Marinated Colorado Dried Bean Salad

Picture
Ingredients
1 ounce red beans (dried)
1 ounce lentils
1 ounce pinto beans (dried)
1 ounch anasazi beans (dried)
1/2 cup onions, 1/2 inch dice
1 halapeno, seeded, diced
1 cup green bell pepper, roasted, 1/2 inch dice
vinaigrette
1 tablespoon sage leaves, cuhiffonade
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
6 tablespoons olive oil
salt and black pepper to taste
salad
2 cups tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 1/2 cups leaf lettuce
1/2 cup green onions, sliced
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
salt and black pepper to taste

Directions
  1. Presoak each type of bean individually overnight (optional).
  2. Cook the beans individually in salted water until tender. Drain and cool, reserving the liquid from the red beans.
  3. Roast, peel, seed, and dice the jalapeño and green pepper.
  4. Whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients.
  5. Toss together the cooked beans, chiles, pepper, onions, and dressing. Let the mixture marinate.
  6. Clean, dry, and trim the lettuce and green onions. Chop green onions finely.
  7. Combine the cream, vinegar, green onion, and salt and black pepper in a bowl.
  8. Toss the lettuce in the cream mixture, divide by 4 onto salad plates, and shingle 5 slices of tomato from rim to rim down the center of each plate. Season the tomatoes lightly with salt and pepper.
  9. Serve about ½ cup (4 ounces, 115 ml) of the marinated bean salad with the greens.

Critique
Chef: super tender, creamy, but chalky, good sized pieces, could use more dressing/seasoning, tomato needs salt and pepper.

Personal/Team: Texture was good, but it was a bit bland, more seasoning and possibly grilled peppers would help.

Lessons learned: It is important to cook all the beans in separate containers because they all have different cook times. They varied by about 10 minutes difference for each.