Redwood chef Blake Schumpert loves local ingredients. Lucky for him, the Bethesda Central Farm Market is just outside the restaurant’s door. We tagged along as Schumpert and sous chef Ben Wishnoff picked up a few items for a recent evening’s menu: baby lima beans for a bean salad, Stonyman Gourmet Farmer cheese for the cheese plate, and stone fruit for a fruit soup. Take a tour of the market in the video below, then try Schumpert’s bean-salad recipe for yourself.
The market, on Bethesda Lane between Elm Street and Bethesda Avenue, is open Thursdays from 3 to 7; on Sundays, it moves to the parking lot on Elm Street between Woodmont and Wisconsin avenues and runs from 9 to 1.
Bean Salad With Small-Tomato Vinaigrette and Goat-Cheese “Crema”
Serves 4
1 pound seasonal beans such as green, lima, broad, yellow wax, or dragon tongue
2½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (plus more to taste)
1 tablespoon very finely minced shallot
1½ teaspoons minced fresh tarragon
1½ teaspoons minced fresh chive
½ cup small yellow tomatoes (preferably Yellow Sweet 100 tomatoes), whole
1⁄3 cup water
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
½ pound small red and yellow tomatoes, cut from stem to end in quarters or halves
¼ cup sour cream or crème fraîche, diluted with 2 tablespoons water
1⁄8 cup crumbled goat cheese
Lemon juice to taste
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Optional: hazelnuts or almonds, toasted and chopped
Cut the beans on a ½-inch bias and blanch in boiling salted water for 45 seconds, or until just tender. Shock the beans in ice-cold water, drain, and reserve. Toss the cooked and cooled beans with the olive oil, minced herbs, and a bit of salt and pepper. Purée the whole yellow tomatoes with water and white balsamic vinegar. Strain, then combine the liquid purée with a bit of olive oil and the cut tomatoes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. This is your vinaigrette. In another bowl, combine the crème fraîche with the crumbled goat cheese.
To assemble the salad, lay a strip of the bean-and-herb mixture on a 6-to-8-inch plate. Drizzle the tomato vinaigrette over and around the beans. Judiciously dress the top of the beans with the goat-cheese mixture. Finish with the toasted nuts if desired.
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Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
