Beans and Beets

You win some and you lose some. I knew this would be wrong and just couldn’t turn it around. I hope you all had a great Christmas. We had great fun yesterday with our friends. We got home late and today my brother and I were on Skype with the whole family. It was fun to talk and see each other. Mom was eating lunch, Mary feeding her. Jeremy, Ann and Tammy were all there too; a big merry after Christmas day. I knew that tonight’s dinner would not be popular with Jim. The first course was Beet and Tangerine Salad with Cranberry Dressing. This was a great salad if you like beets like me. Jim even liked it, except the tangerines had a million seeds in it. There was almost no orange left and we still found seeds while eating it. Also, watercress these days seems to be rather weedy. I will use arugula for any future recipes that call for watercress. Serves 6, from December, Bon Appétit.
Ingredients:
3 -2 1/2 “dia. red beets, tops trimmed
3 large tangerines (use Navel oranges)
3T EVOO
3 T frozen cranberry juice cocktail concentrate, thawed
1 T red wine vinegar
½ C paper-thin slices red onion
1 large bunch watercress, thick stems trimmed (use arugula)
Directions:
1. Place beets in deep large microwave-safe bowl. Add enough water to reach depth of 1”. Cover and microwave on high about 15 minutes. (I had a red microwave and Jim and multiple paper towels kept the kitchen from turning red. I know everyone is in a hurry there days, but my tried and true method of wrapping the beets in aluminum foil, baking at 350 for 1 hour works and is less messy.)
2. Cool the beets under cold running water and peel. Slice into ¼-1/3” thick rounds. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Finely grate all three tangerines to get 2t of zest. Add this to a small bowl with the EVOO, cranberry juice concentrate, red wine vinegar and combine. Add the 1/2C red onion slices.
4. Trim all the peel off the tangerines and slice in ½” slices; removing all the seeds. Good luck!
5. Arrange the watercress on a platter. If using the watercress, lose all the stems. Jim just hates them. Arrange beets and tangerines on top. Spread the onions from the dressing on top of them and pour the dressing over.
This was called a holiday starter. I am not sure what it would be a starter for, but it was very good. The dressing was delicious.
When in a hurry I often don’t read all the details. I saw beans and bacon and thought it would be good after Christmas as I knew we would be having beef. Later I read that this would be a good side dish for lamb chops. It indeed would be. Cannellini Beans with Lemon, Roasted Red Pepper, and Bacon, serves 6, from Fine Cooking December.
Ingredients:
1 med. lemon, scrubbed
2 oz. thick bacon, cut crosswise into thin strips
2T EVOO (I only used 1)
1t chopped fresh rosemary
1 large clove garlic, chopped
¼ t crushed red pepper flakes
2 15 ½ oz. cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
¾ C chicken broth
2 jarred roasted red peppers, cut into small dice
Pepper and salt
Directions:
1. Using a vegetable peeler, shave 6-1” strips of zest from the lemon. Cut the strips crosswise ¼” wide. Juice half to the lemon and reserve the juice and zest separately.
2. In a 3 qt. saucepan over med. heat, cook the bacon with 1T EVOO, stirring until it renders most of the fat and is brown. Drain on a plate with a paper towel.
3. Return the pan to medium heat and add the rosemary, garlic and red pepper flakes. Stir 30 seconds. Add the beans, broth, peppers, lemon zest, and heat to simmer. Cook about 15 minutes. Add the 1T lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with bacon and serve.
This was to be a side dish, but I often like a bean dish. It was good and would be a great side dish to lamb chops as noted in the recipe.
Jim served with a Schilcher Blauer Wildbacher Grape sparkling wine from Austria. I had my doubts, but it was perfect with the meal.
We were supposed to get a lot of snow, but it by passed us. I read that weather forecasting is the only job where you can be 90% wrong and when you are right they forget all the wrongs. Jim is really into finding out the weather forecast. I prefer the look out the window method.