Ingredients

7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

　　1/4 cup finely diced onion

　　1 teaspoon minced garlic

　　2 teaspoons thyme leaves

　　2 cups fresh lima beans (from 2 pounds in the pod)

　　2 tablespoons finely diced shallots

　　2 tablespoons lemon juice

　　2 tablespoons sliced opal basil

　　2 tablespoons sliced flat-leaf parsley

　　Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

To cook the lima beans: Heat a medium saucepan over high heat for 1 minute. Swirl in 2 tablespoons olive oil, and add the onion, garlic, and thyme. Sauté over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the beans, and cook a few minutes, stirring often to coat the beans with the onion and oil. Season with salt and pepper, and add enough water to cover the beans by a few inches. Simmer 5 to 7 minutes, until the beans are just tender. Cool and store the beans in the cooking liquid.

　　

Step 2

To make the salad: Combine the shallots, lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Let sit 5 minutes. Whisk in 5 tablespoons olive oil. Drain the cooled beans well and toss them with this vinaigrette and a pinch of salt and pepper. Taste for seasoning and stir in the herbs.

　　Sunday Suppers at Lucques[by Suzanne Goin with Teri Gelber. Copyright © 2005 by Suzanne Goin. Published by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved..Suzanne Goin graduated from Brown University. She was named Best Creative Chef by Boston magazine in 1994, one of the Best New Chefs by Food & Wine in 1999, and was nominated for a James Beard Award in 2003, 2004, and 2005. She and her business partner, Caroline Styne, also run the restaurant A.O.C. in Los Angeles, where Goin lives with her husband, David Lentz.Teri Gelber is a food writer and public-radio producer living in Los Angeles.](http://astore.amazon.com/epistore-20/detail/1400042151)