Fresh Green Been Salad with Basil & Cherry Tomatoes

prep time:: 25 min

Makes 8 servings

Nicole Sarenpa

ingredients

Salad:

1 1/2 lbs fresh green beans
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp salt
1 recipe garlic basil dressing, recipe follows
1 pint (or more)cherry tomatoes, halved
fresh basil, for garnish

Garlic Basil Dressing:

1 clove garlic
1 shallot
2 tbsp water
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
15 fresh basil leaves

directions

Salad:

1
Leave the pointed tips on the green beans, but snap off the stem tips. Wash. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the sugar and 1 tbsp salt/ Drop in the green beans and cook till crisp-tender, about 6-7 minutes. Drain the beans and plunge them into ice water to stop cooking. Drain well and refrigerate.
2
When ready to serve, toss the green beans with 1/3 cup of the dressing in a large mixing bowl. Taste and add more dressing or salt as needed. Halve the cherry tomatoes and gently fold into the green bean mixture. Garnish with basil sprigs. Serve immediately.

Garlic Basil Dressing:

Using a food processor, process the garlic and shallot to mince. Add the water, salt, pepper, mustard, and sugar. With the processor running, slowly drizzle in the oil. Add the basil leaves and coarsley chop with several on/off pulses

Source: Foodtv.com