green bean and cherry tomato salad
As soon as the weather gets sweeter outside, I lose all interest in make any elaborate effort in the kitchen. It’s not that I don’t want to make dinner; a girl cannot live on tapas and cocktails at sidewalk restaurants alone, though lord knows I have tried. In the end, I just don’t want to fuss, and with all of the bright, seasonal produce slowly trickling into the markets, there’s no reason to. That’s the real secret of super-fresh food: you don’t need to do a lot to it to make it grand.
I can’t recommend Alice Water’s Chez Panisse Vegetables enough to help you along your way. I mentioned it last month in conjunction with the Pasta with Cauliflower, Walnuts and Feta, but I wasn’t even close to done with it. The preparations are for the most part quite simple, yet every single recipe I’ve tried has embodied a little something-something that I hadn’t done before. I keep it tucked in my desk drawer at work, and feel confident that on that magical day I get to the Greenmarket during lunch, I can get back to the office, look up whatever I grabbed, and be able to cobble together a great dish that is no great time burden, just from the vegetable and some pantry staples.
Of course, this hasn’t happened yet. And, I’m really jumping the gun on both the string beans and the cherry tomatoes here, but they actually looked fantastic at the Gristedes this week and I decided to run with it. I’m glad I did. It allowed me to use the remaining hours of daylight as I wished, taking the long way home, soaking up every speck of sun while it is still mild and the humidity low. I didn’t have to choose between having a simple, healthful dinner and enjoying the weather. Heck, nobody should have to.
One year ago: Barley and Corn Salad with Haricot Vert (I’m always amused to find that the same things were on my mind–green beans–on the same day the year before!)
Green Bean and Cherry Tomato Salad
Adapted from Chez Panisse Vegetables
This does make a bit of dressing–more than we usually use on a salad–so only use the amount you feel comfortable. We ended up piling this on top of torn Bibb lettuce leaves, and it couldn’t have been more delicious. And quick.
Serves 6
1 pound green beans
1 pound cherry tomatoes (Sweet 100, Sungold or Green Grape are what Waters recommends)
1 large shallot
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Optional: basil or other herb
Top and tail the beans, and parboil them in salted water until tender (I find four minutes to be just right for green beans, especially when they will continue cooking for a minute on the towel). Drain and immediately spread them out to cool. (The beans retain more flavor if you avoid shocking them in cold water.) Stem the cherry tomatoes and cut them in half. These steps can be done in advance.
For the vinaigrette, peel and dice the shallot fine and put it in a bowl with the vinegar and salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil. Taste and adjust the balance with more vinegar, oil, or slat, as needed. Toss the cherry tomatoes in with the vinaigrette; this can sit for a while. Do not add the green beans (I decided at the last minute to halve them) until just before serving or they will discolor from the acid in the vinaigrette. For variety, the salad can be garnished with basil or some other fresh herb such as parsley, chervil or hyssop.
Note: You can very this salad by adding cooked fresh shell beans to the mixture of green beans and cherry tomatoes. We sometimes make a more complicated, composed salad, adding boiled lobster. A concentrated reduction is made from the lobster shells, aromatic vegetables and white wine, then whisked into a Champagne vinaigrette to dress the beans, lobster, and tomatoes.
Sounds yummy!
Umm…shouldn’t that read “you can vary”? :)
One year for Thanksgiving, my mom tried out all new recipes. Mix things up away from the traditional family holiday staples. And the results were sort of disappointing. The stuffing wasn’t the same, the rolls were blah. Only one dish turned out fantastic and this was it! And we all use it again and again. And it’s always such a pretty part of any meal.
very good vegetables can make a wonderful meal . I love that salad, it’s one of my favourites :)
I love this! it’s like a fresh take on the Lebanese staple Lubiyeh (essentially almost caramelized onions cooked with diced tomatoes and green beans, cooled and served with pita)
I love simple salads like this. I just bookmarked it. I made a similarly easy salad yesterday, but mine came from lots of cans of beans that I had in the pantry. I almost bought tomatoes to put in it but they were still kind of pricey.
You just have to love spring. I was so excited to see the first cherries of the season come into the farmers market today. Your salad looks beautiful.
I’m going to have make a small batch of this since the other half thinks raw tomatoes are evil. But, this dish looks delightful and fresh.
Wow, how colourful! This salad looks so healthy and delicious. Great combination.
Oh, this looks fantastic! I’ll have to try this when the veggies are ready.
OH! Beautiful photos-Welcome spring! Looks fresh and delicious.
unfortunately i detest tomatoes. i know. but it’s a very lovely looking and colorful salad!
I think this looks like a perfect combination of flavors. This is just the sort of thing I love to eat when the fresh tomatoes are in season.
It all started with you…I entered the food blog world with Smitten Kitchen and I have gathered an enormous list of friends/RSSs since then. However, when I travel for pleasure over several days & return home, I have a LONG list of feeds! They are all enjoyable in their own way and I have YOU to thank.
Yes, thanks… Judy
Such a pretty and fresh looking dish! The perfect thing for warmer weather. I make something similar to this, except I also add some boiled new potatoes too. You can do so much with it!
