The original recipe calls for Fassolia Gigantes, a large white bean grown in Northern Greece. I use regular butter beans. They are a bit smaller and easier to obtain in the US.
Yield: 4
Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 tomatoes, halved, seeded and cut into 3/8 inch (1 cm) slices
- 1 lb (450 g) canned or frozen beans
- 4 Tbsp black olives in oil
- 1 small onion, peeled, cut in half and sliced thinly
- 1 cup (115 g) feta cheese, cut into 1 inch (2,5 cm) squares
- 1/2 cup (14 g) chopped fresh cilantro (coriander leaves) or flat-leaf parsley
- 1/2-1 cup (120-240 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- juice of 1 lemon
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 tomatoes, halved, seeded and cut into 3/8 inch (1 cm) slices
- 1 lb (450 g) canned or frozen beans
- 4 Tbsp black olives in oil
- 1 small onion, peeled, cut in half and sliced thinly
- 1 cup (115 g) feta cheese, cut into 1 inch (about 2 cm) squares
- 1/2 cup (30 g) chopped fresh coriander or Italian (flat-leafed) parsley
- 1/2 – 1 cup (120 – 240 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- juice of 1 lemon
- salt and freshly ground pepper
Preparation:
If you use canned beans drain them in a colander and rinse them briefly under cold water. Using frozen beans follow package direction and let them cool.
Place beans in a bowl. Add sliced onion, olives, chopped cilantro (coriander leaves) or parsley. Mix olive oil and lemon juice and taste for salt and pepper. Add feta cheese and tomatoes at last. Mix it well and adjust the taste again.
If you are preparing this salad hours in advance or the day before, add the tomatoes only before serving. They get soggy if added too early. You might have to add more olive oil and lemon juice as beans absorb a lot of liquid. Beans should not clump together.
