Flageolets and Radiatores

I got the very delicious, if blandly named, Reader's Digest "Vegetarian Cookbook" out from the library, and decided to begin with 'Radiatore with Flageolet beans in Tomato dressing.' Basically, cold pasta salad with tomato dressing. Since the store had neither flageolet beans nor radiatore pasta, I substituted navy beans and campanelle.

If you'd like to try it out yourself, here's how it's done:

salad ingredients:
8 oz pasta
15 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
4 skinned tomatoes, cut in wedges
3 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, julienned
14 oz can navy/flageolet beans
2 tbs fresh basil, shredded

dressing ingredients:
2 tbs tomato paste
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp superfine sugar
salt
pepper




Cook the pasta for 10-12 minutes. While you're waiting for the water to boil and the pasta to cook, add all the other salad ingredients together in a large bowl. If you're me, bully your husband into helping slice veggies and your dinner guest into being your photographer. The tomatoes were a little tricky to peel, even after being dunked in boiling water and then in ice water. I'm not really sure this step is necessary, unless you are using particularly tough-skinned tomatoes.

julienning away

When the pasta is all done, drain it thoroughly and gently mix it into the vegetables. While this all cools off, mix up the dressing. This is pretty easy, but it seemed as though there wasn't quite enough dressing when compared to the volume of salad.


Perhaps doubling it might work? I suppose it depends how much you like tomatoes. Drizzle the dressing over the salad, and gently toss everything until it is evenly coated. You have to be careful not to damage the pasta and some of the more fragile vegetable ingredients, lest your salad become soggy.


It all turned out pretty well, even with the substitutions I made. This salad would be perfect for hot summer days, since it all seemed very light and crisp. The carnivore in me would have appreciated some diced chicken in it, but even so it was a very filling meal. This cookbook has a number of other recipes that look very appealing, and I would recommend trying it out if you come across it, even for dedicated carnivores.