Two Bean Herb Salad Recipes

LEMONY TWO-BEAN SALAD

Steps:

• Sprinkle 1/2 sliced lemon with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and set aside. Cook 12 ounces green beans (trimmed) in boiling salted water until crisp-tender, 5 minutes; drain and rinse. Saute 2 smashed garlic cloves in olive oil over medium heat, 3 minutes. Add one 15-ounce can cannellini beans (drained and rinsed), the green beans and a pinch of red pepper flakes; cook 2 minutes. Pat the lemon slices dry; chop and add to the beans along with some chopped parsley. Season with salt.

TWO BEAN SALAD

Steps:

• Whisk together the oil, vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Add the beans, parsley, celery, scallions and red onions and stir until well combined. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature.

RED BEAN SALAD WITH WALNUTS AND FRESH HERBS

Steps:

• Place the beans in a bowl and toss with the celery and herbs. Season with salt and pepper.
• If using the red onion, soak the onion in cold water for 5 minutes, then drain, rinse and drain again on paper towels. Add to the beans.
• In a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic with a generous pinch of salt and the red pepper flakes or the Aleppo pepper. Add the walnuts and grind together until the walnuts are coarsely ground but still have some texture. Toss with the beans.
• Whisk together the pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk in the oils, toss with the beans, and let marinate 30 minutes. Serve.

TWO-BEAN SALAD

Steps:

• Whisk together vinegar, oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.
• Cook green beans in a 3- to 4-quart saucepan of boiling salted water 2 minutes, then add shallot and cook until beans are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes more. Drain in a colander and plunge into a large bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking. Drain well, then add to dressing in bowl along with cannellini beans and toss well.

TWO-BEAN AND TUNA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a medium-size pot of water to a boil and add salt to taste. Blanch green beans for 4 minutes (5 minutes if beans are thick), until just tender. Transfer to a bowl of cold water and drain. (Alternatively, steam beans for 4 to 5 minutes). Cut or break beans in half if very long.
• Meanwhile, place sliced onion, if using, in a bowl and cover with cold water. Soak 5 minutes. Drain, rinse and drain again on paper towels.
• Drain tuna and place in a salad bowl. Break up with a fork. Add cooked dried beans, green beans, onion and herbs. Toss together.
• In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together vinegar, salt, garlic, mustard and bean broth. Whisk in olive oil. Toss with tuna and bean mixture, and serve.

HERBED BEAN SALAD

Steps:

• Soak onion in cold water, 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk Dijon and vinegar in a bowl. Slowly whisk in oil until combined. Drain onion and dry well. Stir into dressing along with beans and herbs; season with salt and pepper. Let sit 15 to 20 minutes or refrigerate in an airtight container up to 5 days. Serve as a side, over meat and fish, on toasted rustic bread, or mixed into greens.

TURKISH BEAN AND HERB SALAD

Steps:

• Combine the beans and their soaking water with the two crushed garlic cloves, the halved yellow onion and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer one hour. Add salt to taste, and continue to simmer until tender but intact, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat. Discard the onion halves, garlic cloves and bay leaf, and carefully drain the beans through a colander or strainer set over a bowl.
• Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes in half across the equator. Set a strainer over a bowl, and squeeze out the seeds from the tomatoes into the strainer. Rub the gelatinous seed sacs against the strainer to extract the juice, and discard the seeds. Grate the tomatoes against the large holes of a box grater set in a wide bowl, and discard the skins. Add the juice from the strained seeds to the grated tomatoes, and stir together.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large, heavy casserole or Dutch oven over medium heat, and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until very soft but not browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt and the garlic, and continue to cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Stir in the sugar, half the tomatoes and half the herbs. Reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring often, until the mixture has cooked down to a fragrant sauce, about 15 minutes. Stir in the beans, 1/2 cup of broth and the remaining tomatoes. Cover and simmer for another 25 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat, stir in the remaining herbs and olive oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and allow to cool. Stir in the lemon juice if desired, and serve with lemon wedges. If the beans seem dry, add more of the bean broth to taste.