it's a hot, humid night

[Guest guest]

Hi,

It's a hot, humid night and I want to do a minimum of cooking on the stove. So

this is what

I've just made -- it's marinating for a bit as I'm writing this. I guess I have

to give it a

name, so I'll call it Jerry's artichoke and bean salad. It was improvised, so

the

measurements -- if you can call it that -- are approximate, to say the least.

 

Jerry's artichoke and bead salad

 

*I had a can of fava beans handy so in it went. You can use any beans you want.

I'm

partial to fava and black beans.

* a can of artichoke hearts, quartered.

* my only gesture at cooking: a bunch of baby portobellos, sliced thickly, and

quickly

sauted in PAM with just a touch of garlic salt and pepper, maybe two or three

minutes.

* a handfull of parsley, chopped

* 4 or 5 scallions, sliced.

* I had some grape tomatos around so in they went -- great for color

* I have a jar of Thai pickled red bird chilis, which I am never without

(they're great with

peanut butter). I chopped two of them into the salad.

*At this point I looked at my creation and realized it was naked for garlic. I

deliberated for

a moment and considered leaving garlic out. The idea seemed obscene. So I

chopped 2

garlic cloves and tossed them in.

* a little salt (very optional)

* dressed with some olive oil and a few generous pinches of cumin and coriander.

Finished, I thought, but my wife just got home and she bought some spinach. I'll

probably

add that -- I mean, just look at the poor spinach, just begging to be tossed in

-- not to

would be culinarily criminal -- don't you agree?

* If you have anything else in your fridge or cupboard begging to join the fun,

please jump

right in. But whatever you do, please, please, no mayonnaisse, I beg you!

Jerry