I’ve become a fan of keeping my pantry full of canned beans of all varieties ever since those awful lockdown days when supermarket shopping became more of an ordeal than it ever needed to be. I keep the whole range of legumes and stock up whenever the organic brands are on sale at my local. I go through chickpeas mostly for all manner of dishes like bulents chickpeas chickpea potato top bake and hummus of course, black and kidney beans for chillis and then white beans and mixed beans for bean salads. A good bean salad can be a meal for one or be a perfect side dish with a kick for any meal. Here’s how I make mine.
Ingredients; 1 can of either butter or cannelini beans rinsed, small sundried tomatoes, fresh tarragon, fresh mint, fresh flat leaf parsley, lemon juice or cider vinegar, a generous splodge of good oil, salt and pepper, a few washed capers and 1/2 teaspoon of lime pickle, lemon zest or some chopped up preserved lemons
Combine everything and add more salt or pickle to taste. It’s a wonderful blend of the creamy beans, tangy/sour/acid lemon/lime, sweet chewy tomatoes and the freshness of the herbs. It shouldn’t taste bland. Keep adding more of each until you get there. Enjoy!