Butter Bean, Feta & Olive Salad
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 20 min. using cooked, canned or frozen butter beans. Dried beans need overnight soaking and 30-40 minutes cooking time.
Fassolia Gigantes are a staple in Greek cuisine. This butter bean variety, protected under EU law, is grown exclusively in the Kato Nevrokopi region in Drama Province northeast of Thessaloniki.
We use regular butter beans in this recipe, which are from the same family but a bit smaller and easier to obtain outside of Greece.
Ingredients:
- 4 tomatoes, halved, seeded and cut into 1 cm (3/8 inch) slices
- 200 gr (7 oz) dried beans or 500 gr (1 lb) canned or frozen beans
- 50 gr (2 oz) black olives in oil
- 1 small onion, peeled, cut in half and sliced thinly
- 200 gr (about 1 cup) feta cheese, cut into 2 cm (about 1 inch) squares
- 125 ml (1/2 cup) chopped fresh coriander or Italian (flat leaved) parsley
- 100-200 ml (about 1/2 to 1 cup) extra virgin olive oil
- juice of 1 lemon
- salt and freshly ground pepper
Preparation:
Dried Beans: Soak beans in cold water overnight. Use plenty of water as the beans soak up a lot. Next day drain the soaking liquid and cook the beans in unsalted water over low heat for 30-40 minutes. Do not overcook, it is preferable to have them "al dente" or a bit on the hard side as the lemon and olive marinade will soften the butter beans.
Frozen Beans: Prepare according to package instructions but do not overcook.
Canned Beans: Make sure you wash out the brine in which the beans are canned. Let them drain well in a colander.
Place beans in a bowl. Add sliced onion, olives, chopped coriander 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 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.