115-oz canwhite cannellini beansdrained and rinsed
2Tbspolive oil
4tspsherry vinegar
1clovegarlicfinely minced
½tspsalt
2tspfresh herbs, chopped – or use ½ tsp dried
1pinchfreshly ground black pepper
1Tbspchopped fresh parsley
up to 1 cupvegetables of your choiceslivered or chopepd
Instructions
First, roast the pepper
Heat the broiler, and put the pepper on a rimmed quarter sheet pan and broil, turning occasionally, until charred on all sides: 8-10 minutes. Alternatively, you could char the peppers on a grill. Set the peppers aside until they are cool enough to handle.
Mix the salad
In a medium bowl, combine the drained beans. When the peppers are cool enough to handle, break them open over the beans and let the pepper juices run out. Pull the cores and seeds from the peppers, remove all the charred skin, and then cut the peppers into strips or chop them roughly.
Mince garlic with the ½ teaspoon salt and any fresh herbs you wish to use. If you don't have fresh herbs, dried will work: for this day, I used ½ teaspoon oregano. Add this to the beans in the bowl, and then drizzle oil and vinegar over everything. If you have a lemon half around the kitchen, give it a squeeze; fresh lemon juice is excellent here. Add the salt, pepper, and chopped parsley. Toss it well to combine everything.
Now's the time to add some crunch and tasty interest. You'll want up to one cup of vegetable add-ins. In this version, I slivered two little salad (hakurei) turnips, and sliced some fresh fennel root. You might consider: thinly sliced celery, radishes, or red onion. Add the vegetables to the bowl, and stir it thoroughly to combine.
Marinate
While you could serve the salad immediately, it's better after marinating for an hour or two.
Keep the salad in the refrigerator, covered tightly, for 4-5 days.