Tuscan Bean Salad

I took an Intro to Culinary Arts class at the local college as a chance to learn some new techniques and spend some quiet saturday mornings with an old dear friend of mine.  The class was a lot of fun and I ended up learning many techniques I use daily.  Like how not to chop off my fingers when dicing vegetables (I only had one near miss while practicing).  But the best thing I took away from that class was this recipe for a Tuscan bean salad.  It is so tasty, looks beautiful and quite simple.  Add a french stick and you have an easy weekday meal in no time.  Don't be intimidated by the long list of ingredients, it is really just a lot of chopping for prep and a chance to practice your knife skills.  If you forget to soak the beans overnight, which I often do, you can always substitute canned beans rinsed thoroughly.

For the salad

4 oz. proscuitto

2 Roma tomatoes, cut in quarters lengthwise, seeded and julienne

4 oz. Asiago cheese, grated

1/2 green pepper julienne

1/2 red pepper, julienne

1/2 yellow pepper, julienne

1/2 red onion, julienne

1 clove garlic

1-2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1/2 lemon, juiced

2 sun-dried black olives

2 sprigs fresh oregano, chiffonade*

1/2 bunch fresh basil, chiffonade*

3 sprigs flat parsley, chiffonade*

Chop the garlic and sprinkle with Kosher salt.  Pull flat side of knife back and forth over the garlic and salt to form a paste.  In a large bowl, mix together the oil, vinegar, lemon juice and garlic. Toss in the herbs, peppers, tomatoes, onions and cheese and marinate approximately 30 minutes.  Add cooled beans to vegetable mixture and adjust seasoning and dressing to taste. Top with prosciutto and serve.

For the beans

6 oz. navy beans, white 

stems of basil, parsley and oregano

1 bay leaf

2 white peppercorns, cracked with the bottom of a pot

1 pc. clove

Soak the beans overnight in enough water to cover by 2 inches.  when ready to cook, drain the beans and rinse well.  Prepare sachet using cheese cloth with the stems of the herbs, bay leaf, peppercorns and clove.  Tie closed with cooking twine.

Place beans in pot with enough water to cover by 1 inch.  Add sachet and a pinch of salt to soften the water.  Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer until the beans are tender, approximately 35 minutes.  Drain and spread out on baking tray to cool.