SERVES 6
This salad is so vibrant and beautiful at the height of the summer. Bright green and yellow beans, juicy cherry tomatoes, and lots of fresh herbs make this salad the highlight of any table or beach picnic. When we make this salad at CRU, we use a variety of dried or fresh beans in addition to the chickpeas—lima, fava, or butter beans are great additions, not to mention all the pretty speckled beans like the cranberry, cowboy beans, black-eyed, and yellow-eyed peas. Any combination works perfectly with this salad. Canned beans work perfectly well in this gorgeous salad.
INGREDIENTS
Kosher salt
1 pound green beans or wax beans (or a combination), trimmed
½ red onion, thinly sliced
⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
1½ cups cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 cup bacon lardons, cooked and drained
1 cup cooked chickpeas
1 cup cooked cranberry beans or red kidney beans
1 cup mixed chopped fresh herbs (such as dill, basil, and flat-leaf parsley)
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Have a bowl of ice water ready to chill the beans after they’ve been blanched. Add the string beans to the boiling water and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until they are just tender. Immediately transfer them to the ice water. Once chilled, remove them from the water and set aside on towels to dry.
In a large bowl, combine the onion with the vinegar, mustard, 1 teaspoon salt, and honey. Allow the sliced onions to sit in the vinaigrette for five minutes. Then add the remaining ingredients. Toss together gently and serve.