite of the two. The one that we watched countless times when my daughter was little (because it was her favorite); the one we can still quote word for word and sing the entire soundtrack through—Lilo & Stitch.

Stitch is an alien experiment gone wrong who escapes his planet, crash-landing on earth—Hawaii to be precise.  Mistaken for a dog that has been hit by a car, he winds up in an animal shelter.

Chrissy Teigen's Cheesy Jalapeño Tuna Noodle Casserole

So, I'm the kinda girl who goes to the library and comes home with a stack of cookbooks so high they'd be dangerous if they fell on somebody. When I can carve out some time, I'll grab a pad of sticky tabs and start paging through. Every once in a while, I come across a book that I must (MUST!) have in my personal collection pronto. Chrissy Teigen's cookbook, Cravings, was one of those books.

I'm not going to go into depth about the book...yet—but that's because I want to do a dedicated review post on it (in fact, I'm so enamored of it that I'm contemplating a Julie and Julia-style cook-through). But I did think that this month's Fish Friday Foodies theme, fish in a dish, was the perfect opportunity to try one of the recipe I had bookmarked in it.

Tuna a la Veracruzana

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Mazola® Corn Oil. Opinions are my own.

You know how people start making all sorts of resolutions when the new year rolls in—a good lot of them having to do with being healthier, be it through diet, mind, or exercise? I'm not usually one of those people. I have mentioned it before, but for reference, I'm going to say it again. I live in the Midwest, and the beginning of January is freezing; we have snow on the ground. Boots, mittens, scarves, hats, and snow pants are parked in front of every available heat vent. Sleds, skis, and ice skates are the main (if not only) forms of outdoor recreation going on at that time.

Let's just say that a frozen nose and frozen toes don't defrost with the help of a salad. They get back to normal with bowls of hearty stew, roasts that have become meltingly tender while you played, and steaming mugs of hot chocolate. Yes, as far as I'm concerned, January is time for comfort food, not diet food.

But by the time March rolls around, I'll admit to being ready to lighten up a bit. Yeah, it's still cold around here, but now I'm actively wishing it away. My bones are tired of shaking. I want to feel the sun on my skin again. Which makes me think about shedding the winter layers. Which makes me think about the extra "warmth" around my bones. Now is the time I want to start eating better for me foods.

Tuna Frittata

It's been just over a half a year now since my mom found out about her food sensitivities. She is really the first person in our family to be diagnosed with any sort of food sensitivity or allergy. Her official diagnosis was Adrenal Fatigue. Her doctor said no gluten, no chicken or pork, no citric acid, no apples or bananas, and no dairy (among other things).

Needless to say, her diet has changed drastically over the past 7 or 8 months. And the crazy thing is - it's working. She used to have constant headaches. Now she can pinpoint what causes a headache by what she's eaten recently. Sometimes she'll go to a restaurant with a group from work, and that particular restaurant doesn't have any safe options. So, she'll take her chances...and usually wind up regretting it. The most common culprits being MSG and citric acid.

Now, when my family is on the verge of getting together, one of the first things that we discuss is food. What are we going to eat? If I'm bringing a dish along, or making one at "our final destination", I now stop to think about what's going in to that dish more than I used to. One of the most common culprits in my repertoire is dairy. I love dairy, and we eat a lot of it in our house. A year ago, I wouldn't have thought twice about dribbling a little milk into my eggs when making a frittata. Now I do.

Olive Oil Poached Tuna | Jiro Dreams of Sushi #FoodnFlix

I didn't make sushi.  You'd think that when pulling inspiration from a flick centered around gorgeous, masterful sushi-making, I would.  But I didn't.

It's not that I'm afraid to make it.  I'm really not.  It's just about not having access to the best ingredients, which for me matters - especially when it comes to sushi.  I'm extremely particular when it comes to sushi.  And when it came time (okay, past time - I procrastinated, as usual) to make something inspired by Jiro Dreams of Sushi, I was unable to get my hands on any superior fish or seafood.  I blame it on my distance from the ocean.

Yes, our Food 'n Flix pick this month is Jiro Dreams of Sushi.  When Camilla told me that she'd be choosing this flick a few months ago, I was pretty excited.  The husband and I had rented and watched it not too long before that, and I was so inspired.  If she hadn't chosen it, I might have.

It's the story of an 85-year old master of his craft, sushi making, Jiro Ono.  It's the story of how he became the best.  It's the story of his relationship with his son.  Well, sons actually - though the one set to take over his shop when he can no longer work is featured more prominently.

