Thursday, August 12, 2010

White Bean, Green Bean And Red Bell Pepper Salad

My wife and I are fond of those bacon wrapped sirloin fillets from Costco.  We grilled a couple more of them the other day and for a change of pace we served them with fresh tomatoes with basil and EVOO and this fun and easy bean salad. The recipe comes from Bon Appetit's "The Weekday Cook"
  • 1/3 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 2 inch lengths
  • 1 red bell pepper, cut into 2 inch long strips
  • 1 15 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons EVOO
  • 1/2 teaspoon orange peel
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon-optional (we didn't add this)
  • Salt and ground pepper
Cook the green beans in salted water until crisp-tender. Drain.Refresh under cold water. Combine with pepper and cannellini beans in a medium bowl.

Whisk the mustard and vinegar together in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in the oil. Mix in the orange peel and tarragon.  Mix into salad.  Taste and adjust seasoning.




We followed the recipe except we were low on red pepper so I alsoadded some green pepper to complete the dish.  Also, I messed around with the dressing ingredients a bit: I added more mustard and a bit more EVOO.

Finally, I used frozen green beans, which I cooked in the microwave.  That saved some time.

This was a dish that had a nice zip to it from the vinegar plus a broader flavor from the mustard.  It was a nice combination of textures between the two style of beans and the pepper.  This is not the best thing I have ever had, but it was really good and easy and we will definitely make it again.


1 comment:

  1. I saw your question on CL about using wontons to make ravioli. Wanted to caution you to be sure to press all of the air out of the packets when sealing them, or they'll come open when cooking. You'll find this an easy thing to make. Have fun trying different fillings - I like ricotta & cooked Italian sausage.
    Martha in KS

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