Shell Bean Salad Recipes

SHELL BEAN SALAD WITH TOMATOES, CELERY AND FETA

Steps:

• Combine the beans, onion, water, crushed garlic, bouquet garni and salt in a heavy saucepan or soup pot, and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer 45 minutes, or until the beans are tender. Taste and adjust salt. Remove and discard the onion, the bouquet garni and the garlic cloves. Drain though a strainer or colander set over a bowl.
• In a large salad bowl, combine the beans, celery, tomatoes, feta and herbs. Sprinkle the tomatoes with sea salt if desired.
• Mix together the vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper, garlic and olive oil. Toss with the salad, taste and adjust seasonings, and serve.

SHELL BEAN SALAD

Steps:

• Make the Dressing: Whisk garlic, jalapeno, bell pepper, herbs, vinegar, and salt. Add oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking until emulsified. Season with pepper.
• Make the Salad: Prepare an ice-water bath. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add cranberry beans, and cook 7 minutes. Add Italian beans and haricots verts, and cook 3 minutes. Add edamame, and cook 2 minutes more. Using a slotted spoon, transfer all the beans to the ice-water bath. Drain, and pat dry.
• Toss beans, chickpeas, tomatoes, and purslane with dressing. Season with salt and pepper, and serve with bread.

SLOW-COOKED ALBACORE AND FRESH SHELL BEAN SALAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the albacore into inch-thick slices and place them in a small ovenproof dish. Season generously with salt and pepper. Put the red pepper flakes and fennel seed in a mortar or spice mill and make a rough powder. Sprinkle over the fish. Add the garlic and rosemary. Add oil to a depth of 1/2 inch, barely covering the fish.
• Cover the dish and place in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, turn the slices over, then return to the oven for another 10 minutes. The albacore should be cooked through, but barely. Let the fish cool in its dish, uncovered. Store the fish in its cooking juices in the refrigerator for up to a week. Bring to room temperature to serve.
• To make the salad, toss the peppers, onion, pepper flakes, vinegar, garlic and olive oil in a large serving bowl. Season well with salt and pepper and stir in the basil, mint or marjoram. Add the shell beans, draining them well first, and the cooked albacore, broken into large pieces, and mix together. Serve with hard-boiled eggs, if you like.

GREEN BEAN, SHELL BEAN, AND SWEET ONION FATTOUSH

Steps:

• Prepare an ice bath. Simmer green beans in a pot of salted boiling water until crisp-tender and bright green, about 1 minute. Transfer beans to ice bath, reserving pot of water; let beans cool, then remove and pat dry. Place in a large bowl.
• Return water to a boil. Simmer shell beans until just tender, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer to ice bath; let cool, then drain and pat dry. Combine with green beans.
• Heat a grill (or grill pan) to medium. Split each pita in half. Brush both sides of pita halves with oil; season with salt and pepper. Grill pitas, turning once, until golden and crisp, about 1 minute a side. Let cool, then tear into 1-inch pieces.
• Add onion, cucumber, feta, herbs, and pita to beans; drizzle with 1/2 cup vinaigrette and toss well to combine. Season with salt and pepper; garnish with mint. Let stand at least 10 minutes and up to 1 hour before serving.

PINTO BEAN SALAD WITH ROASTED PEPPERS AND PASTA SHELLS

Steps:

• Place the beans in a large pot and cover generously with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, covered, until the beans are creamy inside, but not mushy, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Drain beans and transfer to a large bowl to cool. Cook shells in rapidly boiling salted water. When done, drain in a colander, then spread shells on a cookie sheet to allow steam to escape. Drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil. When cool, combine pasta with the pinto beans. Add peppers. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss gently to combine.
• To roast chiles and peppers: Place over a gas flame or on a tray under a broiler. Keep turning so that the skin is evenly charred, without burning and drying out the flesh. Transfer charred peppers to a plastic or paper bag, tie the top closed and allow to steam until cool to the touch, about fifteen minutes. (To speed things up, place bag in a bowl of ice water.) Peel the peppers by hand, then dip the them briefly in water to remove any blackened bits.