Note:

While I make this salad on the day I will be serving it for extra freshness, I highly recommend making more so you can enjoy the leftovers the day after. 

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you can use this dressing recipe for literally any salad. its simple to whip up and so good.

For me this salad is very nostalgic. It's a salad my grandmother would make for us when she had leftover beans from whatever she was cooking. Whenever I make this salad, I ask myself why I don't make it more often. It is such an easy, refreshing salad that goes well as a part of a Mezze meal or as a side dish to grilled fish & meat.

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:
2 cup dry cannellini beans or 4 cans cannellini beans

2 tomatoes, finely diced (2 cups)

5 small pickles, finely diced (1 cup)

½ bunch Parsley, finely chopped (1 cup)

½ Red onion, finely diced (½ cup)

15 kalamata olives, finely chopped

3 hard boiled eggs, diced (plus an extra one if you would like to use for garnish)

Dressing:

6 tablespoon Olive oil

3 tablespoon New York Shuk Preserved lemon paste

5 teaspoon New York Shuk Sumac

4 tablespoon Apple cider vinegar

If you are using canned beans, skip step one.

Step one:
In a big bowl, soak the beans overnight in plenty of water. When ready to cook, rinse the beans and place In a medium size pot. Cover the beans with cold water plus another inch and a half of water above the beans. Add 2 bay leaves and  2 peeled garlic cloves for flavor. Let cook until tender, approx 1 hour. Check for firmness throughout as you don't want them over cooked. When the beans are tender,  season with 11/2 tablespoon of salt and let cool. 

Once the beans cool down, discard the bay leaves and garlic (or save the soft garlic for for the dressing if you would like) and drain.

Step two:
Place the beans in a bowl with the tomato, pickles, onion, parsley, olives and hard boil eggs.

Step three:
Make the salad dressing by mixing the olive oil, preserved lemon paste, sumac and apple cider vinegars and drizzle onto the rest of the ingredients. Mix well. Taste for seasoning and adjust to suit your taste.

Step four:
Place on a serving plate and garnish with chopped parsley, diced tomato and chopped hard boiled egg for extra flavor and pop of color.