Green Bean and Tomato Salad with Pine Nut Dressing
Serves 4
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 lb. green beans trimmed
- Kosher salt to taste
- ½ cup blanched and peeled fava beans optional
- 8 oz cherry tomatoes halved
- ¼ of a large white onion thinly sliced and rinsed under cold water
- ¼ cup torn fresh basil leaves plus more for garnish
Dressing
- ½ tsp whole black peppercorns
- 3 tbsp toasted pine nuts
- 1 small clove of garlic finely grated
- 1 anchovy filet finely chopped
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ½ tsp granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp chili flakes more to taste (I like up to 1/2 tsp if I want it spicy!)
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar plus more to taste
- Kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Prepare a large ice bath. Set aside.
- Season the boiling water heavily with salt and add in the green beans. Boil until the beans are just tender, 5-7 minutes.
- Immediately transfer the green beans to the ice bath to shock. Once completely cool, remove the beans from the water and cut them in half. Dry completely and set aside.
- Add black pepper to a mortar and pestle or spice grinder and grind to a coarse powder. Add in pine nuts and crush slightly into a coarse crumble.
- Add the pine nut and black pepper mixture to a small saute pan along with the garlic, anchovy, and olive oil.
- Place the pan over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly until the garlic has browned, the anchovy has melted and everything is nice and bubbly, 1-2 minutes.
- Transfer the hot oil mixture to a small heat-proof bowl. Let the oil cool for about 5 minutes, just until it is no longer super hot. Stir in the sugar and chili flakes. Let cool to room temperature.
- Whisk in the vinegar until emulsified and season with more salt if needed.
- Add the reserved green beans, fava beans if using, tomatoes, onions, and basil to a large bowl. Pour in the cooled dressing and toss to combine. Season with more salt and/or vinegar if needed and garnish with more fresh torn basil.
Video
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