Recipe: ‘Greek’ Bean Salad

It is bush bean time, and that means green, yellow wax and dragon beans are coming into peak harvest. It’s also peak summer heat and that means we all need cold side dishes to provide some balance.  This is a family favorite whereby we procure the classic Greek Salad fixings except for cucumber and tomatoes.  You can use one type of bush bean or embrace a variety.

INGREDIENTS & DIRECTIONS

  • 1 lb bush beans (green, yellow wax, dragon) – ends trimmed
  • ½ ea. red onion, sliced into thin slivers
  • 1 cup pitted Kalamata or other black olives
  • 1 cup Feta (goat, cow or sheep’s milk) (we love local Haystack Mountain’s feta)
  • ¼ cup fresh mint or dill, minced
  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil (the best EVOO you can find)
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice or white wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp fresh garlic, minced
  • To taste sea salt and black pepper

DIRECTIONS

  1. Blanch the fresh bush beans in boiling water for approximately 6 to 8 minutes or until their color turned bright and vibrant and beans are tender.  Place into a colander and rinse with cold water for one minute.
  2. Combine blanched beans with onion, olives and fresh herb of choice.
  3. Make the vinaigrette in a jar by combining olive oil, lemon juice or vinegar, garlic and salt and pepper. Shake well until emulsified. Drizzle liberally over salad ingredients until well coated.
  4. In a serving bowl, top the salad with large chunks of feta (as opposed to little tiny crumbles). Top with additional fresh minced mint or dill.  Enjoy!