Spanish-Style White Bean & Tomato Salad

Drain 1 can (540ml) of cannellini beans into a colander. Rinse thoroughly under cold running water to wash away canning starches, then set aside to drain completely.

Wash and halve 200g of cherry tomatoes. Peel and finely dice 1/4 medium red onion. Wash and dice 1/2 medium cucumber. Finely chop 15g of fresh parsley.

Mince 1 clove of garlic on a cutting board. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over it, then use the flat side of a chef's knife to scrape and mash the garlic repeatedly against the board until it forms a smooth, fine paste.

In a small bowl, whisk the garlic paste with 2 tbsp of Balsamic vinegar de Modena and 1/2 tsp of dried oregano until unified.

Slowly drizzle 3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil into the vinegar mixture while whisking vigorously. The natural starches in the garlic paste will emulsify the oil and vinegar into a thick, cohesive dressing. Season with black pepper to taste.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the drained cannellini beans, halved cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, diced red onion, 1 tbsp of drained capers, and chopped parsley.

Pour the emulsified dressing over the salad and toss gently to coat all ingredients evenly without crushing the beans. Let the salad sit for 5 minutes at room temperature to allow the flavors to marry before serving.