CANNELLINI BEAN SALAD WITH SHAVED SPRING VEGETABLES

Cannellini Bean Salad With Shaved Spring Vegetables image

Like pasta, cannellini beans are a good staple to have on hand in a city kitchen pantry, and an hour of gentle simmering is usually all it takes. Obviously, they take a little advance planning. You can't hurry a pot of beans, but you can cook them the day or even the morning before you need them. This a good habit to get into, as a small batch of freshly cooked beans is well worth the little effort it takes to get them cooked. (And by all means, use a real stovetop if you have one.) Don't cave and go the canned-bean route - save those for emergencies or camping trips.

Provided by David Tanis

Categories dinner, easy, quick, salads and dressings

Time 30m

Yield 4 to 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 17

Ingredients

3 tablespoons lemon juice, or as needed
Finely grated zest of half a lemon
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seed
4 to 6 anchovy fillets, rinsed and chopped
Salt
pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cups cooked cannellini beans, drained
Salt
pepper
Pinch red pepper flakes
6 to 8 large, fat asparagus spears, snapped and peeled
6 radishes
1 small fennel bulb, trimmed
1 small sweet spring onion, or a few scallions, finely chopped
Chopped parsley, basil or dill, for garnish

Steps:

To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients. Adjust lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.
To assemble the salad, place the beans in a large bowl. Pour half the vinaigrette over the beans and toss lightly. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.
Using a sharp mandolin - and a hand guard - carefully slice the asparagus spears lengthwise to about the thickness of a penny. Slice the radishes and fennel to the same thickness. Lay the shaved vegetables and chopped onion or scallions in a shallow bowl. Season with salt and pepper, and dress them very lightly with a few spoonfuls of vinaigrette, turning gently to coat.
Spoon the beans onto a serving platter or individual plates, then cover the beans with the shaved vegetables. Add a little more vinaigrette over the top. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, basil or dill.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 268, UnsaturatedFat 15 grams, Carbohydrate 19 grams, Fat 19 grams, Fiber 5 grams, Protein 8 grams, SaturatedFat 3 grams, Sodium 331 milligrams, Sugar 2 grams, TransFat 0 grams