Green Bean Salad with Tomato and Mozzarella – Yum!
If you want a great summer side dish to serve with just about anything, I highly recommend trying this green bean salad with tomato and mozzarella. My wife’s sister served this salad to us over the weekend twice. Once with steak and the next night with grilled salmon. It was even better the second night.
She used Patricia Wells’ wonderful cookbook, At Home In Provence (which I now need to buy) but made a few changes of her own, including substituting tomatoes and adding small pieces of fresh mozzarella cheese.
Green Beans
Green beans, also known as string beans or snap beans, are a versatile and nutritious vegetable widely enjoyed for their crisp texture and mild, slightly sweet flavor. These elongated pods are harvested from the common bean plant (Phaseolus vulgaris) while still immature, resulting in tender and edible pods.
Green beans are a popular ingredient in a variety of cuisines around the world and are prized for their versatility in cooking. They can be enjoyed raw as a crunchy snack or lightly cooked to preserve their crispness and bright green color. Green beans can be steamed, boiled, sautéed, stir-fried, or roasted, depending on the desired texture and flavor profile.
Nutritionally, green beans are low in calories and fat but rich in essential nutrients such as fiber, vitamins C and K, folate, and manganese. They also contain antioxidants and phytonutrients that may offer various health benefits, including improved digestion, heart health, and immune function.
Sherry Wine Vinegar
Sherry wine vinegar is a flavorful and aromatic vinegar made from sherry wine, a fortified wine produced in Spain’s Sherry Triangle region. This vinegar undergoes a fermentation process that transforms the alcohol in sherry wine into acetic acid, resulting in a tangy and complex flavor profile with hints of oak, nuttiness, and fruitiness.
Sherry wine vinegar is prized for its rich and nuanced taste, which adds depth and complexity to a wide range of dishes. It has a milder acidity than other vinegar, making it versatile for culinary and vinaigrette applications. The vinegar’s distinct flavor profile makes it a popular choice for salad dressings, marinades, sauces, and reductions, where it can enhance the taste of meats, seafood, vegetables, and salads.
Shallots
Shallots are a type of onion that belongs to the Allium family, which also includes garlic, onions, and leeks. They have a milder and sweeter flavor compared to regular onions, making them a popular choice in various culinary dishes. Shallots are characterized by their small size, elongated shape, and thin, coppery-brown papery skin.
Mozzarella Cheese
Mozzarella is a soft and mild cheese from Italy. It is known for its creamy texture and stretchy consistency when melted. Traditionally made from the milk of water buffaloes, mozzarella is now commonly produced using cow’s milk, resulting in a slightly different flavor and texture.
This cheese is typically white in color, with a smooth and glossy surface, and is sold in various forms, including fresh, shredded, and sliced. Fresh mozzarella is often packed in water to maintain its moisture and freshness, while aged mozzarella develops a firmer texture and stronger flavor over time.
Mozzarella is a versatile cheese that is used in a wide range of dishes, particularly in Italian cuisine. It is a key ingredient in classics like pizza, lasagna, Caprese salad, and baked pasta dishes, where its mild flavor and melting qualities shine. Mozzarella’s ability to melt evenly and become stringy when heated makes it ideal for dishes that require a gooey and creamy texture, such as grilled cheese sandwiches and stuffed crust pizzas.
Tomato, Mozzarella and Green Bean Salad
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- 1 tablespoon sherry wine vinegar good quality
- salt to taste
- 3 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- 2 shallots minced
For the Salad
- ½ pound tomatoes
- sea salt
- 1 pound green beans tender
- 1 egg fresh mozzarella cheese cut into bite sized pieces
- 4 tablespoons fresh cilantro
Instructions
Prepare the Dressing
- Whisk together the vinegar and salt in a small bowl. Add the shallots and combine.
- Slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking vigorously to combine.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with salt.
Prepare the Tomatoes
- If using a regular tomato, you want to drain all the liquid out of the tomatoes so place the cut up pieces into a fine-mesh sieve or colander and sprinkle with a little salt. Set them over a bowl to drain. Judy used the small but sweet grape tomatoes so she ignored this step and the salad was fine.
Blanch the Green Beans
- Bring a large pot of water to boil.
- While the water is coming to a boil, wash and trim the ends of the beans. Then cut up the beans into 1-inch lengths. Don't forget to get the ice-cold water bath ready to quickly stop the cooking process after the beans are blanched. Just fill up another bowl with water and ice.
- As soon as the water comes to a boil, add a couple of teaspoons of salt and then the beans. Bring back to a boil and cook until the beans are "crisp-tender". This should take about 5 minutes.
- Quickly drain the beans and place them into the ice cold water bath for a couple of minutes. Drain and dry them with a kitchen towel.
Dress the Salad
- Put the beans in a serving bowl, add the oil and vinegar dressing and stir everything together.
- Now's good time to taste and adjust seasoning.
- Add the drained tomatoes, mozzarella, and cilantro and toss until well mixed.
- Serve it up individually or family style in a big bowl.
2 Responses
This salad looks delicious and soooo refreshing!! I love the tips you offer in the recipe!
Thanks Betsy, it’s a great recipe.