TOMATO SALAD WITH RED BEANS

Tomato Salad With Red Beans image

This colorful tomato salad is bulked up with red or pink beans. But it's not a bean salad with tomatoes; it's a tomato salad with beans. I added celery to the mix for its crunchy texture, which is nice against both the juicy tomatoes and the soft beans, and because I love its herbal, crisp and refreshing flavor.

Provided by Martha Rose Shulman

Categories easy, quick, salads and dressings

Time 10m

Yield 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 11

Ingredients

2 pounds ripe sweet tomatoes, preferably a combination of red, green and yellow heirlooms
Fleur de sel or coarse sea salt
1 1/2 cups cooked red or pink beans (1 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed)
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1 small garlic clove, puréed in a mortar and pestle or put through a press
2 ounces crumbled feta (about 1/2 cup), plus additional for garnish
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, plus additional for garnish
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 to 4 cups baby arugula (optional)
12 barley rusks or 12 small but fairly thick slices toasted whole wheat country bread

Steps:

Cut tomatoes into wedges. If tomatoes are very large, cut wedges in half across the middle. In a large bowl, toss tomatoes with salt, beans, celery, garlic, feta, mint, vinegar and olive oil. Mixture will become quite juicy quickly if tomatoes are ripe.
Line a platter or plates with arugula and arrange rusks or toasted bread on top. Use 2 pieces of bread per serving. Top with tomatoes and juices. Garnish with additional feta and mint, and serve.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 166, UnsaturatedFat 8 grams, Carbohydrate 18 grams, Fat 10 grams, Fiber 5 grams, Protein 4 grams, SaturatedFat 1 gram, Sodium 666 milligrams, Sugar 8 grams