Trying Other People’s Ideas

Over at the Jules Clancy’s Stone Soup blog, you can download a free e-cookbook of really nifty recipes using 5 ingredients and taking just 10 minutes. If you haven’t done so, go there now and get it. I like the fact that the author doesn’t shy away from using canned beans and tuna, which is a fast and inexpensive alternative here in the States. I also like her addenda regarding minimalist pantries and equipment. It’s a great checklist to either use directly or to inspire your own. In the past couple of weeks I’ve tried Jules’ salads and have even managed to confine myself to a single large wooden cutting board, as per her minimal-list. The current post is A Simple Sausage Supper, which recipe is very similar to what DH and I cook for ourselves.

That cutting board got a good workout tonight as I made a remarkably tasty cassoulet from a recipe by The Minimalist himself, Mark Bittman. His new blog, Bittman, has a list called A Few of My Recipes, and and Cassoulet with Lots of Vegetables is on that list. I happened to have all the ingredients on hand and decided to give it a go: Italian sausages, canned white beans, tomatoes, carrots, celery, onions, zucchini, parsley, thyme, and bay leaves. I made it in my small Dutch oven on the stovetop instead of a skillet, and used dried instead of fresh herbs, and it turned out great. It certainly doesn’t meet 5 ingredients in 10 minutes, but the soul of this dish is utterly simple.