This week’s edition of Cook the Book goes to…Cool Beans by Joe Yonan.
I have loved every recipe that I’ve tried so far (so expect to see this cookbook on my blog again), but I must first begin with the Three Bean Salad. I’m obsessed with this bean salad. And when I say that I’m obsessed, I mean that I’ve been known to pull the bowl out of the fridge at various times of the day just to sneak a few bites. It has so many things I love: beans, green beans, vinegar, garlic. It’s great when you first make it, but it’s even better leftover. I only wish I had this recipe when I was pregnant, for I would have almost certainly devoured it daily during my most intense vinegar-craving phase.
I’m not going to post the full recipe here, because I don’t see a link online and I would much rather you get it from the cookbook. I am going to list a few changes I’ve made.
My changes:
He roasts yellow wax beans. I haven’t been able to get my hands on yellow wax beans, and for whatever reason, green beans are one of the only vegetables I don’t love roasted. Instead I boil my green beans until tender (about 5 – 7 minutes).
The dressing is perfect. It may sound like a lot of vinegar, but that vinegar is what makes it so good. I do sometimes use less sugar (one tablespoon instead of two).
The recipe is best with green beans, but they don’t always look great in the middle of winter, and I can’t just eat this during the summer months. I have found that arugula is a wonderful, though quite different, substitute.
The feta is truly optional. In the above photos, I dumped a bunch of feta in, but I’ve made it without feta and loved it just as much. (Also, please note that the recipe calls for parsley, which I didn’t have when photographing this salad. Use it, if you have it!)
I hope you love this recipe (and the cookbook) as much as I do! Enjoy!
