Instructions: This is a mother recipe. It illustrates the Italian approach to preparing vegetables. The dish features tuna, so the tunas quality matters greatly.

If canned, chose tuna packed in olive oil; if fresh tuna, grill or poach it, marinate in extra virgin. See further for detail.

1. Marinate the onion with vinegar for 15 minutes. Drain the onion.

2. Put the beans in a serving bowl. Mix with the onion, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper.

3. Drain the tuna, break it into flakes or chunks with a fork, and scatter it on top of the beans. Sprinkle with the parsley.

Description and Detail: Preserved tuna, packed in extra virgin olive oil, is paired with white beans in Tuscany, a speedy dish to assemble if youve got beans on hand. Canned beans work well and simplify this preparation: open a few cans and chop an onion. Quality tuna makes a big difference in the success of this dish. Leftover grilled or poached tuna can be used instead of canned but it should be marinated in extra virgin olive oil. All choices will work better than water packed tuna. Scallions can be used in the spring, red onions for the rest of the year.

Torquato, my farmer and muse, suggested combining green beans with tuna during his glorious green bean season, a fantastic idea. (Feniger) and Greens: The Italian Way with Vegetables."

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