Better than a bean salad
It’s been a few weeks since I pledged to return to the basics. I’m still pretty much adhering to the plan, using simple ingredients, not spending enormous blocks of time on cooking, and making things that can be eaten for several days at a time, in various combinations. My personal quest to simplify my cooking naturally was inspired by the abusiveness of my employer, and the torment from teenagers that I continue endure. It should come as no surprise that I still suffer both ailments. (I really don’t hate kids even though it seems like I might. I mean, I’m trying to decipher some slang messages I just received on AIM as I presently type this blog entry.)
I told a kid today to cut his fingernails. Sure, maybe I should have been minding my own business, and not asserting my standards of hygiene on others, but teaching would be no fun at all if I did that. The kid promptly replied that he needed his nails to pick his boogers. He was really proud of this fact. And, I have to say that I appreciated his response. His openness. His logic. He further explained to a very captivated class that without his nails, he couldn’t scrape out those really dry ones on the side of his nose. The class then degenerated into a discussion about an assortment of off topic things, all of which made me laugh a whole lot.
So today was good, I guess you could say. And made it seem all the more okay to work until well after 7PM, totaling a 12 hour work day with no lunch break and a lot of mania (involving stealing a syringe from the health clinic) and returning home, wiped out, and scarfing down a bowl of beans and rice. What makes everything better is that the beans are an adaptation from a recipe I found in a very new cookbook (to me). I had been shooting from the hip for too long, putting together recipes from fragments of past dishes and things my mother told me, and I was out of ideas. I broke down and bought Madhur Jaffrey’s World of the East Vegetarian Cooking. I struck out on the first recipe from the book but struck gold on this one. And, most importantly, not having a food processor really paid off this time.
Kidney Bean Salad with a Walnut Dressing
Adapted from Madhur Jaffrey’s World of the East Vegetarian Cooking
Prep Time: 10 minutes / Chill Time: At least 1 hour
Serves: 3
Ingredients
- 2 (15 ounce) cans of red kidney beans, juices reserved
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup shelled walnuts
- 2 1/2 tablespoon red vinegar
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne peper
- 2 tablespoons scallions, finely sliced
- 4 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
- salt
- fresh black pepper
Directions
- Use a mortar and pestle and grind the walnuts and garlic into a relatively smooth paste. You may need to divide the portion, and grind twice depending on the size of your mortar and pestle. To ease the hand grinding, add the vinegar directly to the garlic and walnut paste in the mortar and pestle.
- Put the paste into a medium sized bowl and add 8 tablespoons of reserved bean liquid to the mixture.
- Add the cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper and mix well.
- Slowly add the olive oil and mix well.
- Add the beans, cilantro, and green onions, and gently mix until the beans are coated in the dressing.
- Refirgerate for at least 45 mintues before serving.
Practical Considerations
Okay okay, all you kitchen gadget advanced people, use a food processor to make the paste. It’d be smoother, I admit. I personally prefer all the chunks of garlic and walnut. Also, I added garlic to my version (compared to the original) because I love garlic. I can imagine it being a bit strong for most though.
The dressing sounds amazing! I think this would work with baby spinach too!
I like the sound of the walnut dressing!
Very interesting way to make walnut dressing. I’ve seen walnut dressing on restaurant menus but it never would have occurred to me to prepare it in this manner. Nice recipe!
Truenorth67- I think baby spinach would work as well too. I actually ate the bean salad on a bed of greens (mostly arugula) yesterday and it was pretty good.
Kevin and LisaRene- Thanks!
Wow. I actually own a copy of that cookbook. I haven’t had it very long, but I can’t believe I didn’t notice this recipe. Thanks for this. By the way, do you have Ms. Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian? If not, I highly recommend it.
Lisa - Jaffrey calls the dish Lobio which is why you might have missed it? I certainly did not know what Lobio was until I read more carefully. And, yes, I definitely plan to get World Vegetarian!
I’ve had that book for years, but have also never noticed this dish. What a simple but flavour filled dish this is. Thanks for highlighting it.
This looks really tasty! And lol@ the booger comment!
This looks really fantastic! I’ve been eating a lot of bean-based salads lately, so your post came at exactly the right time for me.
I’m excited to try it - the walnut dressing sounds delish, & any excuse to use my pestle & mortar is always good
PS I love that story about you telling a kid to cut his fingernails. His response was too funny!
The salad looks wonderful and I love the sound of the walnut dressing.
I adore bean salads and this one looks fabulous! (I’m also a big fan of Madhur Jaffrey.)