Humble Feast Monday - plus recipe for Sea Bean Salad

Sea Beans
Photo by Devra Gartenstein

Patty Pan's Humble Feast is a series of community-based, monthly dinner events featuring local ingredients sourced primarily from area farmers who are our friends and neighbors at the markets.

They are held the first Monday of each month, 5:30 to 7:30pm at 15550 27th Ave NE, Shoreline 98155.

Reservations appreciated (and you get a discount if you prepay!)

This month's dinner is Monday June 3, 2019.

The menu: Irish Stew, herbed soda bread, braised cabbage, sea bean salad, and salted butter fudge.

Sea Bean Salad (makes 4 servings)

Sea beans, or salicornia, are edible pods that wash up on ocean beaches, especially this time of year. They're salty and crunchy, and foragers sell then at many of our area farmers markets.

1/2 pound sea beans
1 tablespoon olive oil
Half an onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, or any other type of vinegar you have on hand
1 cup white beans, cooked or canned
Black pepper to taste

Soak the sea beans in water for about 20 minutes. This washes off some of the saltiness from the seawater.

Heat the olive oil in a medium-size saucepan. Add the onion and salt, and cook on medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent. Drain the sea beans and add them, along with the vinegar and 3 tablespoons water. Cook on low heat heat for about 10 minutes, until the sea beans cook down and are mostly immersed in the liquid. Add the white beans and pepper, turn off the heat, and let sit for at least five minutes longer.

Serve warm or at room temperature.