Quarantine Bean Salad
What to make with all those beans?
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I know I am not the only person who stocked up on dry beans during our long, scary fifteen months of staying home. I have always loved beans and find myself eating more and more of them as I try to eat less meat. Beans, with their “meaty” quality, can satisfy on their own without any animal products added. During the many months of cooking three meals a day, I often cooked beans a pound at a time, creating a flavorful bean broth that could then be used as a base for soup, chili, or baked beans. If I didn’t need them all, I would just freeze what’s left, right in the broth, which works beautifully. That would save me from having to cook them again from scratch.
Rancho Gordo is a company based in Napa, California which grows an amazing variety of heirloom beans. Their website is a great resource for bean-cooking information and recipes, in addition to being a great place to order beans. When the pandemic hit, they were overwhelmed with orders, one of which was mine. I waited patiently for my order to arrive, which I think took more than a month. I heard they had their best year ever in the worst year ever. I used up most of that first order, and then restocked when some of their most sought-after varieties became available again, about a year later. As a result of all this bean ordering, I have quite a few in my back closet, which I turned into the storeroom I never needed before. They are on a shelf right next to the once-coveted wipes that I never really needed at all.
They are absolutely ideal to bring to a potluck, as they go with almost anything else — and they won’t blow away on a windy beach like a leafy salad, and I am serious about this.
Luckily, all those beans still have about two years left before they expire. Now that it’s summer, I plan to make a lot of bean salads, starting with this week’s recipe. What I love about a bean salad is that it gets better as it sits, even for a few days in the fridge. They are absolutely ideal to bring to a potluck, as they go with almost anything else — and they won’t blow away on a windy beach like a leafy salad, and I am serious about this. They are a great vegetarian option on any spread. They are also infinitely adaptable; you can use what you have in the fridge to jazz them up. Don’t feel too beholden to the exact recipe here. Even though these flavors and colors are harmonious, feel free to change it up. Just try not to add anything that won’t hold up to marinating for a few days. Cherry tomatoes are the one thing I like to add that slightly breaks this rule, since they aren’t always wonderful after being refrigerated, but I like how their juice dilutes the dressing a bit, adding a little acidity.
After I made this salad the other night, it became our dinner, which we enjoyed al fresco on a beautiful evening. I had some grilled swordfish left over from a shoot, which I sliced, and a yellow bell pepper I had roasted directly on the burner of the stove (also shoot leftovers). I had considered adding the peppers right to the salad but left them on the side. We had it all on one plate and it made a fine room temperature meal. I plan to mix some canned tuna into it for lunch today.
If you are not a person who cooks dried beans, can I try to convince you to try it? Canned beans are convenient, and I use them sometimes, especially chickpeas, but most canned beans are a bit mushy, especially if you want to add them to something where they will cook a little longer. And the flavor is just never going to come close to a fresh bean. Not to mention the wide variety of beans you can find dry compared to the standard few you can find in a can. Today’s recipe uses Corona beans — kind of an unfortunate name for a bean right now, I know — which are huge and “meaty”. My husband and I have been joking about this supposed compliment given to foods that are not meat, but I think you get my drift. Giant Scarlet Runners are another favorite for salads.
I rarely know the day before that I am going to cook beans, so I almost always use the quick-soak method. I do believe in soaking, even though it is not absolutely necessary, because it does make it easier, in most cases, to cook the beans evenly and more quickly. Legend has it that one of the more unpleasant side effects of beans goes down the drain with the soaking water — another plus.
To quick-soak beans, simply cover them with about four inches of water in a large, deep saucepan, bring to a strong boil for about a minute, and then let them sit, uncovered, for about an hour. It’s fine to let them sit longer if you are doing other things. Then drain them, rinse them, and return them to the same pot, this time with some aromatics and salt, and cook them gently, stirring from time to time until they are tender, or almost tender. They will cook a bit more as they cool in the liquid, and this is an important step. Don’t drain beans until they are cool! If you try to drain cooked beans right after cooking, the skins will peel in an unattractive way. If you are an instant pot devotee, you can certainly cook them that way too, but I find they get a bit creamy in the instant pot, which is great for chili and soup, but maybe not ideal for salad beans where you want them to stay firm and separate. I prefer to stir and keep an eye on them as they cook.
Now that I have given you my sales pitch on dry beans, I want to say that you can absolutely use canned beans to make this salad, and anything else calling for beans. As for canned beans, I can recommend large white butter beans for salads. Cannellini or chickpeas, or even a mix, are a good choice too!
So, whether you have a surplus of dried beans or canned beans leftover from lockdown, or you are ready to place your first order with Rancho Gordo, this salad is a great way to get started using them up!
I’ll be sending out a recipe for another summery side (Grilled Smashed Potatoes!)to my paid subscribers on Sunday morning! Sign up below if you’re interested:
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Quarantine Bean Salad
Click here for a printable version
Makes a lot
This is a big batch of bean salad, perfect for a potluck or to leave in the fridge for several days to add to lunches or dinners. If you are using canned beans, you can halve the recipe, since it would take 4 cans to equal a pound of cooked dried beans. Garlic scapes are plentiful right now, but if you can’t find them, or are making this when they are out of season, use a few scallions and half a clove of garlic in their place. I found some beautiful pink celery, which I threw in, but regular celery is fine.
For the dressing:
4 garlic scapes, roughly chopped (¼ cup)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ cup Italian parsley leaves, lightly packed
8 tablespoons olive oil
Pinch of sugar
For the salad:
6 cups cooked beans (see instructions below)
1 cup Castelvetrano olives, pitted and torn in half
1½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
8 ounces fennel, sliced (2 cups)
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
1-2 fresno chilies, sliced
1½ ounces shaved Parmesan,
Fresh herbs to finish, such as chives, parsley, basil, celery leaves
In a mini food processor, blend all of the dressing ingredients until smooth.
In a large bowl, combine the dressing with the beans, olives, tomatoes, fennel, celery, and chilies. Top with parmesan and herbs.
To cook dried beans:
Cover 1 pound of dried beans with at least 4 inches of water in a large saucepan. Bring to a strong boil, turn off and let sit for at least 1 hour. Drain, rinse, and put the beans back in the same pot, and cover with at least 3 inches of water. Add 1 stalk of celery, ½ an onion with the base of the roots intact, 2 cloves of garlic, ½ teaspoon of salt, and bring to a strong boil. Stir and simmer over low heat until tender (time will vary depending on the type of bean you have, but these large corona beans took 1 hour and 15 minutes). Let the beans cool in their liquid until just warm, then drain and rinse them before adding to the salad, saving the broth for soup if desired. Yields 6 cups cooked beans.