Judias Verde (Green Bean) Salad with Homemade Vinaigrette
I love this salad recipe because its complexity of flavor is bright and light, yet rich and playful all at once. The hot paprika, navel oranges, and Marcona almonds drizzled with the tart and sweet homemade sherry vinaigrette will bring your tastebuds straight to the Spanish countryside. What’s not to love about that?
You can serve this easy-to-make salad on its own as an extraordinary lunch, or as a perfect earlier course ahead of the turkey Milanese (recipe above).
Serves four
Ingredients
For the salad
1 lb haricot vert (green beans), blanched
2 navel oranges, segmented
6 oz dried, pitted dates, sliced
4 oz roasted Marcona almonds (3 oz whole, 1 oz chopped)
6 oz. Sherry Shallot Vinaigrette (recipe below)
"Pimenton el Angel" Spanish hot paprika, to garnish
4 oz chopped flat leaf parsley
2 whole fresh shallots, sliced thin
For the vinaigrette
2 shallots brunoise
1/2 bunch fresh thyme, finely chopped
2 tbs whole grain mustard
1 cup Sherry vinegar
1 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbs honey
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
Note: Prepare vinaigrette ahead of the salad. You will need the completed dressing during the salad-making process.
Prepare the salad
Blanch the haricot vert. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a rapid boil. Add green beans one handful at a time for roughly 30 seconds, transferring them to a salted ice/water bath after cooking. Allow beans to cool thoroughly in water, and pat dry once removed.
Add oranges, dates, whole Marcona almonds, some fresh shallot and parsley to a medium steel mixing bowl.
In a saucepan big enough to hold your desired serving of green beans, heat vinaigrette over medium heat until simmering.
Add green beans to saucepan and toss over heat two-to-three times, or for a period of roughly 15 seconds to warm through, then quickly transfer to your mixing bowl full of garnish.
Incorporate all ingredients thoroughly, and adjust salt to taste.
Transfer to serving dishes and garnish with warm vinaigrette, chopped almonds and hot paprika, and enjoy.
Prepare the vinaigrette
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Whisk thoroughly.
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