This salad is inspired by one at Frankie’s Spuntino, a favorite neighborhood restaurant with an entirely delicious menu.  I did my best to mimic all of the most notable flavor elements — the mint, fennel, and celery leaves make the dish.  I knowingly changed a few things, adding cabbage to bulk it up a bit and using gigante beans, which are a favorite in our house.  The dressing was a total guess.  Frankie’s is creamy and tangy, and while I don’t think they used feta, it was an easy sub.  We gobbled this up for a healthy dinner, but I highly recommend making extra, as I regrettably did not and am wishing I had more for lunch.

For the Salad*:

• 2 cups shredded napa cabbage
• 1 ½ cups loosely packed parsley, coarsely chopped
• 1 ½ cups finely sliced fennel (I used a mandolin on the thinnest setting)
• ½ a small red onion, in thinly sliced crescents
• ¾ cup celery leaves, coarsely chopped
• 10-20 mint leaves
• ½ cup gigante (butter) beans (or other white bean), rinsed
• 4-6 ounces good quality Italian tuna, packed in olive oil

*All ingredients are approximate! It’s a salad – do whatever feels right.

For the Dressing:

• Juice of one lemon
• 3 garlic cloves
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 ½ ounces feta cheese

Divide the salad ingredients in layers between two large bowls, starting with the cabbage and finishing with the tuna.  Combine the dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor.  Dress the salad to preference, and enjoy!