Fasulye salatası (cannellini bean salad)

Fasulye salatası is a classic Turkish cannellini bean salad that is often enjoyed as a refreshing meze, side dish or light lunch. Pronounced 'fah-sool-yeh sah-lah-tah-suh', the generous use of extra virgin olive oil adds earthy flavours that perfectly balance the creamy cannellini beans. The lemon juice in the dressing gives a zesty kick that along with the fresh chopped parsley lift the dish and provide vibrant Mediterranean flavours.

The key to preparing fasulye salatası is using a high quality extra virgin olive oil. We use Cypriot extra virgin olive oil as it has a deep peppery finish that balances the other flavours better, but you can use other types if you prefer. The salad is great served with grilled meat or freshly fried patates köftesi, along with spring onions, olives and Turkish bread on the side. Also, serving the salad chilled is ideal for hot summer months.

Some white bean varieties may take less or more time to cook than indicated in our recipe - it depends on the size of the bean. We use a standard Turkish 'kuru fasulye' variety of white bean advailable at most Turkish food stores. Also, using a pressure cooker makes the beans quicker to boil. Although we propose cooling the beans completely for a summer salad in this recipe, they can be served warm in the cooler months.

Although freshly boiled beans will always taste better, tinned pre-cooked white beans (like cannellini beans) can be used instead for a quick mid-week meal or side. 4 400g (240g net weight) tins of pre-cooked beans is approximately the same amount as the cooked dried beans in this recipe. You can place the tinned beans in the fridge in advance of preparation if you want to serve the salad chilled.

The dressing ingredients are meant to serve as a guide. You can adjust the quantities of lemon juice, olive oil and salt depending on your preference. Also, if you enjoy sweeter flavours, barbunya salatası (red kidney bean salad) is another great side dish to try making.

Serves 4 to 6 as a side | Preparation time: 10 minutes | Cooking time: 45 minutes | Additional time: 1 hour to cool the beans

Ingredients

Beans
500g white beans
Dressing
150-200ml extra virigin olive oil, or as desired	40g parsley, chopped
50-100ml lemon juice, or as desired	1 tsp salt, or as desired

Hob heat scale

Method

Initial bean preparation

1. Sift through the beans to remove any defective ones, then wash them thoroughly and drain.

   
   

2. Place the beans in a large bowl and add enough hot water to cover by 10cm. Cover the bowl with a plate and leave to soak for at least 12 hours, or preferably overnight before draining and rinsing well.

Cooking the beans

1. Put the soaked beans in a large saucepan and add enough hot water to cover by 5cm, before placing on a high heat. Boil the beans for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the beans are cooked. They should be firm on the outside and tender in the middle when done - test every 5 minutes from the 45-minute mark to check. Stir occasionally and skim off any froth with a spoon during cooking, topping up with more hot water if needed. Adding a little cold water about 10 minutes into cooking helps the beans sink below the surface and cook evenly.

   
   

2. Drain, rinse well and leave to cool completely - about 1 hour.

Dressing the salad. 

1. Place the cooled beans in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, chopped parsley and salt to make a dressing (adjusting lemon, oil and salt to taste). Pour over the beans and mix until evenly coated.

   
   

2. Serve at room temperature or chilled, with grilled meat, patates köftesi or as a side to any dish. It also makes a light summer lunch with fresh bread for dipping.