Ensalada España con Fabas y Pimientos
Spaniards have some delectable culinary customs, among them “giant” beans and “giant” corn. (I found the latter — salted and roasted, no less — in a flamenco bar in Cádiz, sold in cocktail-peanut-style canisters in a mini rotating vending machine. Like most bar snacks sold in disposable canisters, they weren’t very good, but still, I could tell the idea had potential.)
There are a few varieties of oversized beans, some called “gigante” and some known by their place of origin, like the fabas asturianas (Asturian fava beans) in this salad. Unfortunately, this deliciously buttery and rich bean is tough to find in the States. (But easy to find on Spanish-food web stores like www.latienda.com.) In a pinch, you can substitute giant butter beans or the more-normal-sized-but-creamier Great White Northern beans. Either way, you’ll have very satisfying salad…or soup or stew or casserole.
For this salad, I balanced bitter arugula and a tart vinegar-based dressing against the creamy smoothness of the beans and the sweet smoothness of roasted red peppers — piquillo peppers, to be exact. (Another specialty of Spain, although roasted red peppers will also do quite nicely.) Not only is this salad very simple and easy to toss together in minutes, you can also use it as a base and add whatever else you’d like: hard-boiled eggs, tuna, grilled chicken, a salty cheese like Manchego or Stilton (or Valdeón, if you’d prefer to stick to the Spanish theme), more fresh vegetables, perhaps even crisp fruits like apple or pear.
Ensalada España con Fabas y Pimientos
(Spanish-Style Salad with Beans and Peppers)
Note: this recipe serves 2 for lunch or 4 as a side dish. Double as necessary.
Toss together:
Several handfuls arugula and/or mixed baby lettuce mix
1/2 cup roasted piquillo peppers or roasted red pepper strips
1 cup green beans, simmered for 5 minutes, then drained and cut into three pieces
1/2 cup (4 oz.) fabas asturianas or Great White Northern beans (or giant butter beans)
1/4 almonds or pine nuts (optional)
Drizzle extra-virgin olive oil onto salad, then drizzle on either sherry vinegar or balsamic vinegar to taste. (Most people prefer a 2:1 oil-to-vinegar ratio; I prefer 1:1.) Season with a few grinds of fresh peppercorn and sea salt.
Toss again and serve immediately.
Enjoy!
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Tags: fabas asturianas, green beans, roasted red peppers, salad, sherry vinegar, spanish
