Salads
Warm French bean salad
An excellent way to celebrate the year's first French beans. This is good as a side or a starter and should be eaten warm to enjoy the full beany flavour. With a few judicious additions it can be stretched into a light lunch on its own: toasted walnuts or pine nuts, shredded Serrano ham or bacon, crumbled feta, chopped basil, mint or parsley.
Ingredients
- 300g French beans, trimmed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
- 1 spring onion, very thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
In a pan of salted boiling water, cook the beans for about 4-5 minutes until tender but with a squeak.
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Step 2
Drain and keep to one side. In a pan, heat the oil to a medium heat. Add the garlic. Fry for a couple of minutes until golden.
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Step 3
Add the drained beans and spring onions and fry for another minute. Season well.
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Step 4
Remove from the heat and add the sherry vinegar. Toss all the ingredients together and serve.