Haricot Beans and Lentil Salads, etc.

Salade de haricots ou de lentilles (bean or lentil salad) teaches one uncompromising thing: drainage is the dish. The vinaigrette (oil-and-vinegar dressing) should cling in a bright film around each bean or lentil, not dilute itself in a puddle at the bottom of the bowl. Get the legumes dry before you dress them, and this modest salad has clean edges, green parsley, sharp vinegar, and the quiet richness of good oil.

The source entry begins with the vegetable already cooked, whatever its kind, because a brigade kept prepared legumes ready for service. That mise en place was scaffolding. For one cook, two cans of haricots or a bowl of home-cooked lentils are the honest equivalent, scaled to four; a fine sieve and clean towel replace the draining station. Only the scale and source of the cooked legumes have changed. The draining, oil, vinegar, parsley, and onion served apart are the dish itself, so none of them goes.

The onion is cut cisel, into very fine crosswise slices, then washed and pressed dry so it brings crisp bite without flooding the salad. Dress the legumes only when a clean towel comes away dry. If they still weep moisture, give them five minutes more. Ça se rattrape, and that patient draining is the step that matters most.