Bean Salad, Many Ways

Makes: 4 to 8 servings

Time: 10 minutes with cooked or canned beans; 1½ to 3 hours from scratch (depending on the bean), mostly unattended

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This is a master recipe, something you can rely on forever. Though you can certainly use canned beans here, if you try this recipe once from scratch, you will be hooked. The number of servings you’ll get depends on whether you eat it as a main dish or a side. You can certainly tuck the whole thing into the fridge to eat over the course of several days. To maximize your options, you can also cook a whole batch of beans, freeze half for another use, and cut the rest of the recipe down by half. (For details about selecting, cooking, and storing dried beans, see pages 427 to 428.)

• 2 cups dried beans, split peas, or lentils, or 4 to 5 cups cooked or canned, drained but still moist
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, other good vinegar, or fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
• ¼ cup minced red onion or shallot
• Salt and pepper
• ¼ cup olive oil, or more to taste
• ¼ chopped fresh parsley

1. If you’re cooking beans to make this recipe, follow the directions on page 435, cooking until they’re just tender but before their skins split and they become mushy. The exact time will vary depending on the bean variety and the beans’ age.
2. While the beans are cooking, or if you’re using already cooked or canned beans, stir together the vinegar and onion in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir in the olive oil.
3. Drain the beans, rinse them, and drain again if they are canned. Add to the dressing, preferably while they are still hot if you cooked them yourself. Toss gently until the beans are coated with dressing, adding more vinegar or oil if you like. Let cool to room temperature and/or refrigerate, stirring once or twice to distribute the dressing. Stir in the parsley, taste and adjust the seasoning, and serve.

Bean Salad, Italian Style A little stronger: Use cannellini or cranberry beans. If you’d like a slightly milder taste, use white wine vinegar. Add 1 tablespoon minced garlic and 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary along with the onion, or if you have fresh basil and you’ll be serving the salad right away, use ¼ cup or so instead of rosemary.

Bean Salad, Indian Style If you’re cooking from dried beans, be sure to allow a little more time: Use chickpeas. Use rice vinegar, and replace the onion with 2 tablespoons minced or grated fresh ginger (or to taste). Instead of olive oil, use 2 tablespoons good-quality vegetable oil and 2 tablespoons coconut milk. Replace the parsley with cilantro.

Bean Salad, French Style Use flageolet beans. Use sherry vinegar. Use thinly sliced shallot. Instead of the parsley, stir in 2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon right before serving.

Bean Salad, Greek Style Possibly my favorite: Use dried fava or gigante beans. Use lemon juice. Add 1 tablespoon minced garlic to the vinegar along with the onion. Instead of parsley, use fresh mint.

Bean Salad, Japanese Style A teaspoon of soy sauce at the end is nice here too: Use edamame or adzuki beans. Use rice vinegar and substitute good-quality vegetable oil for the olive oil. Instead of parsley, use 2 sheets nori, toasted and crumbled (see page 244).

Bean Salad, Chinese Style The ginger changes everything: Use dried soybeans (black or white) or mung beans. Use Chinese black vinegar or rice vinegar. Instead of onion, use 1 tablespoon each minced fresh ginger and garlic. Replace olive oil with 2 tablespoons sesame oil and 2 tablespoons good-quality vegetable oil. Use soy sauce instead of salt for final seasoning and toss with ¼ cup chopped scallions instead of the parsley.

6 Simple Last-Minute Additions to Bean Salads

Depending on the ingredient, you may need more oil and vinegar or other acidic component. Here’s a simple formula: For every tablespoon oil, add a teaspoon of acidity. You will also probably want to add a bit more salt or soy sauce, pepper, and fresh herbs as well.

1. Salad greens: Toss the finished salad with 4 cups bite-sized pieces romaine, arugula, mesclun, frisée, mizuna, or tatsoi.
2. Chopped tomatoes: Spread the dressed beans out on a platter, top with the finishing herb, seaweed, or scallions (according to the recipe or variation), then top with 1 cup chopped fresh tomato. Drizzle with a little more oil and serve.
3. Chopped nuts or seeds: Stir in ½ cup. Some specific ideas: Hazelnuts with white beans in the Italian Style; almonds in the French Style; walnuts in the Greek Style; sesame seeds in the Japanese Style; and peanuts in the Chinese Style.
4. Bean sprouts: Add 1 cup mung or soy bean sprouts to either the Japanese Style or Chinese Style variation.
5. Cooked greens: For a more substantial dish, toss the finished salad with any kind of cooked hearty green like kale, cabbage, escarole, or spinach.
6. Cheese: Toss cubes of paneer or Fresh Cheese (page 568) with the Indian variation; grate or shave Parmesan cheese on the Italian Style variation; crumble blue cheese or goat cheese on the French Style; or crumble feta on the Greek Style.