But really it goes deeper than the sushi.  It's about find a craft and devoting yourself to it.  It's about mastering a craft.  It's about respect, dedication, and being the best at what you do (because why wouldn't you want to be?).  That's the basis of it, but I don't really do it justice.  I think that it is 81 minutes well-spent, and that you won't be disappointed if you sit down to watch it.

And if you're anything like me, before it's over, you'll find yourself contemplating the logistics of hopping a plane to Tokyo.  What I wouldn't give to sit at Jiro's counter.

Though I didn't go the route of sushi-making, I knew that I wanted to use seafood of some sort.   And while I may not think the raw tuna I can get at the market around here is sushi-worthy, it is still good.  I decided to go for an old favorite.  Something that blew my mind the first time that I made it years ago in culinary school.  A simple oil-poached tuna.

If you've only ever opened up a can to fish out your tuna, you MUST give this simple method a try.  It produces moist, flavorful tuna that can be eaten as-is, or used in any way that you would normally use tuna.  You can vary the flavors that you infuse your oil with...play around with them a few times to see how you like it best.  But once you've tried it, you may never go back to canned tuna again.

I served mine as part of a simple pasta dish for lunch.  I had just enough pasta left in a box sitting in the pantry for one person.  Add a random yellow tomato, a few smashed kalamata olives, a smattering of capers, and some of the oil that was used to poach the tuna - and it's a basically a perfect meal.

Once you decide on your occupation, you must immerse yourself in your work. You have to fall in love with your work.  Never complain about your job.  You must dedicate your life to mastering your skill.  That's the secret of success, and is the key to being regarded honorably.   ~Jiro Ono

Olive Oil Poached Tuna

by Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

Cook Time: 20-30 minutes

Keywords: poach entree dairy-free low-carb nut-free soy-free sugar-free fish tuna olive oil

Ingredients (varies)

amounts vary - this is more of a method than a recipe:

• 1-inch thick tuna steaks or fillets
• good quality Olive Oil (enough to cover)
• fresh thyme sprigs
• fresh oregano sprigs
• bay leaf
• rind of a lemon, cut into strips (yellow part only)
• garlic cloves, peeled
• dried red chile
• black peppercorns
• sea salt

Instructions

Start by choosing a pan that just is large enough to set your tuna steaks in, side by side, without overlapping, and without too much extra space. Add enough olive oil to that pan so that it will just cover the tuna, once you add it (but don't add the tuna yet) - so, maybe an 1-1/2 to 2 inches up the sides. Add a few sprigs of thyme and oregano, along with a bay leaf, a few strips of lemon rind, a clove or two of garlic, the dried chile, a smattering of peppercorns, and few big pinches of sea salt.

Set the pot over medium heat until it just starts to bubble. Immediately remove it from the heat and carefully lower the tuna steaks into the hot oil. Let sit, undisturbed, for 20 minutes. At this point it should be just cooked through, with a tinge of pink at the center.

At this point, it is ready to eat.

Advance Preparation:

Once the tuna is cooked, transfer it to a jar (or jars) with a tight-fitting lid. Pour the poaching oil over the tuna, making sure it covers the tuna. Put on the lid, and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Serving suggestions:

Use this as you would use canned, oil-packed tuna. I love to serve it with pasta that's been tossed with whatever veggies I have on hand, using the oil to drizzle and moisten the pasta. Use it to make the best tuna melt you've ever tasted. Use it in a salad nicoise. The possibilities are endless.

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This round of Food 'n Flix is being hosted by Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla.  Although is the final day to submit a post, if you haven't seen Camilla's pick for this month, Jiro Dreams of Sushi, I still recommend watching it...it's just so inspiring and (I think) awe-inducing.

Also, I'm excited to be hosting again in July!  Stay tuned for an announcement post in a few days...we'll be watching Monsoon Wedding.  I hope you can join us!

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

50 Women Game-Changers (in Food): #21 Ree Drummond - Tuna Melts

In May '11, Gourmet posted a list of 50 Women Game-Changers (in Food) that runs the gamut from food writers to cookbook authors to television personalities to restauranteurs to chefs to food bloggers.  Some are a given.  Some are controversial.  Speaking the names of some brings fond childhood memories.  Speaking the names of others will make some readers cringe.  And of course, some of our favorites were not even included.  We food-lovers are a passionate bunch of people and whether we agree or disagree, every woman on this list has earned her place for a reason.  Being a woman who is passionate about food (cooking, eating, talking about, writing about, photographing), when I caught wind of Mary from One Perfect Bite's idea of cooking/blogging her way through each of these 50 women...one per week...I knew I wanted to join her.  Many of these women paved the way for us in culinary school, in the kitchen, in cookbooks, in food writing, and on television and I think it is a fabulous way to pay tribute to their efforts.  Some of the women on the list have been tops with me for years.  Some I have heard of (perhaps even seen, read, or cooked from) before.  And there are even a handful that I am not familiar with at all.  I excited to educate myself on each of these women game-changers and hope you look forward to reading along.  We are going in order from 1 to 50.

the "Gourmet" prompt...

