Summer Solstice Supper: Bacon 'n' Beans, Petite Sirloin, and Cucumber Salad

The bacon and beans are ethnically closer to Portugal (correct me if I'm mistaken, AA), or Brazil, than they are of, say, the beans we Americans may associate with the South: molasses and bbq. The recipe came from a Brit, Fergus Henderson, and I modified it according to what I could find locally at the grocer. I won't go into too much detail, other than saying that the navy beans absorb much of the vegetable stock (see below pic, upper left hand corner) that is ladled into the dish prior to baking. A small cheese cloth was loaded with fresh rosemary, thyme, whole allspice and peppercorns, tied off, and tossed into a pot of simmering beer-water. In that was tossed celery, one green pepper (I needed to use it up), carrots, onions, and whole garlic cloves. Henderson calls for a pig trotter, but I couldn't locate one this morning — better planning next time. Also, the navy beans need to be soaked overnight. So that's more planning ahead.

After frying up the bacon (making sure to eat bits and pieces here and there, and follow it with either good coffee or cold beer), dump in the chopped onions and garlic, and also a can of plum tomatoes. Crush the tomatoes up before putting them into the mix. Let this sauteé for about 15 minutes, and then add the navy beans that you previously boiled and simmered for about an hour and a half. Now, get yourself a pretty deep pan, and start layering the bacon and bean mixture: bacon, beans, bacon, beans. Stuff a couple more raw garlic cloves into each layer of beans. Just eye-ball it. Cover your pan or pyrex dish (mine said "Made in France" on it, and I thought of Pepe) with foil, and stick the beans in the oven @ 375 degrees for 90 minutes. Pull off the foil, and let it bake for another 30 minutes: crisp that fucker up.

Now, this is where you fire your grill and prepare your petite sirloins: medium-rare, please.

The cucumber salad was a mixture of cucumbers (obviously), rice wine vinegar, garden chives, fresh dill, a dollop of sour cream, and a dollop of mayo.

JJ, this is going into the rotation of that place we're gonna open some day. You guys should also consider reading George Orwell, "Down and Out in Paris and London" if you haven't already.