Flying Bean Salad

What happens when you use long salad servers in a small bowl? Usually nothing, but I have a special knack for creating a mess in the kitchen, so when I used these long salad servers to serve my bean salad out of this small bowl I accidentally hit the end of the handle and...you guessed it...the food catapulted into the air landing...well, everywhere. Fortunately my husband has an amazing sense of humor and the need to clean so while we were picking pieces of bean salad off the ceiling he christened this dish forever, "flying bean salad".

Duh!

I look forward all year to making this wonderful salad at the height of the summer growing season when I have fresh corn, cooked and cut off the cob, fresh green beans, parboiled, super sweet cherry tomatoes and fresh basil.

Flying Bean Salad
Serves 6
2 or 3 ears of fresh corn on the cob
1 lb fresh green beans trimmed and sliced on the diagonal into approx. 2" pieces

I cook the corn on the cob, remove it from the pot to drain and cool then par-boil the green beans
for about 3 minutes in the same water, don't overcook, you still want a bit of a crunch. Rinse the beans in cold water, drain the spread them out on a flat surface to cool and dry.
Cut the corn off the cob. Let it all cool.

1/4 cup of sliced red onion
Sliced..see the photo above...then soak it in ice water for a bit to get the sting out...then drain

1 cup sweet cherry tomatoes, garden fresh if possible, sliced in half
1 cup (loosely packed) fresh basil torn into bite-sized pieces

Dressing:
1 clove garlic, mashed together with a pinch of salt (I use a mortar but you can use the flat side of your chef's knife)
1/4 cup of your best red wine vinegar
1/3 cup of your best extra virgin olive oil 
Whisk the mashed garlic and vinegar together in a small bowl, let it set for a few minutes, then whisk in the olive oil.

When all your veggies are drained and cooled, combine in a large bowl...with appropriately sized serving utensil!! Add salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving toss with the vinaigrette.

Be prepared to make this one a favorite!...and um, try to leave out the "flying" part, unless you actually enjoy cleaning beans off your ceiling fan.
Cheers!! Victoria