Charred green bean salad
This is something I call a “Nottolenghi” - a set of flavours and principles roughly cribbed from an Ottolenghi book, but without quite so much darting around the pantry like a Pokemon trainer with ADHD.
You could do this on a weeknight and eat before nine.
The recipe it owes most to is the Slow-Cooked Charred Green Beans on p49 of Flavour. This is brilliant in its own right, and only mildly fussy, and you should make it.
I am not arrogant enough to think that this is as good as any of its substrate recipes, but I am arrogant enough to think it’s tasty and worth sharing as a fun side dish, or something you could extend into a main with chunks of seared halloumi, prawns, or smoked tofu.
I put it on the side of a Detroit-style pizza last night, because that desperately needed something green. A bit of acid to cut through the grease didn’t hurt, either.
Ingredients
Green beans, 300g
Mangetout, 150g
Preserved lemon, half a chunky one or a small one
Flat leaf parsley, about 15g
Capers, 2tsp (rinse if salted)
Good olive oil, about 2tbsp
Optional: Fresh jalapeño, 1 (if you fancy a little kick)
Serves 3-4 as a side.
Instructions
Trim the beans, and de-seed and finely slice the jalapeño if using.
Get a pan of salted water simmering and add the beans. Simmer for a minute or so and add the mangetout. Simmer for another minute then drain and plunge into cold water to stop further cooking. Leave the beans to drain while you do the rest.
Carelessly de-seed the preserved lemon. By which I don’t mean let some seeds through (they’re very bitter) but rather don’t worry about keeping all the pulp, a little is fine but we don’t need much. The rind is the business end. Finely chop the lemon, capers, and parsley. Add a pinch of salt and mix this with the oil in a little bowl.
Get a skillet, wok, or just something sturdy that isn’t nonstick and you don’t mind dry heating, pretty damn hot. We’re looking for a nice high heat.
Make sure the beans and mangetout are well drained and pretty dry, and add them to the dry pan. You may need to do this in 2 batches. Add the jalapeño if you’re using it.
Turn the beans periodically, not quite as relentlessly as stir frying, for 4-6 mins, until nicely charred. We’re looking for char spots on everything and a bit more softening, but to retain just a little bite.
As a rough guide, the picture below needed another minute or so.
Remove to a serving bowl, and toss it in a spoonful of the dressing.
Allow to cool, and serve tossed in as much of the rest of the dressing as you fancy - it’s quite strong, so I wouldn’t go all in at once.
I recently treated myself to a black iron chef’s pan from Netherton Foundry, and it’s great for stuff like this. That’s not an advert, I just think their stuff is neat. Before that I did this type of thing in a cheap steel wok.