(image: seasonalchef.com)

Beans, it turns out, are awfully good for you. Packed full of protein with no fat, they are filling and muscle building power houses. Which is good news, because we’re going to be consuming a lot of them if this economic thing keeps on keepin’ on.

The other night, I fixed some “pole beans” as as side dish. At least that’s what the cashier at Kroger called them. I called them fava beans. Mrs. E. pronounced them delicious.

This recipe should work for any sort of bean at all.

The Easy and Elegant Life Bean Dish

A few handfuls of fava beans or any other bean shelled and rinsed. (Fava beans require you to shell them twice unless they are very young. Once to get them out of the pod, and again to get rid of the tough outer skin covering the more tender bean.)

Olive oil (3 tsp?)

1- 2 clove(s) of garlic, chopped.

salt and pepper to taste.

Chicken broth to almost cover the whole mess. (I like College Inn brand if you don’t make your own!)

1 onion, halved or chopped as you like.

Sprinkling of oregano, parsley or something else green.

1 thick slice of ham, bacon or salt pork.

(Crushed tomato optional.)

Route 1: Place beans, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, optional tomato and herbs in the pot. Layer the onion over them. Layer the slice of ham/bacon/pork over top of that. Pour over the chicken broth and simmer for thirty minutes or until the beans are fork tender.

OR

Route 2: Heat olive oil in the pot. Sauté the onion, garlic and pork (if using salt pork you could render the fat from it and omit the olive oil. But olive oil is very good for you!) Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer as before.

You could even serve this as a luncheon main course by adjusting the serving amount and accompanying it with crusty bread, a hunk of cheddar cheese and a light red wine.

(Not much to do with anything, but it makes me chuckle and I figured we could all use a laugh.)

I thought long and hard about today’s post. Especially after listening to the Presidential candidates debate and then hearing the business news. “Baby, it’s cold out there.”

Given the way things are headed, can we continue to live the easy and elegant life?

I’m obviously talking about more than detachable collars.

I suppose I’m a bit of a pollyanna. I’m pretty sure that we’re facing down some gloom, but maybe not doom. I believe that we will weather the storm. It won’t be easy, but we’ll make it. Like Bing Crosby sang “I fall asleep counting my blessings.” We’re not under constant bombardment as was London during the Blitz. We haven’t had to endure wholesale rationing of food and petrol. Gas lines, at least here in Virginia, aren’t the norm. Unemployment is not yet at Great Depression levels. The banks are open, if a bit frozen.

Pretty Capra-esque view of things, huh?

I will admit that it’s time to reflect, hunker down, regroup, circle the wagons. It’s time to change the paradigm. And that’s where a few of my ideas may have some merit.

If you’ve bought new clothes and followed my advice, they are of very high quality and classically styled. Your wardrobe should help you remain well-dressed for a few years until hemlines rise or tie widths balloon. You may then be out of fashion, but you will still be well-dressed. Take care of your clothing. Keep it clean and mended. It is your armour against the fickle winds of fashion and will make you feel good when wearing it. The worse I feel, the better I dress. Never fails to cheer me up somewhat. “Wardrobe therapy” I guess you’d call it. Try it.

You may decide that it is more appropriate for your budget to stay at home and entertain, or gather around the family table instead of frequenting the local restaurant twice a week. Great! The slow-cooker makes wonderful dinners while you are at work and does so while tenderizing “inferior” cuts of meat. You don’t have to eat high on the hog to live well. Living well, is an art. Cultivate it. Candles purchased at the dollar store will add atmosphere while saving a bit of money on the electric bills. Asking everyone to dress (not necessarily in dinner jackets) will let you keep the heat down below 72ºF, too.

My grandmother, who lived through the Depression and saw this downturn coming a few years ago, often tells me stories me of the six couples who formed her party circuit. Once a month the gang would convene at one house and have a dinner party. My grandmother always made sure she had Halloween, and everyone dressed up. It might be a good time to start a dinner party circuit with a few friends. The meals needn’t be extravagant and each couple can pitch in with a couple of bottles of modestly priced wine. Break out the china and silver; a few branches from the garden. You will have a ball.

Speaking of meals, Mrs. E. recently did our books and realized that our biggest expense — close to mortgage size — is our grocery bill. (My clothing budget went the way of the Dodo after the chimneys were rebuilt this summer.) It wasn’t always like this. Having two children has added some (I joined the organic crowd out of an uneasy feeling that the city rats are the size they are because they are eating our leftovers… but it ain’t cheap) to the bottom line. Still, I can scale back very easily.

How easily?

When we were fortunate enough to live at the beach in France, Mrs. E. and I made the Saturday trek (all of ten minutes) to our market to buy our supplies for the week. One free range chicken would last us through roughly 5 dinners. First we had roasted chicken and potatoes. Then we had a bit of chicken salad. Then it was curried chicken over rice and finally chicken soup. Call it beak to tail-feather eating. Once a month we splurged and went out to dinner (there was a three-star restaurant also within walking distance.) All meals were supplemented with local produce, freshly baked baguettes, and wine from the co-op. Ten litres of wine, rationed out of our refillable jerry cans, lasted ten days (I cooked with it, too.)

Cutting back just takes some creative thinking. If I could, I would even plant a few vegetables as my friends plan on doing. As it is, I make do with homegrown kitchen herbs.

Just a few thoughts.

When was the last time you made a pizza instead of ordering out? Packed a lunch instead of eating out? Had an omelette and salad for dinner? Had lamb shanks instead of a crown roast? Chicken thighs instead of breast? Or a simple French onion soup made with day old bread? Used coupons (mine are downloaded directly to my preferred customer card, so I don’t even have to remember to take them along)?

So, plan accordingly, adopt easy and elegant best practices, plug in “The Object of Beauty“, or “The Razor’s Edge” (I Like Bill Murray’s version), “Meet John Doe“, or “My Man Godfrey” or “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington“, or even “It’s Wonderful Life.” There are lessons to be learned from each. Mostly about making do with a good attitude. And isn’t that what elegance is all about? Keeping your head when those around you are losing theirs?

And don’t forget to vote. History is being made one way or the other and America needs to rally behind the next President. He’s in for a bumpy ride.

We had a houseful this weekend. Dinner guests, family, kids, etc. . I cooked a lot and made a lot of drinks. As I silently cursed my ice machine for going up on me, I started to reflect on what, in the best of all possible worlds, would constitute my ideal bar trappings. I’m pretty close.

I have a good silver tray, a cutting board and a sharp knife. I have a few sterling shakers, a couple of pitchers, a mixing spoon, a good corkscrew, a silver jigger, copies of “American Bar” and “The Savoy Cocktail Book“, a Boston Shaker and a strainer.

I don’t have a muddler or a pair of sterling tongs. More importantly, I don’t have an insulated ice bucket.

I have a glass ice bucket — several in fact. But I don’t have an insulated ice bucket. I noticed this because, with the ice maker on the fritz, I was keeping a close eye on the cube consumption. I dislike having to run to the market in the middle of a party.

So, as much as I would love to own a cut crystal
Century Ice Bucket in Sterling Silver by Tiffany, like the one pictured above, these would really be far more useful to me:

Double Wall Insulated Ice Bucket in Red Leatherette by Metrokane (also available in black from those responsible for the Rabbit corkscrew.)

The K + T Bucket via Vivre

A Mirrored Double Wall Insulated Ice Bucket by Michael Anastassiades via Vivre

Now if I could only find a sterling silver, insulated bucket with a hinged lid… well ladies and gentlemen the bar would be set very high indeed.

Just a thought in case you need to find a wedding, Christmas or anniversary gift.