-TUSCAN..STYLE BEAN ANDTOMATO SALAD

This is an adaptation of an Italian country recipe, Tuscan bread salad, which is a kind of bread and vegetable pate. It is the most refreshing salad I know on a hot day.

Flageolet beans, because they are picked before they are ripe, are lighter and milder in flavour than other sorts of dried bean"" You may not be able to buy them at your local supermarket, but they will be stocked at almost any health-food shop. The salad is clearer-tasting and looks more attractive if made with white ratherthan brown bread: brown dulls the pink of the tomato juice. For 4.

- INGREDIENTS -

4 oz/125 g ffageolet beans, soaked overnight in cold water

Salt

2 lbll kg ripe tomatoes and 4 firm tomatoes

8-10 oz/250-3 10 g bread (weighed without crust)

2 large green peppers

2 medium onions

2 tablespoons oil

2 tablespoons vinegar

Pepper

12-16 basil leaves (optiona/)

Small saucepan with a lid

-METHOD -

Drain and rinse the beans. Cover with fresh cold water in the small saucepan (do not add salt). Bring to the boil, skim and boil fast for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 35 minutes, then add a little salt and simmer for 10-15 more minutes or until tender. Drain.

2 Skin, fairly finely chop and sieve the ripe tomatoes (sieve halfata time). It may sound silly to suggest skinning them prior to sieving, but they are otherwise almost impossible to liquify. Cut the bread into smallish pieces and put to soak in the juice.

3 Wash and quarter the peppers, discarding the cores, white inner membrane and seeds (which are hot) and finely dice the flesh: the pieces should resemble peas in size. Peel and finely chopthe onions. Stir both into the bread and tomato juice. Add the beans, oil, vinegar, 1f2 level teaspoon salt and a moderate sprinkling of pepper and mix gently.

4 Wash and dry the firm tomatoes and cut each one into 8 segments. If you are using basil, wash it and shake or blot dry.