Beans on toast!

The mystery ingredient in last week’s CSA box was borlotti beans.
Borlotti beans
Other names: cranberry bean, borlotto, crab eye, roman, romano, rosecoco, saluggia beans, burlotti OR barlotti (misspelling).
A dappled white and red bean related to the kidney and pinto beans. This is a common bean in Italy where it is used for soups and with pasta. Use in any recipe that calls for kidney or pinto beans.(From GourmetSleuth.com)

I cook legumes a lot but I’ve never tried a fresh from the shell bean before. They are incredibly creamy. I passed up the suggestion to make a bean stew and tried out a recipe for “Posh Beans on Toast”.

Tuna & White Bean Salad

Adapted from Eating Well’s Tuna and White Bean Salad

Normally I would just link directly to the website, but I have some adaptations. This is also part of a series of “things you can mix together in one pot” I am doing for my brother who is on a diet of frozen pizzas.

This is so quick and easy to make that I eat this salad all the time. There is enough for leftovers the next day. You can eat it over greens, I sometimes stuff it into a pita and eat it that way. Their recipe has red onions, I find them a bit too strong raw so I use scallions or chives instead. This salad can be adapated any way you want (maybe a different vinaigrette instead of just olive oil and lemon, I’ve tried red wine vinegar and it works well) but one thing I’ve notice is you will always need the parsley and basil or it just does not taste the same.

Here is what I did:

• 2 C White Beans
• Tuna, (Rio Mare in Olive oil)

In a pinch, chunk tuna in a can can work but you will need to add olive oil. If you use the tuna in olive oil, don’t drain out the olive oil, use it for the salad.

• Cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1 clove Garlic, minced (omit if you want)
• A bunch of scallions or chives, chopped
• A handful of Parsley, Chopped
• A smaller handful of Basil, cut in a chiffonade
• Lemon juice (usually 1/2 to one whole lemon) to taste
• Olive Oil, as needed
• Salt and Pepper to taste.

Directions: Mix this all together and adjust the seasonings, maybe more lemon juice, or more s&p.