Green Bean, Tomato and Olive Salad

The Fannie Farmer Cookbook has been around since 1896, originally published under the name The Boston Cooking School Cook Book.  It has had more than a dozen printings, but my copy is from 1979.  It was the first cookbook I owned, purchased for me by my mother one Christmas.  So when talking to her yesterday about this great big bag of green beans I received this week from CRO, she suggested that I go to the tried and true Fannie Farmer for ideas.  I did and do you know this is one of the best green bean salads I think I've eaten. With just a few changes, most of this recipe came from my 1979 edition originally titled "Raw Green Beans, Tomatoes, Olives, Scallions, and Celery Salad".  I changed it only to reflect what I had on hand and what we like.  Sometimes the old cookbooks have simple things that are timelessly tasty!  This is one of them. 

Green Bean, Tomato and Olive Salad

1 bag CRO green beans, ends trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup CRO grape tomatoes, halved
3/4 cup Greek olives
1/2 cup CRO red onion, chopped (about 2 slices)
1 red or green pepper sliced very thin (like matchsticks)
2 Tbs chopped parsley
2 Tbs chopped cilantro

Dressing:
1/4 cup grape seed or olive oil
2 Tbs red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Fill a large bowl with ice water.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the beans 2 minutes.  Immediately drain and rinse the beans in cold water and transfer to the ice water for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, prepare your other ingredients.  Drain the beans, pat dry and transfer to a large bowl.  Add tomatoes, olives, onion, peppers, parsley, and cilantro.  Toss to combine.  Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl until emulsified.  Pour over the salad and toss again to combine.  Serves 4-6 generously.  

Minestrone in Summer? Not exactly...

I saw a recipe in the paper recently for a "Minestrone Pasta Salad".  Basically, it used many of the same ingredients you would use to make minestrone soup and put them together in a pasta salad.  I made a few modifications to use what I have and make it vegetarian (if you want to make it non-veg, just sub salami for the tofu).  The CRO beans, tomatoes, and red onion all get used in this salad and it feeds a crowd.  Interestingly, purple beans turn green when cooked!

On another note, if you are feeling overwhelmed by the tomatoes received this week, check out my post from around this same time last summer for a traditional spaghetti sauce that is very easy to make.

Minestrone Pasta Salad

8 oz small pasta of choice (I used orecchiette)
1/2 cup diced CRO red onion
4 ounces CRO purple beans, ends trimmed and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
2 medium carrots, diced
1 CRO heirloom tomato, diced
1 cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped out, and diced (I do not peel my cucumber)
3/4 cup canned chick peas, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup canned great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 7-oz package flavored tofu, diced (I used Trader Joe's Teriyaki Tofu)
3 TBS chopped fresh basil

For the dressing:
5 TBS olive oil plus a little extra for cooking onions
2 TBS balsamic vinegar
1 TBS red wine vinegar
1 tsp dijon-style mustard
1 tsp dried oregano, crushed (or use 1 TBS fresh, chopped)
1/8 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat.  Cook pasta according to package directions.  Remove pasta with a slotted spoon to a colander to drain and rinse with cold water.  Set aside.

Return the pot of water to a boil.  Meanwhile, heat a small skillet over medium heat and spray with olive oil (or drizzle a little olive oil into the pan).  Cook onion for 2 minutes and set aside.  

Prepare a medium sized bowl of water and ice.  When the pot of water is boiling, add the bean pieces to the water and cook 3 minutes.  Add the carrots to the water and cook 3 minutes.  Immediately drain the beans and carrots in a colander and then transfer them to the ice water bath.  After 10 minutes, drain the beans and carrots and place on paper towels to dry. 

Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a large bowl until emulsified.  Add all other ingredients and stir to incorporate.  Makes 8-12 servings depending if you are using as a main dish or a side.

Week 14 - Heirloom Tomato, Green Beans, Potatoes, Mustard Greens

Green Bean, Potato, and Mustard Green Curry

Technically this is a week 13/14 recipe since two of the above ingredients were in last week's delivery.  I still had the green beans and potatoes from last week and when I saw the greens this week I decided a curry was in order.

A curry does not actually mean that a dish is made with the Indian spice, curry powder.  It is a generic term that simply refers to a "meat" and vegetable dish in a gravy-like sauce.  Typically, you will find curries in Asian restaurants made with coconut milk and a variety of vegetables with the option of chicken, beef, shrimp or tofu.  Naturally, I made this one with tofu. 

Mustard Greens can be quite hot and spicy and when raw a little goes a long way.  But when you cook them with a little salt and fat, they will become far milder and can be used interchangeably with other greens in recipes such as spinach or collards.  

The quantities of potatoes and beans here are just approximate - use whatever you received in your share.

 Enjoy!


Green Bean, Potato, and Mustard Green Curry

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Clarion River Organics Heirloom tomato
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp mustard seeds, smashed* 
3/4 tsp crushed red pepper (this amount will make it medium spicy, so cut back if you don't want your curry too hot)
1/2 cup water
3/4 lb Clarion River Organics potatoes, peeled, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 package extra firm tofu, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3/4 lb Clarion River Organics green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-3 inch pieces
1 13.5 oz. can coconut milk
1 bunch Clarion River Organics mustard greens, washed, tough stems removed, and chopped

Cut tomato into several chunks and place in a blender or food processor and whirl until tomato is pureed.

Place oil and tomato puree in a medium pot on medium-high heat and cook for 1 minute. Add salt, turmeric, smashed mustard seeds and crushed red pepper, stir and saute for 3 to 4 minutes.  Stir in water, potatoes, and tofu and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 10 minutes.

Remove the lid and stir in the green beans and 1/2 can of the coconut milk. Raise the heat and return to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce heat to low and cover and cook an additional 8 minutes, or until potatoes and beans are cooked through.  Stir in remaining coconut milk and increase heat to medium. Bring to a boil again, then stir in mustard greens, cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 2 minutes, or until mustard greens are wilted. Serve immediately with a side of brown rice (about 1 cup of cooked rice per person should do it).  Serves 4.

*To smash the mustard seeds, place them between sheets of wax paper and use a meat mallet or other heavy object to pound them to a grainy texture.

Week 7 Recipes - Simply Delicious Green and Yellow Beans

What beautiful green and yellow beans we received this week from Clarion River Organics! They are so pretty all on their own and incredibly fresh so they are best enjoyed without much fuss.  

Here is a recipe for a very simple side dish with only four ingredients - very easy and quick to prepare and delicious.  In this preparation, broiling keeps the beans crispy and juicy and the lemon juice enhances the beans' mild flavor. 


Simply Delicious Green and Yellow Beans

1 bag Clarion River Organics Green and Yellow Beans (about 1 lb)
Juice of a lemon
1 Tbs olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

The beans are ready for the broiler.

First, place oven rack on the second highest level (near the broiler, but not too near).  Turn oven on to broil setting.

Rinse the beans in a colander and let dry or dry them with paper towels.  To trim the beans you could simply snap off the ends, but I like to slice them off with a knife.  That way you lose the least amount of bean and it just looks nicer.  I also like to leave the beans whole rather than cutting them up, again, for aesthetics only. 

Line a cookie sheet or baking pan with parchment paper.  Place the beans on the parchment and toss them with the lemon juice and olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.   Broil 9 mins stirring with a fork twice during cooking.  They are done when they just begin to blister and are crisp tender.  Top with a little snipped basil or parsley, if desired.  Serves 4 as a side, but these beans are so replete with the fresh taste of summer that you just may eat them all before they make it to the table!