Green Bean Salad with Mint and Basil
Serves 4
This is perfect with lunch on a hot summer day – the cool, crisp string beans and bright flavors of mint and basil are incredibly refreshing, and other than boiling a pot of water, there’s no cooking involved.
Ingredients #
- ¾ lb. green beans, trimmed
- 2 tbsp. white wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic minced fine and mashed to a paste with a pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tbsp. minced fresh mint
- ½ tbsp. minced fresh Thai basil (regular sweet basil is fine too)
- ¼ cup very thinly sliced red onion
Instructions #
Place the sliced red onion in a small bowl of ice water and set aside. This removes some the raw onion’s pungency and prevents it from overwhelming the other ingredients.
In a bowl large enough to hold the finished salad, combine the vinegar, lemon juice, garlic paste and olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste and whisk vigorously until combined. Mix in the mint and basil. Taste and correct seasoning.
Bring a saucepan of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the trimmed green beans. When the water returns to a boil, remove the green beans to a large bowl filled with ice water (this instantly stops the cooking and preserves the bright green color of the beans). When they’re cool to the touch, drain them thoroughly and add them to the bowl with the vinaigrette. Drain the onions thoroughly and add them as well.
Toss everything to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 20 minutes before serving.