Recipe

Heirloom Snap Bean Salad

Dragon's Tongue, yellow wax and green snap beans mixed together, filling the frame

Dragon's Tongue, wax and green snap beans in a sharp 2:1 vinaigrette, with toasted almonds and torn tarragon.

Serves
4
Time
15 minutes prep, 1 minute cook

Ingredients

  • 1 lb mixed heirloom snap beans (Dragon's Tongue, yellow wax, green snap), ends trimmed
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 clove fresh garlic, microplaned
  • 1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
  • 2 tbsp fresh tarragon or mint, torn
  • Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Method

  1. Macerate the aromatics. Microplane the garlic directly into the red wine vinegar in a small bowl. Let it stand for 5 minutes, then whisk in the olive oil, salt and pepper.
  2. Flash-blanch, optional. Either serve the beans crisp and raw, or plunge them into boiling salted water for exactly 30 seconds. Shock immediately in an ice bath and dry thoroughly.
  3. Toss and garnish. Toss the dried beans in the 2:1 dressing. Transfer to a platter and top with the toasted almonds and torn tarragon or mint.
The culinary why

A 2:1 vinaigrette, not the standard 3:1. Standard dressings run 3 parts oil to 1 part acid. Fresh-picked snap beans carry natural plant starches and a sweet crunch that need a punchier ratio to cut through.

Macerating the garlic. Soaking microplaned raw garlic in acid tames its harsh sulfur compounds, and the natural emulsifiers in the garlic help bind the vinaigrette.

Thirty seconds, not four minutes. Dragon's Tongue beans carry striking purple stripes that vanish if overcooked. A 30-second flash sets the chlorophyll without breaking down the purple anthocyanin pigment.

From the garden

It might just be ptsd, but we went ahead and covered our tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash and cucumbers ahead of these 48 degree nights. I know you are probably thinking, does not frost form at 32 degrees or below? And you are correct.

But most of those temperature readings you get from the news or on your favorite weather app are taken at 6ft above the ground, and the temperatures can get much cooler right at the ground level, sometimes even 10 degrees cooler. The farm is also located at the bottom of a valley, in a little bit of a frost pocket. The temperature at the farm is consistently 6 degrees cooler than the temperature in downtown Travelers Rest. So that 48 degree low could be 42 at the farm, and could end up being 32 or below right at the ground level.

I am not so naive as to be tricked by 80 degree days in March, but I am crazy enough to gamble on early summer veg.

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