Old Hollywood Kitchen: Eleanor Powell

One of my goals in exploring these vintage recipes is to find successes that will become mainstays in my kitchen. I'm so enamored with today's recipe that I've already prepared it several times since my initial test...

Eleanor Powell's Beef and Beans (Cantonese Style)

1 lb. flank steak

2 1/2 lbs. string beans

3 large onions

1 bottle soy sauce

1/2 lb. lard or olive oil (olive oil is preferable here)

Salt and pepper to taste

The recipe as written yields 4 hearty portions, but I cut the recipe in half. It can take a while to trim down the green beans (in the full recipe I used about 2 lbs. of beans instead of 2 1/2), but you can save time by sauteing the beans and onions together; cooking them separately creates excess liquid and is an altogether unnecessary step. I also use garlic salt or garlic powder to season the beef, complementing the richness of the olive oil and soy sauce beautifully.

In Eleanor Powell's own words, "this dish is crisp and tender and served with steamed rice and tea makes a delicious and different dinner", and it certainly fits the bill of the "strength giving food" she she sought out. The green beans soak up the flavor nicely, and the steamed rice makes it lighter than your typical stir fry. Best of all, the leftovers are just as satisfying as when freshly cooked. Highly, highly recommended.

The only downside of this recipe is that it doesn't impart any of Powell's great dancing ability (oh, I wish!). However, you can't go wrong with any of her films if you want to see her skills on display. My pick this time around is Broadway Melody of 1940, her only collaboration (sadly) with Fred Astaire. Powell and Astaire are as perfectly matched as the beef and beans, a fine pairing for dinner and a movie.