Recipe: Snap Pea and Tomato Salad

by John Ryan

Snap Pea and Tomato Salad

or Green Bean and Tomato Salad

Salad for 4

Early in the summer snap peas are plentiful, cheap, and delicious in this salad. Later, green beans are the way to go.

You need...
30 minutes
Bowl
3-quart pan to blanch the beans

Dressing:
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced scallion, white part only

Salad:
1 pound sugar snap peas or green beans
1 big tomato

Optional:
Snipped fresh chives or parsley

1) Whisk the dressing together in a bowl and set aside.

2) Snap off the stem and pull the string down each pea's pack while waiting for a pot of water to boil, then blanch the peas for about 3 minutes—just long enough to have them taste cooked, but remain crisp. Drain and run cold water over them to stop them from cooking. Pat them dry a bit with a paper towel.

3) Meanwhile, peel the tomato.* Cut it in half across its equator, squeeze out and discard the seeds. Dice the remaining tomato flesh.

4) Combine the beans, dressing and diced tomato. If you're so inclined, snip some fresh chives or parsley in the salad and serve.

*Peeling a tomato:
There are two ways of doing this. One is to drop the tomato in boiling water (the snap pea water is great) for about 30 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to lift the tomato out. Slit the skin with a knife and squeeze the tomato out.

The second way is to put the tomato on a hot grill. Turn it a few times as the skin blisters. After a few minutes, the skin will burst and be easy to peel off.