What is Sustainability?
It feels as if we all are caught up in a wave of never-ending work. On one hand, I personally thrive on that. On the other, it is sometimes overwhelming and makes me think, “What I am doing with my moments of free time when I’ve got meals to prep, articles to finish, recipes to test, a mound of dishes to clean, social media to post, errands to run and this feature that needs attention?”
I have no choice but to re-evaluate. And then I say to myself, “How much goes into all I do every day? Is this the nature of sustainability?”
When your job and entire life are focused on working in the kitchen, as mine are, it’s a great place to stop and focus on making small realistic changes to my lifestyle, from the food I buy to the way I cook my meals.
We can save energy and reduce our carbon footprint in many different ways, mainly by buying local and supporting our surrounding community. How do you remain sustainable and support your local community?
Working on this season’s issue of Edible, I thought I’d leave you with a little recipe that only takes 30 minutes to prepare if you have an Instant Pot or pressure cooker; or you could take a leisurely afternoon and prepare this in a slow cooker or stove top method. And I ask you to ponder: Is sustainability about balanced intentional living or instant gratification?
Ingredients
- ½ cup good-quality olive oil, divided
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- ½ teaspoon red chile flakes
- ½ teaspoon ground fennel
- 1 cup canned Italian whole tomatoes, chopped
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped fine
- 1 tablespoon white wine
- ½ teaspoon sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 cups white cannellini beans, cooked
- 16 large raw shrimp (about 1 pound), peeled, tail off and deveined
- 2 cups arugula leaves, washed and dried
- ¼ cup red onion, sliced thin
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ½ cup good-quality olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper
Preparation
Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and the garlic to the pan, followed by the red chile flakes and fennel. Sauté briefly until the garlic browns slightly. Add the chopped tomato and basil, stir briefly, then add the white wine. Season with salt and pepper, cook for 1 minute to reduce the wine, then stir in the cooked white beans to reheat.
Your beans can be store-bought, cooked in a pressure cooker or in a slow cooker.
Keep warm.
Make the vinaigrette by whizzing all the ingredients together in a blender.
To finish the dish, sauté shrimp in 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium skillet over high heat. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 1 minute, until shrimps are pink and cooked through. Once cooked, spoon the warm beans onto a platter or individual plates, drizzle with arugula vinaigrette, top with the warm shrimp and serve.
Chef’s Note: I like to remove the tail of the shrimp before cooking so you don’t have to wrangle with it when eating this dish. Leftover beans can be mashed with a fork with some fresh lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil as a side dish, or puréed into a dip for crusty bread or veggies.
