What We’re Cooking This Week: Cannellini Bean Salad With Celery & Mint

Jim Dixon wrote about food for WW for more than 20 years, but these days most of his time is spent at his olive oil-focused specialty food business Wellspent Market. Jim’s always loved to eat, and he encourages his customers to cook by sending them recipes every week through his newsletter. We’re happy to have him back creating some special dishes just for WW readers.

If I could only have one herb in my garden, it would be mint. The stuff grows like a weed here in the Pacific Northwest, so much so that most of the nation’s minty freshness comes from farms in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Most of us experience mint in toothpaste, candy, or ice cream where the flavor comes from the highly concentrated, menthol-rich peppermint oil. But along with its ferocious fecundity, fresh mint makes all kinds of savory food taste good. It provides the same herbal flavors as parsley but, even when used by the handful, doesn’t really seem very “minty.”

If you’re still skeptical, make this simple bean salad. The whisper of sweetness from the mint combined with creamy cannellini beans and crisp celery is delicious. Plant some mint once you’re a convert, but put it in a pot if you don’t want it to take over your garden.

Recipe

2 cups cooked cannellini beans

3 stalks celery, very thinly sliced

¼ cup finely chopped mint leaves*

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons wine vinegar

1 teaspoon kosher-style sea salt

*An approximate amount from a large handful of fresh mint leaves

Mix everything together, taste and add salt if needed. Best at room temperature or slightly cooled.