This filling and substantial salad is traditionally made with either fresh borlotti beans when they are in season (mid to end summer and early autumn) or dried borlotti beans, during colder months when fresh borlotti beans are no longer available to buy as a seasonal produce. To make this dish even more convenient and fast, the use of good quality tinned borlotti beans is a common practice when you want to rustle up a quick meal.

Both my paternal and maternal grandfathers would take this salad to the vegetable garden and have it for lunch there with some bread and a small glass of red wine that they always kept in the garden shed.

I am sharing here the recipe for the salad, how has always been made in my family, traditionally using borlotti beans, (fresh, dried or tinned) however, you can use other types of beans if you prefer.

Ingredients

Serves 4 as part of meal

Double the quantity of the beans if you wish to make a more substantial bean salad and serve it as a main dish for 4 people.
250g fresh or dried borlotti beans (when buying fresh borlotti beans in their pods you will need about 500g)
If using dried borlotti beans, they need to be soaked overnight in a large bowl of cold water (for at least 8 hours), then drained and rinsed and then they are ready to be cooked.
For this recipe you can also use tinned borlotti beans (one tin of borlotti beans weighing 400g will give you 250g of beans after they have been drained). If the liquid in the can is very thick, thin it out with a little bit of water and save it, as it makes integral part of the dressing.
1 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced (you can use yellow, white or red onions, shallots or spring onions)
fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
extra virgin olive oil, generous drizzle
white or red wine vinegar (you can use balsamic vinegar or other types of vinegar)
sea salt
black pepper
bay leaf (fresh or dry)

Method

Place fresh borlotti beans (previously taken out of their pods) or dried borlotti beans (previously soaked overnight) in a big pot and add plenty of cold water until about 3cm (just over an inch) from the top.

Add bay leaf and bring to boil. Turn down the heat and gently boil the beans uncovered for up to 1 hour or until tender. If using dried borlotti beans the cooking time will be slightly longer.

When the beans are cooked season with sea salt.

Drain cooked beans keeping a bit of their liquid.

Transfer the beans to a salad dish.

Add finely sliced onions, finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, black pepper and a bit of the liquid that you kept aside.

Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Enjoy warm, at room temperature or cold.

Just a thought

You can turn this simple bean salad into a more substantial meal, adding to the beans for example some tomatoes, carrots, celery, beetroot or tinned tuna, just to mention few options.

Store the bean salad in an airtight container and keep it refrigerated, it will last between 2 and 4 days.

Wine suggestion

Friuli Colli Orientali DOC “Friulano di Jacopo”2019 - Necotium