Serves 4
- Active time:20 min
- Start to finish:30 min
May 2008
Food editor Lillian Chou visited The Conscious Gourmet at their location in Santa Fe for a weeklong retreat in cooking and wellness. With its dose of flaxseed oil, this salad represents an attempt to get more omega-3s into the diet. The hazelnut oil is simply for deliciousness, complementing the toasted nuts and crisp-tender green beans.
-
1
oz
hazelnuts (2 tablespoons)
-
3/4
lb
green beans, trimmed and halved diagonally
-
2 1/4
teaspoons
grainy mustard
-
1 1/2
teaspoons
balsamic vinegar
-
1/8
teaspoon
fine sea salt
-
4
teaspoons
extra-virgin olive oil
-
1
tablespoon
flaxseed oil
-
1
teaspoon
hazelnut oil
-
1/4
cup
finely chopped red onion
-
Preheat oven to 325ºF with rack in middle.
-
Toast nuts in a small baking pan until centers are golden, 15 to 20 minutes (cut one open to test for doneness). Cool to warm, then rub off any loose skins in a kitchen towel. Coarsely chop nuts.
-
Cook beans in a 6-quart pot of boiling salted water (1 1/2 tablespoons salt for 4 quarts water) until just tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to an ice bath to stop cooking. Drain and pat dry.
-
Whisk together mustard, vinegar, and sea salt in a bowl, then add olive, flaxseed, and hazelnut oils, whisking. Add beans, nuts, and onion and toss well. Season with salt and pepper.
Cooks’ note: Beans can be cooked 1 day ahead and chilled (once cool) in a plastic bag lined with paper towels.