Canned testimony

An excellent Italian cook sent me a recipe recently for a Marinated Vegetable Medley.  I love recipes and enjoy reading them to see what creative twist of ingredients it contains.  Salivating is a good sign the recipe may be worth trying.

I read the Marinated Vegetable Medley and my mouth did not water.  Canned veggies dominated the recipe.  The dressing was simply vegetable oil, wine vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper.  Nothing special there.  I would ordinarily have tucked the recipe into the salad section of my collected recipes binder except for one thing:  my daughter had testified to the wonderfulness of this recipe, going so far as to say she ate it for lunch five days in a row.  That’s a strong testimony. 

I re-read the recipe and confirmed the boring listing of veggies and dressing and decided to give it a try despite its ordinary appearance, banking mostly on the strength of my daughter’s favorable review.  It was put together in about the time it takes to open 8 cans.  The dressing cooks quickly.  I placed it in the fridge to marinate overnight. 

One taste, and I called the recipe sender immediately.  It was incredible!  Once again, I learn the lesson never to judge something upon appearances alone.  The second lesson:  one favorable testimony has the power to change one’s action and direction for the good.

Marinated Vegetable Medley

1 16 oz. can early garden peas

1 12 oz. can shoepeg corn

2 1 lb. cans French green beans

1 large onion, chopped

1 cup finely chopped celery

1 1 lb. can Lima beans (baby preferred)

1 2 oz. jar chopped pimento

½ cup vegetable oil

½ cup wine vinegar

¾ cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

cayenne pepper to taste.

Drain canned vegetables.  In a large bowl, mix drained vegetables with onion, celery and pimento.  In a saucepan, combine oil, wine vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper and bring to a boil.  Pour dressing over vegetables and marinate in refrigerator overnight.

Marinated vegetables will keep in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

 Notes:  I prepared this recipe with Splenda instead of sugar, and once with black beans instead of Lima beans.  I usually double the amount of pimento.