Two Bean Corn n Tomato Salad

As a chef I love the explosion of specialty food shops over the last twenty years. Within that explosion are oil and vinegar  shops scattered throughout the US. Back in 1999 my wife and I went to Austria on vacation and visited Vienna for a couple of days. At an open air market we had a good conversation with a local who was working the vinegar shop at the market and educated us on the old world’s vinegars. She related that she had lived in the US for a few years and most Americans don’t have a clue about quality vinegar. She sold me two different types of high quality vinegars that I experimented with for happily over a year.

Now days us foodies are so lucky to be able to find oil and vinegar shops in abundance. My wife and I took a day trip to Bethesda last week and discovered Secolari Atrisan oils and vinegars. The big difference between them and others is they are not a franchise. The owner and his wife take trips to California where all of their olive oils come from. They hand pick anything that goes in their store, but before it goes on the shelf they both have to agree it is worthy. If one of them doesn’t like the selection, out it goes. Tasting is free and encouraged in their shop and I tasted many vinegars and a few oils.

I came home with a Blackberry Vinegar and an Ancho Pepper Vinegar to play with. Since I had just gone to my favorite local farm in Kingsville yesterday and bought five pounds of green beans and six ears of bi-colored corn I knew what I was going to do. I cooked up the corn and ate three for dinner reserving the rest for a salad the next day. I steamed the green beans the next morning and chilled them in ice water. Now the stage was set for a perfect summer salad. I picked basil and jalapeño peppers from my garden and put it all together in the recipe below.

Here’s the important point I want to make. If you plan ahead and cook extra items you are already cooking for dinner then the next day’s food preparation can be a breeze. By cooking the corn and beans the night before you have part of the makings of this salad for the next day and it will take less than ten minutes to make the salad. This is a fast, easy, and healthy salad that just about anyone can make so give it a try and see what you think. Please share with friends and family and leave a comment on this recipe.

time to eat

Two Bean Salad with fresh Corn and Tomato

1 cup green beans, see note

1 1/2 cup cooked corn cut from the cob

1 can kidney beans, see note

3 sliced jalapeños, about 1/3 cup, or use diced green bell peppers

1 medium sized fresh tomato diced

1/2 cup sliced fresh basil, about 1/2 package

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

2-3 tablespoons white wine vinegar, see note

salt to taste, about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon

To make this easy plan ahead and have steamed green beans the night before and cook extra, but take the beans for your salad out of the pot and chill in ice water then drain and refrigerate over night.

For the corn it’s pretty much the same thing. You cook an extra two ears and chill it in ice water. Cut it off the cob and refrigerate over night.

Rinse and drain kidney beans and put in a medium-large bowl.

Dice tomato and add to mixing bowl.

Slice jalapeños or dice bell peppers and add to bowl.

Dice tomato and add to bowl.

Add oil, vinegar and salt and mix gently.

If serving soon add basil otherwise wait until just before serving to add basil. They helps basil retain its green color instead of turning black.

Note:

Fresh or frozen green beans will work.

Chill your can of kidney beans the night before.

I used Secolari’s, (an oil and vinegar shop in Bethesda, MD) Ancho Pepper vinegar, but white wine or champagne vinegar will work also.