I saw a post on Facebook early last week that made me scratch my head in disbelief. At first I couldn’t decide if it was a tongue in cheek article, or if it was genuine display of solidarity. It was a local Strasbourg blog where the authors shared their admiration for the continuation of work to the cyclists of UberEats and the rest of the food-delivery-app cycling spawn that spare very little regard for bike path rules, or for public transport regulations. (You’ve not been on the receiving end of my rants when I cannot get onto my tram at night for fear of crashing their bicycles). Is this nation of people who are so proud of their cuisine really so anti cooking their own food?
Speaking personally, I prefer entertaining at home. Rather than trying to find a restaurant that can accommodate a group of my friends, where we would have restrictions on our movement and culinary preferences, it turns out my ideal Saturday evening is when my dinner table is filled up with a bunch of our friends sharing from our serving dishes. So instead of us going out to restaurants, where we would have to spend just as much on a babysitter as a meal for 2, where the wine is a little more expensive, we more often than not, choose to entertain chez nous.
I love the elegance of throwing a tablecloth over my table, even though it’s not a starched white damask that reflects the light of the glistening array of wine glasses and candlelight. I love the delight my friends have to see the unanticipated, to share something new that’s not common to their normal meals. I love that my hubby shares in these moments and can help with cooking on the braai, or making a few of his specialities. Many a Saturday afternoon has been spent with me knocking off work at the pub after the lunch rush, heading home to rustle up a Malva Pudding, a large fresh green salad and this family favourite, my 4 Bean Salad.
The recipe came from my Mum, and it is one of those that I have memorised, because I can’t find the page where I may have written it down once upon a time. It was probably circulated around Boston several times, back in the days before several of the ingrediants became outlawed on account of their lack of social acceptability in this era. As you can only imagine (my fellow Bosotonians) all of the ingrediants would have been available in our parents pantries, given the shops were 50 kilometers away and shopping daily was completely unheard of. Also, the few fresh ingrediants may have been sourced in the farms’ vegetable gardens, making this a winner recipe for a last minute event. Also, it has an extended shelf life given the oil, vinegar and sugar, so pop it in a sealed container in the fridge for a weeks worth of your vegetable intake.
4 Bean Salad
200g fresh green beans
1 tin Kidney Beans
1 tin White Beans (barlotti or cannelini)
1 tin Baked Beans in tomato sauce
1 large red onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped.
Handful chopped parsley
Few leaves of snipped Basil
60ml brown sugar
150ml good vinegar
125ml sunflower oil
62ml olive oil
Salt and pepper
Top and tail the green beans and slice into slice into 2cm slices.
Bring a small pot of salted water on to boil.
The kidney beans and white beans need to be rinsed of the preservative liquid, whereas the baked beans will be used as the come from the tin ;-). Empty the tin of baked beans into a large mixing bowl.
Add the finely chopped onion, chopped garlic, chopped herbs, sugar, vinegar, oils and rinsed kidney and white beans to the mixing bowl. Stir the ingrediants to mix thoroughly.
Once the pot of water is boiling, add the sliced green beans, blanch them briefly for 2 minutes, then drain them. While they are still hot from the cooking liquid, add them to the mixing bowl with the remainder of the ingrediants.
Mix through again, add salt and pepper to your preferred taste, and refrigerate.
Pinot, Bretzels, and Cathedrals 