21. Ree Drummond- O Pioneer Woman! You rule the World Wide Web.

I don't know about ruling the www, but I see the attraction.  I really do.  Ree is very accessible to everybody.  She serves up good food that is easy enough for pretty much anybody to make.  And just in case you were to wonder how to do it, she's got step-by-step photos.  An average of five hundred step-by-step photos per post.  If I stop by to check out a recipe, I usually find myself skimming to the bottom of the page.  I mean, do I really need to see 500 pictures of random ingredients being added to a bowl.  I know what scooping flour looks like.  And leveling flour.  And pouring flour into a bowl.  And the bowl after the flour is in it.  (Take for instance this post on fry bread.  The fry bread itself and the tacos made from it look stellar, and actually I don't mind the photos of it frying.  It's the scooping and measuring flour and other white powdery ingredients that I don't think are necessary...sigh.  That's just me.  But I can scroll down, no biggie, right?  Right.)  Don't get me wrong, I don't mind step-by-step photos when they are necessary.  I'm guilty of doing lots of them when I first started blogging, actually. But give me something cool like cutting down a side of beef, or bruleeing sugar, or stages of a complicated yeast dough.  Not barbecue sauce being measured into a measuring spoon and then put into a bowl. Just sayin'.  At least the pictures are clear and beautiful, though.  If they were fuzzy, that would be the end-all.  That said, I think she's deserving of making the list.  Her food makes me hungry and she's an inspiration.

In case you've been living under a rock (or just not checking the food blog circuit), check out The Pioneer Woman to see what all the fuss is about.  She also has a cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl, plus another being released early next year, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier and a book chronicling the love story between her and the Marlboro Man...the one everybody loves to swoon over (yes, myself included...I love a good love story), The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels--A Love Story.  Plus, though I haven't seen it, she has a new show on The Food Network.

Tuna Melts

slightly adapted from the Pioneer Woman (changes noted) 

Servings: 6  (eh.  I don't know about that...I'd say 2½ people to 5 people)

5 oz. tuna (tuna weight, not water or oil weight)

¼ c. red onion, finely chopped

¼ c. red bell pepper, finely chopped

1  Jalapeño, finely chopped

2  Hard Boiled Eggs, chopped  Seemed like a lot

6 whole Sweet Gerkins, sliced  I used 3...and still thought it was excessive

⅓ c. Mayonnaise

2 Tbs.Dijon Mustard

Splash Of Pickle Juice

Salt & Pepper, to taste

6 whole English Muffins, split I only had enough mixture for 5 halves

5 slices cheese (swiss, muenster, provolone) I used aged Swiss

Combine tuna with onion, bell pepper, jalapeño, eggs, and gerkins. Stir in mayonnaise, Dijon, and pickle juice. Add salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Place English muffin halves on a lined cookie sheet. Place a large spoonful of tuna salad on each of the English muffin halves. I used a level ¼ cup scoop for each half. Use the spoon to spread/flatten.  I didn't. Put pan into the oven for five minutes, then briefly remove and lay a slice of cheese on each muffin. Return to oven and turn on broiler. My broiler is separate from my oven, so I just slid them back in the oven for 5 minutes longer.  Watch carefully to avoid burning; bake until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Pretty. Good.  Not wow.  A bit too sweet...too many gherkins (and I halved the amount called for!) for me.  I'll admit, my favorite version of the tuna melt is monochrome in comparison, but I love it.  Could be that I grew up with it.  That's the way my mom makes them.  That's the way my grandma makes them.  For me, that's the way they're supposed to be.  But I realize as I'm talking about them, I've never actually posted them here. So I will.  Soon.

Who is cooking along with these 50 Women Game-Changers?

