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Summer is the perfect time to have some cooked beans in the fridge – they can be
used for many quick salads and soups. To prepare the beans, soak them in water
overnight, and then place in a kettle with 2 quarts water and TURKISH BAY LEAVES.
Bring to a simmer, cook about 2 hours, until the beans are tender but not mushy
or jumping their skins. Rinse and refrigerate until ready to use. When making
the finished recipe, take the beans out of the fridge long enough ahead of time
that they come to room temperature. A 12 oz. bag of beans is more than twice
what is needed for this recipe, then there will be extra for another soup or salad.
To prepare the salad wash the tuna and pat it dry. Brush with olive oil, season
with GARLIC, GINGER and SALT. Grill the tuna over medium high heat until it is
done to your desired taste (we cooked ours for 8 minutes total to achieve the
lightly pink center), flipping twice to get nice grill marks. A grill pan or other
heavy-duty pan on the stovetop works fine too. Remove the tuna, set aside to cool
briefly. While the tuna is cooking, prepare the dressing. Cover the COUNTRY
FRENCH VINAIGRETTE SEASONING with water, let stand two minutes, then whisk with
olive oil and red wine vinegar. Drain artichokes, toss with a tablespoon or so
of dressing. Toss beans (use 1/2 - 2/3 cup per serving) with 2 tablespoons or
so of dressing. Layer two plates with lettuce, then top with beans and artichoke
hearts. Cut the tuna into bite-sized pieces, arrange attractively on the plate,
and drizzle with dressing. Serve extra dressing on the side to use as desired,
and serve with crusty bread and white wine.
Prep. time: 10 minutes plus overnight soaking
Cooking time: 2 hours for beans, 8 minutes for tuna
Serves: 2
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