Fresh Multi-Bean Salad with Charred Red Onion

It's the ideal time to make a multibean salad, a fresh from-scratch rendition of the three-can all-American standby. I grew up on the canned version, but aside from a certain nostalgia for it, the fresh approach always seems far preferable

Here, the green beans are briefly cooked, combined with tender shell beans and tossed in a sharp vinaigrette that sets off their sweetness. To make a simple summer meal, you need add only hard-cooked eggs and a few slices of prosciutto or some grilled chicken.

For this bean salad, I add charred red onion and toasted marjoram, but the recipe is really just a template. A handful of chopped mint and dill is just as good. The possibilities for improvisation are endless.

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE

• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

FOR THE SALAD

• 1 pound fresh shelling beans (fava beans, butterbeans or cranberry beans)
• 1/2 pound small green beans
• 1/2 pound romano beans
• 1/2 pound small yellow wax beans
• 1 medium red onion, in 1/4-inch slices
• A few sprigs fresh marjoram or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley.

PREPARATION

1. To make the vinaigrette, stir together vinegar, mustard and garlic in small bowl. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper, then whisk in olive oil. Taste for seasoning, then set aside.
2. Shuck and cook the fresh shelling beans. If using fava beans, blanch in boiling water for 1 minute, then rinse in cool water. Peel the outer skin from each bean and set aside. If using butterbeans or cranberry beans, simmer in lightly salted water to cover. They should be tender in about 30 minutes. Let shelling beans cool in their cooking water. (May be cooked ahead.)
3. Cook the green beans, romano beans and wax beans separately. Simmer each type in lightly salted water for 3 to 5 minutes, until just tender. Spread them out on plates to cool to room temperature.
4. Heat a dry cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Lay onion slices in the skillet and let them char and soften slightly on one side, about 5 minutes. Turn and char the other side. Set aside to cool. Toast marjoram on the hot skillet until it chars slightly, about one minute, then remove. (You may char the onions and marjoram on an outdoor grill or under the broiler.)
5. To assemble the salad, drain the shell beans (reserve liquid for another purpose) and put them in a large serving bowl. Add cooked green beans and charred onions. Season with salt and pepper. Add vinaigrette and toss well. Crumble marjoram and sprinkle over salad. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

By DAVID TANIS, August 24, 2012

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