October 2, 2012 Borlotti and Green Bean Salad

It was six thirty p.m., not even a half hour before the sun would set on this unusually warm early autumn evening. Some of the streaks in the evening sky were almost the same shade of hot pink as the mottled shells of the Borlotti beans I went down to the garden to pick. What I didn’t expect when I went to pick the Borlottis was that some of the second crop of green bush beans Joe planted in August were ready to pick as well. To the visible eye the bush bean plants seemed to have a lot of flowers, but no beans. When I reached my hand down into the plants I found they were full of mature beans, ready for picking.
Borlottis are a shelling bean, grown primarily for the seed inside. They are one of the many Italian seed varieties that we have grown for the past two summers.   Green bush and pole beans and yellow wax beans however are grown for their pods. The inedible but colorful pods of the Borlotti beans  add visual interest to the garden, climbing up the trellis, in this case a salvaged frame from an old garden gazebo. The shelled beans are ivory in color with maroon speckles. When cooked they lose their spots and turn a light tan color.
Hailed as a nutritional “superfood” by some doctors and nutritionists, dried beans are an important part of a healthy diet. They are high in antioxidants, fiber, protein and many vitamins. Borlotti beans, also known as cranberry or French horticultural beans, have a nutty flavor and a meaty texture that makes them a delicious addition to soups, stews and salads. Green beans may not be the nutritional powerhouse that shell beans are, but they are low in calories, and a good source of fiber and vitamins A and C. Plus their neutral flavor is appealing to almost everyone. Fresh shelling beans require about twenty to thirty minutes of simmering, not the hours of soaking and cooking that dried beans do.  I decided to combine the borlotti beans and the green beans in a salad along with the last of the garden tomatoes, some garlic, a shallot, fresh herbs and a simple vinaigrette. My two bean salad was the perfect accompaniment for the roasted salmon we had for dinner.

Two Bean Salad

Makes four cups

• 1/2lb green beans, washed and trimmed
• 1c freshly hulled cranberry beans
• 1-2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
• 1 minced clove garlic
• 1 minced small shallot
• 1/4c flat leafed parsley
• 1T Cabernet wine vinegar (or any good quality red wine vinegar)
• 1t dijon mustard
• 2T extra virgin olive oil
• 1T or more walnut oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Bring two large pots of lightly salted water to a boil. Add green beans to one pot, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, beans should be tender, not falling apart.  Drain green beans in a colander, then transfer beans to a large bowl.
2.  In the second pot, add the Borlotti beans, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 25-30 minutes, until beans are soft, not mushy. In both cases, test an individual bean for doneness. Drain Borlotti beans in a colander and rinse with cool water.
3. While the Borlotti beans are cooking, make the vinaigrette. Whisk together the red wine vinegar, dijon mustard and olive oil.
4. Add the warm Borlotti beans to the green beans. Add the garlic, shallot and the tomatoes to the bowl, toss the ingredients. Add vinaigrette to taste. Toss salad again and add about a teaspoon or more of walnut oil to the salad. Add chopped parsley and season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Garnish with miniature basil leaves.