String Beans With Ginger And Garlic

French style green beans, or  haricots verts as they are called in France, are now in the markets  You can also find them at Costco and at Whole Foods.  Don't miss the opportunity to serve and enjoy them while you can.

For a dinner party where you want to serve a vegetable with a little zing, this works! 

Yield:  10 servings

Ingredients

• Salt
• 2 1/2 pounds string beans (French-style slim haricots verts work especially well), trimmed
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup minced fresh ginger (about 6 inches ginger root, peeled)
• 4 medium-size garlic cloves, minced

Preparation

1.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and fill a large bowl with ice water. Working in two batches, boil beans until just tender but still crisp and bright green. Start testing after 4 minutes or so, being careful not to overcook. When done, plunge beans into ice water to stop cooking, lift out immediately when cool and drain on towels. (Recipe can be made to this point up to a day in advance and kept refrigerated, wrapped in towels.)

2.

When ready to cook, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wide skillet over high heat. Add half the beans, half the ginger and half the garlic, and cook, stirring and tossing constantly, until beans are heated through and ginger and garlic are softened and aromatic. Sprinkle with salt, and remove to a serving dish. Repeat with remaining oil, beans, ginger and garlic. Serve


Recipe and photo from The New York Times.

Easter Leftovers...Basic Ham & Bean Soup

This is an alternative to Split Pea Soup and a great way to use those leftovers from your Easter Ham!

Check out Easter Leftovers...10 Things to Make with your Easter Ham on  Lindaraxa's Garden. my main recipe blog!


Serves 8-10

Ingredients

1 pound dry great Northern beans

8 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 ham hock

1 cup chopped carrots

1/2 stalk celery, chopped

1 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon mustard powder

2 bay leaves

2 cups chopped ham

1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

Directions

 1. Soak the beans overnight. Discard the water and add fresh water to pot.

2.Place on top of stove and bring the water and beans to a boil on high heat.  Place the ham bone, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, mustard and bay leaves in the pot. Stir well, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 60 more minutes.

3.Remove ham bone and discard. Stir in the chopped ham and simmer for 30 more minutes. Season with ground white pepper to taste.

The Silver Palate Chili - Entertaining For a Crowd

In the 1980's a wondrous jewel of a food store opened on Manhattan's Upper West Side. It was christened The Silver Palate. Tiny though it was, the shop's gem-like offerings - from tempting salads to whole meals and heavenly desserts - quickly attracted customers from far and wide. The spot became a refuge for harried executives, neighborhood couples, families and solitary diners who yearned for exciting, honest foods but who didn't have lots of time to prepare them. Sheila Lukins, and Julie Rosso, the owners of the store and co writers of The Silver Palate Cookbook were sort of  precursors to Ina Garten of The Barefoot Contessa in East Hampton and, I'm sure, the inspiration for her style of cooking. 

My cookbook is so tattered from use, I bought the Silver Edition when it came out a few years ago.

The Silver Palate Chili is the best chili recipe I have ever made and always gets raves when I serve it.  It is simple to make and a wonderful addition to your Super Bowl menu.

When choosing chopped meat for chili, you'll find that beef chuck adds great flavor. And you never can have too many spices. Look for dark red kidney beans. Lemon juice brightens all the tastes!  I skip the black olives as I do not feel they add anything to the dish but it's up to you.

Servings: 20

Ingredients


2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound yellow onions, coarsely chopped

1 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings

4 pounds beef chuck, ground

1 12 ounce can tomato paste

1 ½ tablespoons minced garlic

1/3 cup ground cumin

½ cup chili powder

¼ cup Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons dried basil

2 tablespoons dried oregano

1 ½ tablespoon salt, or to taste

1 ½ tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

3 28 ounce cans Italian plum tomatoes, drained

¼ cup dry red wine

2 tablespoons lemon juice

¼ cup chopped fresh dill

¼ cup chopped parsley

2 16 ounce cans dark-red kidney beans, drained

2 5/12 ounce cans pitted black olives, drained


Directions


Heat the olive oil in a very large pot. Add the onions and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 15 minutes. Add the sausage meat and ground chuck and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the meats are well browned. Spoon off any excess fat and discard.


Stir in the tomato paste, garlic, cumin, chili powder, mustard, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Add the tomatoes, wine, lemon juice, dill, parsley, and kidney beans. Stir well and simmer uncovered, for another 15 minutes.

Taste and adjust the seasonings. Add olives and simmer for 5 minutes more the heat through. Serve immediately.