Total Time: 20 minutes Serves: 6
Recipe By: Melissa Clark
Ingredients
- 8 ounces dried white beans or 2 (15-ounce) cans Great Northern or cannellini beans
- Salt
- 2 bay leaves, if using dried beans
- 1 pound asparagus
- ½ cup chopped fresh herbs (parsley, basil or tarragon) if desired
- 1 teaspoon packed finely grated lemon zest
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large lemon, juiced, plus more to taste
- ½ cup olive oil
Directions
- If using canned beans, drain and rinse. If using dried beans, soak in plenty of water for 6 hours or overnight. Drain beans and transfer to a medium pot. Cover beans by 2 inches with water and add 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt and the bay leaves. Simmer until just tender but not at all mushy, about 45 minutes to 1½ hours, depending upon what kind of beans you’re using. Drain.
- Break off tough ends of the asparagus. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil and prepare a bowl with ice and cold water. Blanch trimmed asparagus for 1½ minutes, or until just cooked through but still firm, then plunge them into the ice bath. Let sit for 5 minutes, then drain. Pat dry and slice diagonally into ½-inch pieces.
- In a blender or food processor, combine herbs (if desired), lemon zest, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, the black pepper and the lemon juice, and process until garlic is chopped. Pour in olive oil. Process until mixture is well blended and bright green, about 1 minute.
- In a large mixing bowl, gently toss together beans, asparagus and dressing. Taste and add more lemon juice and salt if needed.