Green beans and tomato salad
In late summer the garden yields buckets of beans some of which end up in green beans and tomato salad with a creamy cheese dressing.
With high yielding plants mine green beans you really have to be inventive to get through the harvest before the end of the season. That’s how I discovered this green beans and tomato salad. By blending a few beans with the cheese, the dressing becomes extra creamy. Tiny flecks of speck that can be substituted with pancetta or mild bacon add umami and salt to the salad bowl. And the inimitable, mild and tasty Tropea onion provides a fresh acidity and helps to balance the flavours.
Ingredients
250 g green beans
250 g cherry tomatoes
50 g speck (pancetta or bacon can be used instead.
½ Tropea onion (or ordinary red onion)
50g grated parmesan
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
Salt to taste
Preparation
Nip the beans and boil them in salted water for 4-5 minutes.
Leave a handful of beans in the boiling water and drain the rest. Make sure to rinse the cooked beans in cold water immediately after they have been taken from the heat. This stops the cooking and helps to preserve the brilliant green colour.
Blend the rest of the beans with grated Parmesan, olive oil and vinegar to a creamy dressing.
Pour the dressing over the drained cold beans and mix well.
Dice the speck finely and fry it in a little olive oil.
Cut the Tropea onion in tiny cubes.
Wash the tomatoes and cut them in halves.
Mix tomatoes, diced speck and onion with the green beans and the salad is ready to be served.
Green beans and tomato salad is a great accompaniment to fried or grilled meat, or you can serve it as a starter.
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