The actual name of this recipe is Haricots Verts Salad with Figs and Walnut Vinaigrette, with haricots verts translating in French to green beans. This recipe is actually Basque in origin, from the cookbook The Basque Kitchen, by Gerald Hirigoyen, published in 1999. He’s also published two other cookbooks.
Hirigoyen is a Basque native, but moved to San Francisco, California, and opened two highly regarded French restaurants in 2001, namely Fringale and Pastis, followed by Piperade in 2002. To read more about this chef, please go here.
According to the author, “Haricots verts are very popular in Basque cooking. Even though my mother did not have a potager, when these slim green beans were in season, she would buy enough of them to can for the winter months.”
“To know how to eat is to know enough.” – Old Basque Saying
Haricots Verts Salad with Figs and Walnut Vinaigrette
1 pound slim green beans, tipped and tailed
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
3 tablespoons toasted walnut oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon very finely diced shallot
6 large ripe figs, stemmed and quartered (mine were small so I used more)
20 small basil leaves
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped walnuts
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a large pinch of salt. Prepare a large ice water bath; set aside. Drop the beans into the boiling water, and cook at a full boil until they are slightly tender and cooked through, about 6 to 8 minutes. Drain, plunge into the ice water to halt the cooking process, drain again, and spread the beans on a kitchen towel. (I used a steamer to cook the beans that I first cut into manageable lengths.)
Combine the sherry vinegar, the white pepper, and the oils in a large mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Add the chives, parsley, and shallot and mix well.
Drop the green beans, figs, basil leaves, and walnuts in the bowl and toss together gently but thoroughly.
Sprinkle the salad with a pinch of salt. Serve immediately.
The salad was spectacular.
I only used the ice water to slightly cool off the beans. The salad was served slightly warm.
