This simple summery salad will be perfect at your next cookout or potluck. The fresh flavors will compliment a variety of foods.
For the vinaigrette, I didn’t mess with a mortar and pestle to mash the garlic. Instead, I just smashed the garlic in a garlic press and proceeded with the recipe. Toss the salad with the dressing right before serving. Enjoy!
Green Bean Salad with Corn, Cherry Tomatoes & Basil
-recipe from Fine Cooking Magazine
If you can’t find ripe, juicy cherry tomatoes, substitute small wedges of ripe beefsteak tomatoes.
Serves six to eight.
3 cups fresh corn kernels (3 to 4 ears)
Kosher salt
1 lb. fresh green beans, trimmed and cut in half diagonally
1 small red onion, cut in half through the root end, root trimmed, and cut lengthwise into very thin slices
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup red-wine vinegar; more to taste
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 cup roughly chopped fresh basil
Freshly ground black pepper
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the corn kernels and blanch for 1 min. Scoop out the corn with a strainer; set aside. Season the water with a generous amount of salt, let it return to a boil, add the beans, and cook until just tender, about 3 min. Drain the beans and spread them on a baking sheet to cool.
Meanwhile, put the onion in a small bowl filled with ice water (which will crisp it and mellow its flavor). Using a mortar and pestle or the flat side of a chef’s knife, mash the garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt. Put the paste in a small bowl (or keep it in the mortar) and whisk in the vinegar. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes and then whisk in the olive oil.
Just before serving, drain the onions. Put the beans, corn, onions, cherry tomatoes, and basil in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and toss with the vinaigrette. Taste again and add more salt, pepper, or vinegar if needed. Serve right away.
Tip: Garlic cloves mashed to a paste add a tasty kick. I use a large granite mortar and pestle to pound the cloves to a paste, but you can also use the flat part of a chef’s knife to mash the garlic. A pinch of kosher salt helps the process along. Vinaigrettes with a bright edge tie the salad together. To stand up to vegetables—especially raw vegetables—your vinaigrette should be relatively assertive, and that means using a bright acid. Try combining fresh citrus juices and different vinegars.
Tags: basil, cherry tomatoes, cookout, corn, green bean salad, potluck, summer salads, vegetables, vinaigrette
That salad looks super Yummy! BTW, you are this week’s Blog of the Week! 🙂
I found you on Blog Mommas. This picture looks amazing, and I love the tips that you shared, especially about the garlic paste. I have a mortal and pestle, so I’ll have to give this a try! Thanks so much. 🙂