Working from home can be kind of weird. You're at home and have access to all the same stuff you'll have access to for dinner - pots, pans, ingredients, meats, oils, butter, spices - but yet actually cooking a full-on lunch seems ludicrous most days. Opening a can of something and splatting it into a bowl is pretty seriously involved on most weekdays. This dish is my answer to that. I've been meaning to throw together a how-to on my favorite slap-it-together lunch and today I have. Only... of course, as always happens, I was way hungry and just scrambled through it and my pictures *blow*. Oh well, I get the point across. You can deal. Here's what we're making: tuna and white bean salad on a bed of arugula (if it's on a bed it's fancy schmancy, right?)
You'll need:
- A can of white beans
- A can of tuna
- Green onions
- Olive oil (the good stuff, if you have it)
- A lemon
- Salt and pepper
- Anchovies (optional - just one or two)
I buy all this crap at Trader Joe's because I freakin' love Trader Joe's and compulsively shop there. Also, they have really good really cheap wine, which I do not suggest starting on at 1pm on a workday.
Okay, this is where I might lose you. But if you didn't want that anchovy in your salad, you don't need this step away. But I suggest you try the anchovy. It doesn't make the salad taste fishy (the tuna will do that fine) - it just gives it a depth. Anyway, get out your fuckin' mortar and pestle and grind that little baby fish (or two) up. Then squeeze in half a lemon and a whole bunch of olive oil. Don't be shy, you're eating arugula with this.
The protein in the anchovy and the acid in the lemon will make the emulsification easy - just pestle it on up - see?
Cut up the green onion and throw that can of tuna and the beans, drained, into your big tupperware.
Then pour the whole thing from the mortar and pestle into the container. Put on the lid and shake it around. Taste - it might need more salt, pepper, lemon.
And if you're being good, you'll let it rest a good half hour in the fridge. If you're anything like me, you'll get impatient and plow through half your lunch while you're typing up a post about it. Anyway, put a whole mess of arugula (or whatever green you like) in a bowl - no dressing needed. Then add on a whole bunch of your tuna and bean salad. And then eat it. It's really filling and makes two servings so you can - again, if you're anything like me - scarf down the rest around 3pm.
What the heck do y'all entrepreneurs eat?
This was a challenging shoot, technically. I didn't bring my gear with me - just my Fuji x100 - my travel camera. It's a wonderful little camera and great for snapshots, street work and some architecture/landscape stuff. But it's challenging as a portrait lens. Everything is big in the wrong spots and 35 is not a length I generally choose for portraits. All-in-all, I'm very pleased with our little mini-session in the preserve.
The x100 has some seriously great flare.
This is my brother. We hiked through the redwoods a bit.
And then we went to the beach.
On my way down south, I stopped in at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, one of my favorite places in California.
Finally, the very awesome Ken let me stay with him in San Luis Obispo - home of the bubble gum wall.
For some reason, I didn't take many photos after I arrived in San Diego to hang with the rest of the clan. Truth is, I'm a terrible travel photographer. I end up keeping the camera in the bag the whole time. For me, it has to be a photo expedition or not - I'm very bad at the in-between "sightseeing and take some photographs" type of excursions/trips. This was about seeing my family and not checking Facebook. I accomplished both, thankyouverymuch. And now, it's back to booking, networking, processing and getting ready for 2013.
Y'all, this is my husband. He's away at the moment. I prefer when he's here.
This is a normal "tourist" photo of George and me "making like the" Statue of Liberty. I have a lot of "making like the" photos in my personal collection. George says we are going to cherish them someday. That is likely. But I'm definitely going to have to teach him about camera angle and lens choice and not making my thighs look enormous.
Then we were done with all that and caught this street show. What's really weird is that I saw the exact same show performed by different guys at Central Park the next day. I don't know if it's a franchise (a street performer franchise??) or if someone ripped off the other group... but it was the same routine - down to the same jokes! I thought that was so odd.
The next day, I had breakfast with David and Carrie.
David makes his eggs too runny.
