White Bean Salad with Tomatoes and Kalamata Olives

 

 
This is a recipe from America’s Test Kitchen, The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook, that I recently purchased. It’s filled with some wonderful recipes and is great for anyone that wants to eat healthy. I served this at a party recently and it was a hit! 
 
Serves 6 - 8
 
Ingredients:
 
1/4  cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
2 15-oz. cans Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (I used Goya brand)
Salt and peppter
2 tspn sherry vinegar
1 small shallot, minced
1 cup quartered grape tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/3 cup kalamata olives, chopped
 
Directions:
 
Cook 1 tablespoon of olive oil and garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until the garlic turns golden but not brown, about 3 minutes*. Add the beans, 2 cups of water, and 1 teaspoon of salt and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 20 minutes.
 
Combine the vinegar and minced shallots in a serving bowl and let sit for 20 minutes.
 
Drain the beans and remove the garlic. Add the beans to the serving bowl, along with the remaining olive oil, tomatoes, basil and kalamata olives. Season with salt and pepper; stir gently to combine. Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.
 
 
My Notes:
 
This really served closer to 10 to 12 people.
 
I only used about 10 basil leaves.
 
*The recipe says to remove the garlic, but after cooking it in the olive oil, I chopped them and added it back to the pot to simmer with the beans.
 
The sherry vinegar I purchased is made with aged California sherry vinegar and apricot juice. This was the only one I found in the store (Harris Teeter) but it worked out great.