Fresh Bean and Tuna SaladFagioli con Tonno

P Makes 6 to 8 servings

In Tuscany, where this hearty salad is a summer favorite, the beans used are

fresh borlotti, creamy white beans beautifully speckled with red that come in

pods equally streaked with ivory and maroon. Borlotti and similar beans are

dried on the pods, then threshed and stored for winter, but in August, before the

tender beans have dried, they are shucked and cooked up quickly.The colors dis-

appear when the beans are cooked, alas, but the flavor more than makes up for

the loss.

But you don’t need to wait for fresh shell beans—dried beans will do just as

well, as long as they’re thoroughly soaked and cooked at a very slow temperature

so they don’t burst in cooking.

Serve this salad Tuscan style, as part of an antipasto, or as a first course for an

important meal, or, perhaps accompanied by a fresh tomato or green salad, as a

light main course for lunch or supper.

Tuna is the traditional garnish nowadays but salted anchovies or sardines were

once used, and Florentines, in an extravagant gesture that recalls their Medicean

past, sometimes serve this humble country salad with a healthy dollop of beluga

caviar to replace the tuna.

Depending on the size of the beans, you will need 2 to 3 pounds of beans in

the pod to get 2 cups of shucked beans.

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil,add the beans to the pot with the bay leaves orsage, and cook until the beans are tender but stillfirm and not falling apart—about 15 to 20minutes, depending on the size and age of thebeans. Drain thoroughly, discarding the aromatics,and transfer to a bowl.

Immediately dress the warm beans with the oil andvinegar.Add salt to taste and plenty of blackpepper. Mix well, adjusting the seasoning.

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2 cups shelled (shucked)fresh beans

2 bay leaves or 1 sage sprig

3 tablespoons extra-virginolive oil

1 tablespoon red winevinegar

sea salt and freshly groundblack pepper

1 6-ounce can best-qualitytuna, preferably packed inolive oil

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Drain the tuna of its oil and flake the tuna fleshinto the bean salad.Add the capers and parsley.Tossto mix well and strew the red onion slices over thetop.Arrange on a platter and serve immediately,while the beans are still warm, or let cool to roomtemperature. Do not refrigerate.

Variation using dried beans:The trick with driedbeans is not to overcook them.Soak 1 cup of driedbeans (borlotti,white cannellini, or Maine beans suchas Jacob’s cattle or soldier beans) overnight. It willexpand to make 2 cups.Drain the beans and putthem in a pot with fresh cool unsalted water to coverto a depth of 1 inch.Bring to a boil over mediumheat, then lower the heat so the beans just barelysimmer until done—about 45 minutes to 1 hour, buttime depends on the size and age of the beans.Whenthe beans are tender but not falling apart, drain themthoroughly and transfer to a bowl.Dress and seasonas above while the beans are still warm.

Lentil and Green Olive SaladP Makes 6 servings

Lentils make a delightful salad, especially in late winter or early

spring,when the first bitter greens and young onions are sprouting.Dressed

with the finest dark green olive oil and a spritz of lemon juice, lentils have an

earthy sweetness that offsets the assertive flavors of early greens and turns them

into a protein-rich first course or a main course when accompanied by good

crusty bread and a wedge of cheese.

Pick the lentils over carefully to get rid of anysmall stones or pieces of grit. Rinse them underrunning water. Place in a saucepan over mediumheat with about 3 cups of water.Add one of theonions, a garlic clove, the bay leaf, and salt andpepper and bring to a boil.When the water is

T H E S M A L L D I S H E S O F T H E M E D I T E R R A N E A N b 79

1 tablespoon salted capers,soaked and dried

2 tablespoons finely mincedflat-leaf parsley

1 medium red onion, veryfinely sliced

1⁄2 pound brown or greenlentils

1 small onion, peeled

1 garlic clove, peeled

1 bay leaf

[cont. next page]

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boiling, turn it down, cover the lentils, and simmerfor about 30 minutes—or until the lentils arethoroughly cooked and tender. (Time varies evenmore than with other legumes, depending on theage of the lentils.)

When the lentils are done, drain them, discardingthe cooking vegetables, and mix while still warmwith the olives, red peppers, olive oil, and lemonjuice.Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.Serve piled on a bed of bitter greens. Garnish withthe julienne strips of lemon and minced parsley.

Lentil and Walnut SaladP Makes about 4 cups; 4 to 6 servings

Unlike other beans and pulses, lentils need not be soaked before cook-

ing.The lentils commonly used in Mediterranean kitchens are quite small

and dark slate-brown or grayish green in color. Do not use Indian dal-type

lentils for these dishes, because those are meant to disintegrate into a porridge

when cooked.

Combine the lentils with the water and bring to aboil.Turn the heat down to medium-low, cover thepan tightly, and simmer for about 20 minutes oruntil the lentils are cooked through but still firmenough to hold their shape.

When the lentils are done, remove from the heat,drain, and place in a bowl along with the scallions,red pepper, parsley, and walnuts.

In a separate small bowl, combine the mustard withthe vinegar, beating in a little at a time until themixture is thoroughly blended. Gradually beat in

80 b T H E N E W M E D I T E R R A N E A N D I E T C O O K B O O K

sea salt and freshly groundblack pepper

1 cup pitted imported greenolives, coarsely chopped

1 sweet red pepper, cut intolong thin strips

1⁄3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons fresh lemonjuice

bitter greens such as arugula,chicory, frisée, radicchio, ortender dandelions

zest of 1⁄2 lemon, cut into finejulienne strips

1 tablespoon minced flat-leafparsley

1 cup green or brown lentils,picked over and washed

2 cups water

3⁄4 cup chopped scallion

1 sweet red pepper, diced

1⁄2 cup finely chopped flat-leafparsley

1⁄2 cup coarsely choppedwalnuts

1⁄2 teaspoon dry mustard or 1heaped teaspoon Dijonmustard

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the olive oil. Pour the dressing over the lentils andtoss to mix thoroughly.Add salt and black pepperand serve simply as is or on a bed of bitter greenssuch as arugula, chicory, or dandelion greens.

Tunisian Beet Salad with HarissaP Makes 6 to 8 servings

B ig round beets are roasted in Tunisian ovens until tender, then peeled,

diced, and mixed with scallions, parsley, and garlic and dressed with oil and

vinegar laced with a little peppery harissa. Oven roasting produces an altogether

different texture from boiling and brings out the delicate sweetness of the veg-

etable. In Greece, beets roasted like this are often served with a thick garlicky

sauce called skordalia (page 273).

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Oil the bottom ofa roasting pan and use a little oil to rub over thecarefully rinsed and dried beets. Place the beets inthe pan and roast in the oven for 21⁄2 to 3 hours oruntil very tender. Remove and, when they are coolenough to handle, slip the skins off and cut thebeets into cubes.

Toss the beets in a bowl with the scallion, parsley,and garlic. Dissolve the harissa in the vinegar, thenbeat in the olive oil. Pour the dressing over thebeets.Taste for seasoning and add a little salt ifnecessary.

T H E S M A L L D I S H E S O F T H E M E D I T E R R A N E A N b 81

2 to 3 tablespoons red winevinegar, to taste

1⁄3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

sea salt and freshly groundblack pepper

a little extra-virgin olive oil

6 large beets, about 4 or 5inches in diameter

1⁄2 cup chopped scallion

1⁄4 cup finely minced flat-leafparsley

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon harissa (page 279)or 1⁄2 teaspoon hot red pepperflakes or to taste

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons extra-virginolive oil

sea salt

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