The staples in my pantry include lots of canned beans: garbanzo, kidney, black beans, cannellini and giant white butter beans. Canned beans are great for making spur of the moment dips, soups and side dishes.

Beans are also a great source of protein. Which is probably why any given night, I can often find my friend Dano, my daughter or a wandering vegetarian in my pantry, in search of beans.

One of my go-to favorites are giant white butter beans. They have a buttery taste and creamy texture. They lend themselves to so many dishes and seasonings.

For the antipasto platter, I marinate them with chopped chives for freshness, purple onions for depth of flavor and diced red pepper for crunch and color. I find sherry vinegar less assertive than red wine or balsamic vinegar.

No matter how much of this I make, nothing is ever thrown away. If there are a few leftover beans, I toss them in a salad the next day, as I did in Act II of this dinner.

I marinate the white butter beans with chopped chives for freshness, purple onions for depth of flavor and diced red pepper for crunch and color.

In a medium bowl, combine drained beans, diced red pepper, purple onions and chives.

MARINATED BUTTER BEANS

EVENT: Weeknight Sit-in-the-Kitchen Dinner

SERVES: 4-6 People, as Part of Appetizer Platter

Ingredients

2 (14 oz each) cans white butter beans, drained

1/4 cup diced red bell pepper

1/4 cup minced purple onion

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Salt and pepper to taste

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine drained beans, diced red pepper, purple onions and chives.

2. In separate bowl, whisk together sherry vinegar and olive oil.

3. Combine dressing with beans.

4. Add salt and pepper to taste.

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