Fresh and colorful, this salad is a far cry from the concoction made with canned green beans and pinto beans. Wax beans are a yellow version of the snap bean. They remain pale yellow once cooked and are a nice color contrast to the green beans and red tomatoes.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4 to 6

　　3/4 pound wax beans, trimmed

　　3/4 pound haricots verts or slender green beans, trimmed

　　1/2 pint grape, teardrop, or pear tomatoes, halved

　　2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

　　Juice of 2 lemons

　　2 shallots, finely chopped

　　1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

　　Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

Prepare an ice-water bath by filling a large bowl with ice and water. Line a plate with paper towels.

　　

Step 2

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the wax beans and cook until just tender, about 3 minutes. Add the haricots verts and cook until both beans are tender, an additional 3 to 5 minutes.

　　

Step 3

Drain well in a colander, then set the colander with beans in the ice-water bath (to set the color and stop the cooking), making sure the beans are submerged. Once chilled, transfer the beans to the prepared plate.

　　

Step 4

To assemble the salad, combine the beans, tomatoes, and mint in a large bowl. Set aside.

　　

Step 5

To prepare the dressing, whisk the lemon juice, shallots, and olive oil together in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

　　

Step 6

Just before serving, drizzle a little of the dressing over the bean mixture. (Do not combine ahead, as the beans will discolor from the acid in the vinaigrette.) Toss to coat, adding more dressing if needed. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

　　

blanching

Step 7

Blanching is a cooking term for parboiling, lightly cooking ingredients in boiling water just until tender—usually vegetables. The ingredients are then refreshed under ice-cold water, which is known as shocking, and drained. Shocking stops the cooking and helps set the color. Blanching and shocking help vegetables keep their texture and color and also remove bitterness.

　　From Bon Appétit, Y’all: Recipes and Stories From Three Generations of Southern Cooking, © 2008 by Virginia Willis. Reprinted by permission of Ten Speed Press. Buy the full book from Amazon or Abe Books.