In my last post I talked about dried green beans making an appearence at our Thanksgiving table this year. Drying fruits and vegetables has always been part of the Swiss culture, also in more recent times such as during WWII. Dried green beans (Dörrbohnen in German) are served as a side with meats, as a salad or in soups. In order to preserve this part of Swiss culture and native green bean variaties, the Slow Food Foundation has formed a presidium. You can find more information about the dried beans here.

Dried green beans were new to me when I first came to Switzerland, but I liked them immediately. They taste like green beans, but I find the taste is more subtle. They soak up flavors well so it's easy to pair them with other dishes. For Thanksgiving, I went with a holiday version and added walnuts and dried cranberries.

Dried Green Bean Salad

• 100 g dried green beans
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 8 Tbs olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 handfull roughly chopped walnuts
• 4 Tbs cider vinegar
• 1 handfull dried cranberries
• salt and pepper

Soak the beans in warm water for 1 hour, then cook them in lightly salted, boiling water until soft, about 45 min. Drain.

Lightly sauté the onion with 2 Tbs oilve oil until soft. Let cool slightly. Mix the minced garlic, onions and the rest of the olive oil with the beans in a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4 as a side