Believe it or not, the original name for this dish wasn’t actually Grub Salad. That’s just what Becky calls it because she decided the white beans look like garden grubs. Especially when mixed in with garden cherry tomatoes, fresh oregano, and fresh parsley. And the name has stuck. Besides, Tomato and Feta White Bean Salad has too many syllables for everyday use.
For at least
the past year, I’ve been making a conscientious effort to incorporate more dry
beans into our diet, and I’ve made some slow progress. It’s difficult, because an awful lot of the
bean recipes out there look a little too
healthy. Scary healthy. Like they’re gonna taste like garbage. Stuff that even the dogs wouldn’t touch.
So when I came across the recipe for Grub Salad, I was a bit nervous about trying it. The individual ingredients all looked fine, but how would they all play together in a salad?
Well, let’s
just say it’s amazing. Becky and I just scarf it down.
I’d kinda sworn off growing cherry tomatoes because they take forever to pick, and I’ve got other things to do in the garden. But with this recipe? Well, cherry tomatoes are back in the garden now and forever. And when feta cheese is on clearance at Smith’s, I buy it all up, again, just for this salad.
As a special bonus, it takes only a couple of minutes to throw together.
Grub Salad
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon minced shallot
Pinch salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pint white beans, drained and rinsed
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes (about 2 cups)
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup)
½ cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano leaves
Whisk the oil, vinegar, shallot, a big pinch of salt, and a few generous grinds of black pepper together in a large bowl. Add the beans, tomatoes, feta, parsley, and oregano and toss to combine. Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed.
Family reviews: Absolutely phenomenal. It’s a great addition to an April Fool’s lunch or dinner, especially suited for Field Mouse Pie.
Links to related posts:
Smiling, I see beans are showing up :-) Again white beans being so bland are easily used to extend meat in spaghetti and lasagna, as well as more common casseroles.
ReplyDeleteBlended they almost disappear so no "Grubs" comments :-)
Sure expends that tree rat (looking at field mouse pie above now) taste for a real meal.
If you’re trying to switch to dried beans- Indian food and the pot of dal served with EVERYTHING. red lentils with onions, garlic, cumin, turmeric, red chilies, salt, other spices, tomatoes, random veggies.
ReplyDeleteWe top it with eggs, canned fish, cheese, curry, and any other protein.
Will try the bean recipe when spouse ready to try white people food again!