I was in charge of bringing a salad to a friend’s house the other night and had a few ingredients that I knew I wanted to include. Organic, local green and yellow wax beans were in abundance at Whole Foods and pine nuts, nuts of gold, as I believe the woman checking me out referred to them as, were both part of my master plan. Why have I never noticed that pine nuts are so expensive until now?
Never one to let price get in the way, and yes, that is problematic as I feel like the woman who has an obsession with Manolo Blahniks, except that my stilettos come in the form of truffle oil, fruits from the jungle and pine nuts. I forged ahead nonetheless, toasting those pine nuts to perfection.
The salad was the ideal accompaniment to grilled steaks and tuna, grilled veggies, good friends and wine. Oh and the amazing home made peach & blueberry pie!
Toasted Pine Nut & Green Bean Salad – 6-8 servings
- 1 pound green beans
- 1 pound yellow wax beans
- 3 small heads frisee
- 1/2 cup pine nuts
- 4 oz gorgonzola crumbles
- roasted garlic dressing
Wash beans and cut off ends. Cut into about 2 inch pieces. Add to boiling, salted water and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and cool with cold water. Set aside.
Wash and clean frisee, drying completely in a salad spinner. Set aside.
Heat small pan and add pine nuts. Stirring often, toast pine nuts until golden brown and fragrant.
Assemble salad: layer frisee in large bowl. Top with green beans, cheese crumbles, pine nuts and dressing. Toss to combine and serve immediately.
Roasted Garlic Dressing
- 4 cloves roasted garlic
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- salt & pepper
Whisk all ingredients together, breaking up garlic cloves.
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