Piaz - White Bean Salad, Armenian Style

Photo taken last night just before dinner!

Hot and humid!  No cooking last night!  But lots of fresh vegetables on hand:  Italian green peppers, Italian parsley, Italian plum tomatoes, fresh lime, Progresso Canneloni beans (you can soak and cook the dried version, but not at the last minute and not on a day that is in the 90's with like humidity) So here's the recipe for Piaz - Armenian Bean Salad.  Simple for those of us who like simple.  Ancient for those of us who like tradition.  Delicious for those of us who like gourmet.  A favorite on Wilbraham Mountain.

1.  Wash all vegetables thoroughly and leave to drain.

2. Open the can of cannelloni beans with the tab (you don't even need a can opener, on such a hot and humid day) and pour the beans into a colander. Rinse thoroughly, and I mean thoroughly and pour beans into a bowl.

3.  Chop (by hand) 6 fresh Italian plum tomatoes to about half the size of the beans.  Smaller if you can. (I couldn't.)  Add to beans.

4.  Chop 1 scallion and add to bowl.

5.  Seed two Italian peppers (the light green, longish, not hot variety), chop and add to bowl.

6.  Chop a handful of fresh Italian parsley, including stems (after you have trimmed the edges of the stems.)

7.   Squeeze two fresh lime and add the lime juice to the mix.

8.   Add quality Italian olive oil (about 1/8 cup).

9.  Add Aintab red pepper (available in Armenian or Middle Eastern stores, and perhaps known as Aleppo red pepper now -- it's a sweetish hot dried red pepper)

10.  Add Kosher salt to taste (about 1/2 tablespoon).

11.  Gently stir and serve in bowls as a cold summer soup (if your tomatoes are particularly juicy, as ours were) or as a salad.

Although Marash Girl has referred to ITALIAN produce throughout, this is a traditional ARMENIAN recipe handed down for generations from Marash!

(For a similar summer salad using eggplant, see http://marashgirl.blogspot.com/2011/03/eggplant-salad-patlijan-salata.html)