Recipe: White Bean Salad with Salsa Fresca

WHITE BEAN SALAD WITH SALSA FRESCA

"This is a delicious, healthy salad that is good both as a stand-alone dish or as a bed for a piece of grilled or broiled chicken or fish."

3 cups cooked white beans, such as cannellini (drained and rinsed if using canned)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup diced red or green onions
3 tablespoons drained, chopped capers
1 tablespoon minced fresh mint leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon roasted or poached garlic (see Glossary and Pantry)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
FOR SERVING:
2 cups or so lightly packed tender arugula or watercress leaves
2/3 cup or so Basic Salsa Fresca or Cruda (recipe follows)
Garnish if you like with freshly grated Cotija (aged Mexican cheese) or Pecorino and lemon wedges

Combine the beans, olive oil, onions, capers, mint, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper.

Mound the bean mixture on plates and arrange the arugula around it. Make an indentation in the mound of beans and spoon in some salsa. Sprinkle with a little cheese and serve with lemon wedges, if desired, so everyone can add lemon juice to taste.

NOTE:
The bean mixture can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored covered in the refrigerator.

BASIC SALSA FRESCA OR CRUDA
Makes about 1 1/4 cups

2 medium ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced (about 3/4 pound)
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 teaspoon minced, seeded serrano chile, or to taste
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Drops of lime or lemon juice to taste
Pinch of sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing or serving bowl, and set aside for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Before using the salsa, taste it and add more of any of the seasonings you think are needed. Store covered in the refrigerator. For best flavor, eat within 1 day, but it can be stored for as long as 3. (Use your judgment here.) You can easily multiply the quantities to make more.

Serves 4 to 6

Excerpted from John Ash: Cooking One on One by John Ash with Amy Mintzer
Photographs by Noel Barnhurst Copyright 2004 by John Ash with Amy Mintzer Photographs by Noel Barnhurst. Excerpted by permission of Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.