Mary- One Perfect Bite, Val- More Than Burnt Toast, Joanne- Eats Well With Others, Taryn- Have Kitchen Will Feed, Susan- The Spice Garden, Heather- girlichef, Miranda- Mangoes and Chutney, Jeanette- Jeanette's Healthy Living, Kathy- Bakeaway with Me, Sue- The View from Great Island, Barbara- Moveable Feasts, Linda- There and Back Again, Nancy- Picadillo, Mireya- My Healthy Eating Habits, Veronica- My Catholic Kitchen

I am also sharing this post with:

50 Women Game-Changers (in Food): #15 Sheila Lukins & Julee Rosso - Salad Niçoise

In May '11, Gourmet posted a list of 50 Women Game-Changers (in Food) that runs the gamut from food writers to cookbook authors to television personalities to restauranteurs to chefs to food bloggers.  Some are a given.  Some are controversial.  Speaking the names of some brings fond childhood memories.  Speaking the names of others will make some readers cringe.  And of course, some of our favorites were not even included.  We food-lovers are a passionate bunch of people and whether we agree or disagree, every woman on this list has earned her place for a reason.  Being a woman who is passionate about food (cooking, eating, talking about, writing about, photographing), when I caught wind of Mary from One Perfect Bite's idea of cooking/blogging her way through each of these 50 women...one per week...I knew I wanted to join her.  Many of these women paved the way for us in culinary school, in the kitchen, in cookbooks, in food writing, and on television and I think it is a fabulous way to pay tribute to their efforts.  Some of the women on the list have been tops with me for years.  Some I have heard of (perhaps even seen, read, or cooked from) before.  And there are even a handful that I am not familiar with at all.  I excited to educate myself on each of these women game-changers and hope you look forward to reading along.  We are going in order from 1 to 50.

the "Gourmet" prompt...

15. Sheila Lukins and Julee Rosso- It’s hard to overstate the influence of The Silver Palate—the 1982 cookbook named after the gourmet emporium this pair opened in 1977 on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Before, there was no ratatouille; after, there was chicken Marbella.

I think I may have to shield my head from flying objects when I say...I had never heard of Sheila Lukins or Julee Rosso before I found their names on the list.  {ducking head}  I do think that I'd heard of The Silver Palate Cookbook before, though...but never actually held it in my hands or looked through it before a couple of weeks ago when I checked it out from the library.  So, I did what I normally do and started paging through, leaving little strips of paper poking out here and there.  Okay, so...another cookbook to for ever-growing, never-ending "want" list.  It is packed with cooking tips, kitchen info, menus, quotes, and lots and lots of good-looking food.

Sheila Lukins first received a degree in Art Education from NYU and eventually attending Le Cordon Bleu in France and studied with Michelin-starred chefs in Bordeaux.  She then started The Other Woman Catering Company, which was how she met Julee Rosso (she was living with a client of Sheila's and had eaten her food many times).  Together they opened a 156 square foot take-away food shop and kitchen on the Upper West side which was modeled on a French traiteur, called The Silver Palate.  Shortly after, they wrote The Silver Palate Cookbook which has already been released in its 25th Anniversary Edition.  After feuding and "breaking up", the shop eventually closed around '93.  Lukins worked as a food editor and columnist for Parade Magazine (a position formerly held by Julia Child) for 23 years.  She succumbed to brain cancer at the age of 66.

Julee Rosso on the other hand, is a bit more elusive.  But what I was able to discover, I really liked.  She graduated from Michigan State University (GO STATE!).  Yeah, I'm easy.  Along with her husband, she has owned The Wickwood Inn in Saugatuck, Michigan since 1991...and she teaches cooking classes.  Her biography states that "she continues to be passionate about good food and health everyday".

Salad Niçoise
slightly adapted from The Silver Palate Cookbook
To make a Pan Bagnat (the official beach sandwich of Nice), prepare salad in advance and layer it into a hollowed-out baguette.  The longer the salad rests on the bread, the more the two become one.
makes 6-8 portions

8 new potatoes (~1 lb.), scrubbed
2 lbs. green beans, cooked
10 very ripe plum tomatoes, washed and quartered
1 small purple onion, thinly sliced
½ c. niçoise olives
¼ c. chopped Italian parsley
pinch of salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
¾ c. "Silver Palate" Vinaigrette *recipe follows
6 hard-cooked eggs, shelled & quartered lengthwise
12 oz. canned oil-packed tuna, well drained
2 oz. anchovy fillets (optional)

Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender but not mushy, ~10 minutes.  When cool enough to handle, quarter the potatoes and transfer them to a large bowl.

