Bean salads are an essential part of any recipe file and are great for summer picnic salads since they are often dressed with dairy-free vinaigrettes. I like to mix up my own vinaigrettes, usually tasting and estimating until I get a flavor I like. In his new book, Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking, Michael Ruhlman explains how to use ratios to create everyday dishes. The standard ratio for vinaigrettes is three parts oil to one part acid, though it can vary depending on whether you choose a citrus juice or vinegar. Citrus juices tend to be very acidic and need some extra oil to balance the flavor, but generally vinegars work well with this three to one ratio. For this vinaigrette, I used one part white balsamic vinegar to three parts extra virgin olive oil.
Some of the herbs in our garden have gone to flower, looking rather scraggly and in need of pruning, and I used some of the trimmings in this salad. Parsley is a biennial, flowering in its second year, and the leaves often turn bitter after that, so it’s time for me to plant some more parsley.
This is my contribution to Grow Your Own, a blogging event that celebrates the dishes we create from foods we’ve grown, raised, foraged, or hunted ourselves. Zora of Gardenopolis is our host for this round, so be sure to visit her blog for more information about submitting your post. Summer is here and we’re back to doing Grow Your Own twice a month, so posts are due to Zora by June 15. If you are new to the event, you can read more about the rules for participating at the Grow Your Own page.
CANNELLINI BEAN SALAD WITH WHITE BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE
Serves 4 to 6.
Equipment
small bowl or cruet
medium bowl
Ingredients
VINAIGRETTE
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar or white wine vinegar
6 ounces extra virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
SALAD
2 (15-ounce/439 g) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed well
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon fresh oregano
1 teaspoon fresh lemon thyme
2 thin slices red onion, cut in half
2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
Preparation
1. Whisk together the white balsamic vinegar, olive oil, black pepper, and sea salt.
2. Toss the beans and vinaigrette in the medium bowl, then add the parsley, oregano, lemon thyme, onion slices, and feta cheese. Serve immediately or chill an hour or two before serving.
Variations
Use dry beans: Rinse 1 cup dry beans until clean. Cover with water and soak overnight. Drain, then add fresh water to cover. Cook over medium heat until the beans are tender, 1 to 2 hours. Drain and cool.
Add fresh halved cherry or grape tomatoes when in season.
References
The Big Book of Herbs, by Arthur O. Tucker and Thomas Debaggio
Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking, by Michael Ruhlman
Other Salad Recipes
More Bean Salad Recipes From Around the Blogs
101 Cookbooks – Curried Bean Salad
Kalyn’s Kitchen – Green Bean Salad with Hearts of Palm
Looks really good! I like all the herbs and the idea of using feta cheese in a salad like this.
Kalyns last blog post..Recipe for Feta Cheese and Avocado Mini-Frittata for Two
Like the new banner and title of your blog. Well done!
Lydia (The Perfect Pantry)s last blog post..White whole wheat flour (Recipe: carrot cake cupcakes with lemon frosting)
Question – in the ingredient list you say to use white balsamic or white wine vinegar, but in the preparations, you say champagne vinegar. Just curious about this?
Cannelini beans are my favorite of beans, not to mention I think they are the prettiest. I love the combo of herbs in this dish, and especially the feta is great!
Christina@DeglazeMes last blog post..Pizza!!
Thanks for catching that typo, I corrected the instructions.
Looks great! I have this book on my wishlist, and try to cook beans at least once a week.
Natashyas last blog post..Tyler’s Chicken Parmesan
This sounds delicious, healthy and satisfying. I like the new look of your blog!
So this is how I will use the left over cannellini beans in my fridge tonight!