Seven Bean Salad

(22)
Servings:
6

Martha says this is the ultimate version of seven-bean salad, and she's right. The hardest part of this simple recipe might be finding seven varieties of beans, but the diversity is important—each type brings a different flavor and consistency to the salad. The beans are mixed with red onion, celery, and fresh parsley, and dressed with olive oil and red-wine vinegar; shavings of Parmigiano are added to each portion for serving. Chef Cesare Casella shared his recipe with Martha on her Cooking School TV show.

Ingredients

  • cup red onion, finely minced

  • Red wine vinegar, for marinating, plus more for dressing

  • ¼ cup each of 7 different varieties of dried beans, such as chickpeas, snowcap, scarlet runner, kidney, cranberry, appaloosa, and calypso, cooked

  • ¼ cup celery, finely minced

  • ¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

  • Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

  • Shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving

Directions

  1. Place red onion in a small bowl with enough red wine vinegar to cover. Let marinate for one hour.

  2. In a medium bowl, combine beans, celery, and parsley. Drain onion and add to bean mixture.

  3. Drizzle with olive oil and enough vinegar to taste. Season with salt and pepper. Toss until well combined. Salad may be eaten immediately or refrigerated up to a day.

  4. Just before serving, shave thin slices of Parmigiano over each portion.

    martha-cooking-school-legumes-basic-beans-seven-bean-salad-cs2013.jpg
    David E. Steele
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