After a recent inventory of the upper storage cabinet in my kitchen, I started browsing for ways to combine the canned foods I have on hand.
I started with green beans. I don’t know why I have so many cans of them, because they are certainly not a favorite. I suppose I purchased some when they were on sale, thinking they were a bargain. After which, they get pushed to the back of the cabinet when I choose something else.
I found lots of ideas and created a list of combinations to try. Like most times when I find a good recipe, I tweak it. I nearly always have to downsize the recipe. Often I make substitutions to fit either what I have on hand, or to satisfy my desire of the moment.
Yesterday I decided to try a recipe that combined summer squash (I have a small one left that needs eaten), green beans and tomatoes. I choose this recipe because, beside green beans, I have several cans of tomato products. I also liked the recipe because it had herb, although I usually add some, even if the recipe doesn’t call for them. The recipes said to cook the beans, tomatoes and squash together, adding coriander, parsley, and pepper.
I liked the sound of the recipe, but I wanted a cool dish. So I only cooked the squash, sautéing it in a bit of olive oil. While the squash was cooking, I drained the cans of green beans, and put them in the bottom of my bowl. Next, I used my slotted spoon to drain the tomatoes (using about a third of the can) which I layered on top of the beans. The squash was tender, so I added it for the next layer. I decided some of the leftover canned ripe olives that I had in the fridge would be good, and also some crumbled some feta cheese. The recipe had called for coriander and parsley, so I used the mortar and pestle I had recently purchased and ground them. (Next time I will chop the parsley, as it got kind of mushed.) After sprinkling them and freshly ground pepper on top, I decided it was ready to eat.
It was very good. It had just enough liquid to moisten the dish, yet not become runny. Even though it looked pretty layered, I mixed it all together before I ate it. When I will make it again, I will let the flavors blend awhile in the refrigerator before eating.
learning2leftovers 