That salad is so simple and gorgeous, the kind of thing I would love to eat every day. sigh. I can’t wait for summer produce.
Not too complicated and perfect for this time of the year. Almost seems like it’d be perfect for Christmas dinner as well…
- The Peanut Butter Boy
As always, the photos are beautiful. It’s so fresh for spring and will be a treat for some of my summer guests.
Beautiful salad. I love the simplicity of dishes like this - perfect for the warmer weather.
looks delish and will be a perfect company for those soon to be grill evenings.
i’m always interested in a new vegetarian coobkook … but your alice water’s amazon link isn’t working :(
btw, do you use natural light for all your photos? just curious :)
this looks beautiful! i love the bright colors of fresh veggies. i’ve been cooking a lot more fresh, vegetarian dishes with the hope of summer on the way.
I have a few of Alice Water books as I have been a fan of hers for decades. I love her simplicity and the manner in which she cooks and talks about food.
She could make a piece of toast memorable.
Your photos are quite lovely btw, always enjoy them.
The book link is working for me… anyone else having this problem?
I use natural light when we can, and a Speedlite flash in the evening. Believe it or not, these were taken with flash. I think. I’m actually forgetting now, and the pictures are not cluing me in! There’s much more about our equipment and process over here.
This dish is Gorgeous with a capital G! Those cherry tomatoes steal the show. **making the mental note to add this to the “make soon” list**
What a beautiful salad! The vibrant colors just woke me up. Now I can’t wait for spring/summer produce!
Those tomatoes look absolutely delicious! I would have paired them with climbing beans instead of haricots verts, but I’m sure the they tasted just as wonderful. :]
Those colors are so vibrant and gorgeous.
I am a HUGE green bean enthusiast, and, these look just delectable.
Kudos.
Hmmm, spring in a bowl. I was so thinking this salad would be perfection with a little shellfish and then you offered up the lobster. Maine is a little closer for you then it is for me (Tampa, FL) so I may opt for some freshly caught Diver scallops come the summer.
Whoa, that close up picture is ridiculously delicious looking. Yum!!
MMmmmm. Boy does that look good. I wish I ordered that for lunch instead of the pizza I just shoved down my “mildly” hungover throat. Have a great weekend toots!
Yum, this looks so refreshing. And I hear you on wanting to be more outside and less kitchen-bound. Have a wonderful vacation!! Eat lots of good stuff.
I could eat this type of salad every single day and never get bored with it. I’m so happy the weather is changing and the salads are replacing the heavy stews. Yayyy!!!!
mmm, your tomatoes look amazing! I love it when something so simple is found so pleasing.
link is working now, thanks, was prolly just me. and thanks for the info on the speedlight flash!
What a stunning color combination. I love the cherry tomatoes and the bright green color of the green beans! Very nice!
Wow that is pretty!
“That’s the real secret of super-fresh food: you don’t need to do a lot to it to make it grand.”
Nicely put!
that’s interesting news about the tomato-shocking. Any idea why the flavor would diminish with the cold-water bath?
Wow, this really makes me want to eat my veggies! It’s certainly the perfect salad to welcome spring!
this was oh so yummy, but I felt like it was missing a little something…..so, I added 2 cloves of minced garlic and it was just what I needed
I used balsamic instead of red wine vinegar and added shelled edamame. It was delicious! Thanks for inspiring me with these gorgeous photos!
“a girl cannot live on tapas and cocktails at sidewalk restaurants alone”
hilarious! this salad looks so good
i recently discovered your very beautiful blog. i know the recipes are delicious, and as an artist i find your photography very inspiring- you have such a great eye for color and composition! thanks!
It’s so exciting isn’t it? I really REALLY needed the fresh spring/summer ingredients to start arriving - for my own sanity! We even have some sun here in London today (big treat). I picked up some Jersey tomatoes the other day too, which saved me waiting for mainland toms and gave me a a taste of summer. Beautiful!
I’ve done something like this sometimes but in a warm version… never tried it cold, so I’ll have to try it out! I used tomato preserve (from my aunts) instead of the fresh tomatoes, and “fried” the tomatos together with the chalotte and pre-boiled green beans.
Thanks for the ideas and for your great blog and pictures!
I make a similiar green bean salad, with lemon and taragon, this one sounds equally divine! It could use some small fresh mozzarella!!!! I cann’t wait for the farmers markets to begin in Boston.
Believe it or not, if you get tired of this as a salad just throw in a pan and cook it. I’m Greek Orthodox, and we cook this all the time to go with dinners at our festivals. Don’t use the vinegar, use oregano instead of basil and use minced garlic instead of shallots. Most people really love them. You can also substitute lima beans for the green beans. Good even at room temperature.
Yum! So easy and tastes like heaven. Served tonite with marinated grilled steak. Perfect!
Deelicious! A similar variation is my go-to summer BBQ dish, I just add a little feta for some tasty goodness.
I’m so glad I found your blog! This salad looks beautiful! I actually made a variation of it quite frequently a couple years ago. Only difference….I used lemon juice instead of red wine vinegar. Love your website! I’m trying your lemon bars tonight!