Garbanzo Bean Salad with Miso, Preserved Lemon Dressing and Herbs

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 I used to think that bean salads were a joke. I hail from the Midwest and was accustomed to three bean salads with vinegar, vegetable oil and chopped celery. Maybe some black pepper for zest. The beans were canned, of course. I think this dish is the reason I don’t care for kidney beans or celery to this day.

I wrote bean salads off and that was wrong. Done properly a good bean salad can be an affordable and deeply satiating and nourishing dish. I like using garbanzo beans for salads because they hold their shape and can stand up to additional ingredients. 

Ingredients

• 2 cups garbanzo beans, soaked overnight
  
• 3 tsp salt, divided
  
• 1 bay leaf
  
• 1 piece of kombu (optional)
  
• 8 oz shiitakes, de-stemmed and sliced
  
• ⅓ - ½ c preserved lemon, roughly chopped
  
• ¼ c white or yellow miso
  
• 1 clove garlic, minced
  
•  ¾ c extra virgin olive oil
  
• 2 bunches of seasonal herbs, minced (dill, parsley, cilantro, basil, etc)
  
• 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
  
  

 
Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
   
   
2. Put beans in a large pot and add 2-3 quarts of water, 2 tsp salt, bay leaf and kombu if using. Cover and put on medium high heat. Once the water boils, reduce to a simmer. Cook until garbanzos are tender, about 30-40 minutes.
   
   
3. While beans are cooking, make shiitake bacon. In a medium bowl add mushrooms, the remaining 1 tsp of salt and enough oil to coat. Stir and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Place in the oven and cook for about 35 minutes, until shiitakes are greatly reduced in size, browned and smell fragrant. Flip at least once halfway through cooking.
   
   
4. Assemble dressing. Add preserved lemon, miso and garlic to a food processor. Process until smooth. While the motor is running add olive oil in a steady stream. Ensure that the sides are scraped down periodically to ensure that everything is emulsified and thoroughly blended.
   
   
5. Once beans are cooked, remove from heat and drain. Discard bay leaf and kombu.
   
   
6. Transfer beans and 75% of the dressing to a large bowl while beans are still warm. Let sit for a couple minutes to allow beans to absorb more flavors. Just before serving, mix in herbs, shiitake bacon and tomatoes. Taste and add more dressing if needed. 
   
   

Serves: 4-6

Note:

• Since preserved lemons vary in size and salinity I’ve advised the reader to initially add in just 75% of the dressing. Sometimes I find that I had a particularly large and potent lemon on my hands and the resulting dish was saltier than I wished. Should this happen to you, all is not lost! Add in more tomatoes and more herbs to quell and absorb some of the salt.