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gigante bean, salami and fennel salad

gigante bean salad with salami, fennel and butter lettuce-- withspice seasonal food blog
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4.7 from 3 reviews

This is a hearty butter lettuce salad filled with creamy gigante beans, peppery salami, and crunchy slices of fennel. It's full of texture and flavor, and won't leave you feeling hungry after you eat it!

  • Author: Indi Hampton
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes, plus overnight to soak beans
  • Yield: 6
  • Category: Salad
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

gigante beans

  • 1/2 lbs dried large beans, such as Gigante or Royal Corona
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/2 onion, peeled
  • 2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

red wine vinaigrette

  • 1 tbsp minced shallots
  • 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

gigante bean and salami salad

  • 2 heads butter lettuce, rinsed, patted dry and chopped
  • 3 cups cooked large beans (gigante, royal corona), all of recipe above
  • 3 oz salami, sliced into 1/4" matchsticks, about 3/4 cup (thick cut if possible)
  • 1 fennel bulb, halved, cored and thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
  • 1/4 cup pecorino romano, shaved, plus more for serving
  • red wine vinaigrette, recipe above

Instructions

gigante beans

1. Cover the beans with a few inches of water and soak overnight in the refrigerator.

2. Transfer beans to a large pot, add more water so beans are submerged by about 3 inches, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer, add the bay leaves, onion and garlic and cook until beans are tender but not falling apart, about an hour and a half (may be longer depending on the age of your beans). Season with salt and cool the beans in their cooking liquid. Store beans in the liquid until ready to use, up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

red wine vinaigrette

1. Macerate the shallot in the red wine vinegar for 5-10 minutes. Whisk in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Dip a piece of lettuce into the dressing, taste and adjust salt or acid if needed.

gigante bean and salami salad

1. In a large salad bowl, combine lettuce, cooked gigante beans, salami, fennel, pine nuts and pecorino shavings. Toss with two-thirds of the red wine vinaigrette, taste, and add more vinaigrette if needed.

2. Top with extra pecorino shavings and serve immediately.

Notes

  • makes about 10 cups of salad and 2/3 cup dressing
  • store cooked beans in their cooking liquid until ready to use, up to 5 days in the refrigerator and 3 months in the freezer.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://www.withspice.com/blog/gigante-bean-salami-and-fennel/