Tuscan White Bean Salad with Slow- Roasted Tomatoes

My Carolina Kitchen

Slow roasted tomatoes – recipe below

Slow cooked Tuscan white beans – recipe below

¼ cup fresh oregano leaves + a few leaves for garnish

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup champagne vinegar

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place roasted tomatoes in a bowl. Add cooked white beans, oregano, olive oil, and vinegar and toss to combine. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve in bowl or transfer to a platter. Garnish with fresh oregano leaves.

Cook’s notes: This salad is excellent served either warm or at room temperature. It’s perfect for a serve yourself buffet or to bring to a covered dish party.

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

8 to 10 plum tomatoes or 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise

About ¼ cup good extra-virgin olive oil

About 1 teaspoon sugar

2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet. Arrange tomatoes, cut side up, on prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle evenly with sugar, garlic, and generous amounts of salt and pepper. Roast tomatoes until deep red and wrinkled, 2 – 2 ½ hours for medium or plum tomatoes and 1 hour for cherry tomatoes. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet. Taste for seasonings and serve warm or at room temperature.

Cook’s notes: If you can find them, yellow tomatoes added to red tomatoes make a pretty combination.

Slow-cooked Tuscan White Beans

2 cups dried white beans such as cannellini or great northern

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

2 springs of fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

4 cloves of garlic, lightly crushed

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

In a large Dutch oven, combine beans, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, garlic and 8 cups of water. Cover and slowly bring to a simmer over low heat. Simmer uncovered, until beans are tender but not mushy. About half-way through the cooking process, add 1 tablespoon sea salt. Remove from heat and let cool, covered for 15 minutes.

Drain beans and discard their cooking liquid. If desired, discard rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, and garlic. Sprinkle the beans with pepper and more sea salt if needed, drizzle with olive oil, and serve.

Cook’s notes: Be careful not to let the beans cook at too high of a simmer or their skins will separate and the beans will be mushy. I usually check beans about 10 minutes before they are supposed to be done to avoid over-cooking.

Adapted from Williams Sonoma’s Cooking for Friends – serves 4 – 6