Add the green beans, tomatoes, onion, olives, parsley, a pinch of salt, and pepper.  Pour ½ cup of the vinaigrette over the vegetables and toss gently but well.  Transfer the mixture to a large serving platter.  Arrange salad informally, or as follows: Place the egg quarters around the edge of the platter.  Flake the tuna over the salad and arrange the anchovy fillets, if you use them, over the tuna.  Drizzle with additional vinaigrette and serve at room temperature.

*"Silver Palate" Vinaigrette
yield: 1 c.

1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
¼ c. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
minced fresh parsley and/or sipped fresh chives, to taste
½ c. olive oil

I just throw everything into a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake-shake-shake!

Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins (11/18/42 - 8/30/09)

Who is cooking along with these 50 Women Game-Changers?

Mary- One Perfect Bite, Val- More Than Burnt Toast, Joanne- Eats Well With Others, Taryn- Have Kitchen Will Feed, Susan- The Spice Garden, Heather- girlichef, Miranda- Mangoes and Chutney, Jeanette- Jeanette's Healthy Living, Katie- Making Michael Pollan Proud, Kathy- Bakeaway with Me, Sue- The View from Great Island, Amy- Beloved Green, Barbara- Moveable Feasts, Linda- There and Back Again, Kathleen- Gonna Want Seconds, Martha- Lines from Linderhof

I am also sharing this post with:

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca (with or without Tuna)

So, it's been a long time since I've had a Pasta Puttanesca.  Whore's Pasta.  Working Girl's Pasta.  Slut's Spaghetti.  You've all heard the origins, right?  It's quick and easy and spicy and...worth it.  So, it's fun to eat...fun to say...fun to talk about.  I sat down to chip away at a few of the shows built up on my DVR the other day, and I just happened to watch the episode of Extra Virgin when Gabriele and Debi were planning their respective Bachelor and Bachelorette parties before their vow renewal ceremony is Tuscany. Ahhh, dreamy.  I just love those two.  Well, Gabriele made Spaghetti alla Puttanesca for his party (Debi made Tiramisu).  Of course it started my tastebuds a-tingling.  Then I sat down to flip through some Jamie books and figure out what I could make for "Something Fishy" over at IHCC this week.  Honestly, my cupboards were pretty bare...but I did have everything I needed to make one dish.  Spaghetti alla Puttanesca.  Un Signo.  Jamie suggested using a puttanesca that added tuna.  While fresh tuna wasn't one of the items in my bare cupboard...canned tuna was.  I liked it with canned tuna, but I know I would have adored it with a freshly grilled tuna steak.  Next time.

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
(with or without tuna)
inspired by Gabriele Corcos (Extra Virgin)  & Jamie Oliver (Jamie's Dinners)
serves ~4

~12 oz. whole wheat spaghetti
olive oil
4 anchovies
2 garlic cloves, sliced paper thin
small handful Kalamata olives, smooshed w/ your thumb a bit
small handful capers, rinsed
crushed red chile flakes, to taste
~ 1# tomatoes, concasse (peel, seed, & small diced) or 1 (14.5 oz) can petite-diced tomatoes, drained
fresh parsley, chopped
freshly ground black pepper
parmesan, optional

optional:
Tuna (1 streak per person), fresh grilled/cooked to your liking (best option), but you can use good canned tuna, drained 

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente.  In the meantime, Heat a couple glugs of olive oil in a large, slope-sided nonstick skillet.  Add anchovies and let them cook a minute or so until they start to melt into the oil.  Add garlic, olives and capers and sauté for another minute or so and then throw in the red chile flakes and let cook another 30 seconds.  Add tomatoes, turn down the heat a bit and let everything simmer together for ~10 minutes.  When you drain the pasta, set aside about a cup or so of the cooking water, then add the pasta right into the skillet and toss everything around.  Pour in some...or all...of the reserved water and let everything cook together for another 5 minutes or so.  Throw in the parsley and season with freshly ground black pepper.  You shouldn't need salt because the anchovies, capers, and olives probably added enough...but taste and decide for yourself.  Toss everything together and divide amongst plates.  Shave some fresh Parmesan over each dish.  Drizzle with a little more olive oil.

If you are using tuna, season with a bit of salt and pepper, rub with a bit of olive oil, then grill (or sauté, whatever you wish) the tuna steaks to your liking.  Set a whole steak atop or aside each portion...or pull them apart a bit and scatter the pieces over the pasta.  You can use canned.  I tried that- not quite the same, but still decent.  I'd go big or go home on this one.

Our theme at IHCC this week is Something's Fishy.

I am also sharing this post with:
*Kirstin at From Kirstin's Kitchen to Yours who is hosting PPN this week.

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!