marinated beans on toast

Adapted from “Marinated Mixed Beans” by Amiel Stanek for Bon Appetit

Ready in 15 minutes

Serves 2-3 people

Ingredients

• 1 shallot or ¼ of a large red onion
• 3 TABLEspoons red wine vinegar
• ½ bunch of parsley, approx ½ cup
• 2 TABLEspoons olive oil
• 1 can of white beans (navy, cannellini, etc)
• Salt
• Pepper
• Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
• Bread of choice, to serve
• Creamy cheese of choice: cream cheese, ricotta, chèvre, burrata, etc, to serve

Directions

Click on each bullet point to expand more detailed instructions.

Dice shallot. Cover with vinegar and let sit for at least 8 minutes. Chop parsley. Mix with olive oil in medium bowl.

1. Peel shallot and dice finely (or finely-ish). Place diced shallot in a small bowl or jar.
2. Add the vinegar to the bowl or jar. Try to make sure that all of the shallot is in contact with vinegar.
3. Place shallots in refrigerator. Let the shallots soak (~macerate~) in the vinegar for at least 8 minutes, which is about how long the next couple steps will take you.
4. Finely (or finely-ish) chop parsley leaves and the tender part of stems. Place in medium bowl. Drizzle olive oil over the parsley and stir to coat all leaves in oil.

Drain and rinse beans. Add beans and seasonings to parsley and oil. Stir, then add shallot mixture and stir again. Place in refrigerator until ready to serve.

1. In a small sieve or colander, drain beans and rinse with water.
2. Add beans, a generous pinch of salt, a few grinds of pepper, and red pepper flakes (if using) to parsley and oil.
3. Pour macerated shallots and their vinegar into the bean mixture. Stir to combine.
4. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed.

To serve: Toast bread of choice, slather with cheese of choice, and heap a generous scoop of marinated beans on top. Enjoy!

How To’s

1. How to make this clean up easier:
   • Make the bean mixture in the container that you intend to use for storing leftovers
   • As usual, if you’re a confident cook, go ahead and eyeball the quantities for the vinegar, parsley, and olive oil
   • If you are VERY confident in your gross motor skills, you may SOMETIMES be able to drain the can of beans using its own lid rather than a colander. But be CAREFUL those lids are SHARP and they don’t drain as well. Can you tell I don’t recommend this method? I don’t recommend this method
2. How to use this best:
   • Make a double batch to keep in the refrigerator all week, for an easy quick meal or if you procrastinated eating too long and just need to take a bite of something that will give you energy
   • Since all of the ingredients in this salad are okay at room temp for a couple of hours, it’s a great packed lunch for work, picnics, and other short-term fridgeless activities
   • Feel free to experiment with the basic structure – sub in different beans, different seasonings, different acids (vinegars, lemon or lime juice), different tender herbs (mint, cilantro, basil), et cetera
   • The original recipe includes bell peppers, but this version uses the ingredients I always have on hand (canned beans, onion, parsley, pantry basics), making it a pantry meal for me. That said, you could add 1 cup of any fridge-hardy vegetable (the peppers Stanek recommends, radish, tomatoes, broccoli, English cucumber, etc) and double the shallot/vinegar/parsley/olive oil to bulk it up

love you stay fed!