In the Moosewood Cookbook, there’s a recipe called Just White Beans, described as a bean dish without a bunch of little chopped up vegetables singing backup. Because of that, whenever I make a bean salad with chopped vegetables, I think of them as singing backup. I like lots of little chopped up vegetables singing backup. I also like the juxtaposition of raw pieces of vegetable and tender beans. This salad looks best if all the ingredients are cut about the same size as the beans. Don’t be alarmed by the amount of dill in this recipe. Well, you may not be able to not be alarmed, but try not to be alarmed.
Beans:
2 c. dry white beans, soaked, drained, and rinsed
olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
freshly ground pepper
Sauté onion in olive oil until almost translucent. Add garlic. Sauté for a minute or two. Dump in beans and add water to cover plus one inch. Add pepper. Cook until tender but not broken-down, about 15 minutes under pressure in a pressure cooker. Remove from heat and drain.
Backup:
1 medium red onion, chopped
6 ribs celery, chopped about the same size as the white beans
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. fresh dill, minced
4 T. red wine vinegar
2 T. olive oil
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
plenty of salt
more freshly ground pepper
Place all backup ingredients in a large bowl. Add beans and toss gently to combine. Season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.
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