Black-Eyed Pea Salad With Fennel and Dill Beans never cease to astound me with their versatility. As the weather heats up and our hunger for comforting stews gives way to a desire for lighter fare, beans can still be the backbone of a meal, but I'm more inclined to make them the focus of a main dish salad than a simmering ragout. I love the way they soak up tart salad dressings and the way their velvety textures play against the crunch of other salad ingredients, like fresh green beans, celery or fennel. This week I used five types of beans in five different salads. I had both canned red kidney beans and dried smaller red beans on hand, so I used the canned beans for one salad and the small red beans - which cooked up to be more pink than red - for another. I will always opt for dried beans that I cook, no matter what the dish, because I can season them with onion and garlic while they're cooking, and salt them to my taste. You don't have that kind of control over flavor with canned beans, but they certainly are convenient, and nutritionally they're just as good a choice. Choose quick-cooking beans like lentils and black-eyed peas if you want to cook your own beans but also want to avoid heating up the kitchen for too long. You could also use a pressure cooker. Beans are an important source of plant-based protein. In her interesting new book, "Eating on the Wild Side," Jo Robinson, a health and nutrition writer, cites a 2004 federal Agriculture Department survey of the phytonutrient content of 100 of our most common fruits and vegetables. Three of the four top-ranked foods were legumes (only blueberries were higher). Lentils were second, followed by black beans and red beans. The study found that a cup of cooked pinto beans had six times the amount of antioxidant activity as a cup of cauliflower and 12 times as much as a cup of carrots. This is inspired by a Greek recipe that calls for lots of herb fennel. I couldn't find herb fennel, so I added a thinly sliced fennel bulb to the mix. Along with its refreshing flavor, the fennel bulb contributes a delightful contrasting crunchy texture. It's a great salad with or without the tomatoes. 1 cup black-eyed peas, rinsed and picked over 3 large garlic cloves, 2 of them crushed and left in the skin, 1 of them minced 1/2 onion, intact 1 bay leaf 2 medium tomatoes, in season only, diced 1 medium fennel bulb (about 1/2 pound), trimmed, quartered, cored and sliced very thin across the grain 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or cider vinegar 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground Freshly ground black pepper to taste 1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley 1/3 cup chopped fresh dill 1/3 cup chopped chives 2 ounces feta, crumbled Place the black-eyed peas, whole crushed garlic cloves, halved onion and bay leaf in a large, heavy saucepan and add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, add salt to taste, reduce the heat, cover and simmer until tender but intact, about 45 minutes. Remove from the heat, remove the lid and allow the black-eyed peas to cool for 30 minutes. Remove and discard the onion. Remove the garlic cloves, squeeze the cooked garlic out of the skins and back into the black-eyed peas, and drain through a strainer set over a bowl. Transfer the black-eyed peas to a large bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, minced garlic, cumin, salt, pepper and olive oil. Toss with the beans. Add the remaining ingredients except the feta and toss together. If you want a bit more liquid with the beans, add back some of the broth (I found the dressing to be sufficient). Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving. Sprinkle the feta over the top and serve. Advance preparation: The salad will be good for 2 to 3 days. Nutritional information per serving: 299 calories; 14 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 13 milligrams cholesterol; 33 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams dietary fiber; 201 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 13 grams protein