Green Bean Salad with Pine Nuts and Feta Cheese

[b-man]

Green Bean Salad with Pine Nuts and Feta Cheese


Crisp green beans get the Mediterranean treatment in this Greek-inspired salad with toasted pine nuts, crumbled feta and black olives.


INGREDIENTS:

1 pound (500 g) green beans, topped and tailed
2 ounces (60 g) pine nuts
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Juice from one lemon
8 ounces (250 g) feta cheese, crumbled
4 ounces (1/4 pound/250 g) black olives, stones removed and sliced
¼ cup finely chopped fresh, flat-leaf parsley
Salt and pepper to taste


Put a large saucepan of salted water on to boil. Add the beans and cook them until just tender -- 2 to 3 minutes. While the beans cook, prepare a bowl of ice water large enough to hold all the beans. Drain the beans and shock them by placing them directly in the ice water. This stops the cooking and helps them stay crisp and bright green.

While the beans cool, toast the pine nuts in a toaster oven or a dry skillet until lightly golden brown. Pay close attention while the pine nuts are cooking, it's easy to burn them.

In a large salad bowl, whisk together the parsley, olive oil and lemon juice until well blended. Add the beans, pine nuts, feta cheese and olives to the bowl and toss well to blend with the dressing.

Serve at room temperature.

Serves: 6


B-man