Green Bean Tomato Salad With Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette
I’ve never seen purple colored “green beans” at the grocery store before and when I saw the seeds for the Trionfo Violetto Beans in one of my seed catalogs earlier this spring, I knew that I had to grow them myself if I wanted to try them. When it comes to planting vegetables in my little garden every year, I try to grow plants that tend to be uncommon or hard to find at the store. As for the Trionfo Violetto beans, they certainly fit the bill…
A big handful of fresh picked Trionfo Violetto Beans. I absolutely love the dark purple color. What’s so interesting is that when you slice them, they have a vibrant green center. While picking my beans one morning, I was startled to see a large purple and green dragonfly sitting on a stem in the middle of the vines. I’ve seen dragonflies in our backyard around our koi pond but never on the garden side of the house. This one was big! Its wingspan was easily 4 inches across. I did not have my glasses on so I was way closer to the dragonfly than I would have liked. As soon as I recognized what it was, I pulled my hand slowly away from the beans (taking care not to freak out, scream at the top of my lungs and wake up the neighbors) and ran straight back into the house to grab my camera.
I was amazed that he was still there in the same spot when I got back! I was fortunate to snap a few photos before he flew away. He was camouflaged extremely well and was very similar in color to the bean plants. I’ve been out to the garden several times since and unfortunately I have not seen this beautiful dragonfly again.
Do you see what I mean about the Trionfo Violetto Beans? They are really beautiful and very unusual. What I found is that once you cook the Trionfo Violetto Beans, they turn green just like a regular green bean!
In addition to the gorgeous Trionfo Violetto Beans, I grew some Kentucky Wonder Green Beans. The Kentucky Wonder variety of bean is similar to the type of green beans you will find at the grocery store. They are your basic “all purpose” green bean. You can put them in salads, cook, can, or freeze them. They are easy to grow and produce an abundance of smooth green pods. I have to say that for the first time growing pole beans, I was fairly successful with strong plants and a decent sized crop.
My Green Bean Tomato Salad with a Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette can be made with pretty much any variety of green bean. In this recipe I used the Kentucky Wonder green beans and cherry tomatoes that I grew in my garden. The Green Bean Tomato Salad With Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette is wonderfully tangy yet slightly sweet. The bright colored tomatoes make this vibrant green bean salad a stunning side dish. It’s easy to make, fresh and delicious. Enjoy! Tessa
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds green beans trimmed and cut into 1″ sized pieces
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 3 Tbs olive oil
- 2 Tbs champagne vinegar
- 1 Tbs shallot (minced)
- 2 tsp mirin (Japanese sweet cooking wine)
- 1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Begin by boiling a medium sized pot of water with a big pinch of salt. Add the green beans and cook for about 5 minutes or until tender. Don’t overcook. If you do, your beans will look gray and not a pretty bright green. As soon as the beans are done, immediately place them in a medium sized bowl of ice water. The ice water stops the cooking process and cools the beans. Remove ice cubes and drain well. Meanwhile whisk together in a small bowl, olive oil, champagne vinegar, shallot, mirin, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Taste and correct your seasonings. In a medium sized bowl lightly toss the beans and tomatoes with the Dijon vinaigrette. Add to a serving dish and serve chilled. Makes about 3 servings.
