Warm French Bean Salad

I love everything about this salad. I love French beans, I love mustard, I love capers... I love sitting in the yard with a roast chicken and a Warm French Bean Salad on the table for lunch. I love the smell of the tomato plants and the sound of the bees. I love watching the kids playing volleyball on the grass with their dad. I love the warm sun on my shoulders. I love looking up and seeing the big sky. I love it all.



Warm French Bean Salad
slightly adapted from Jamie Oliver's Jamie's Dinners
Serves 4

4 big handfuls of French beans, trimmed
3 big teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon baby capers, finely chopped
1/2 clove garlic, finely grated
1/2 tablespoon dill, finely chopped
1/2 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped

Place the beans into a large pot of rapidly boiling salted water and boil for 5 minutes.

Put the mustard, vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper spring onions, capers, garlic, basil and parsley into a jam jar. Put the lid on the jar, seal it nice and tight and shake the dressing like crazy so you end up with a lovely emulsion.

Check the beans to make sure they are cooked to your liking. I like them when they are no longer "squeaky" when you bite into them, but they are still perky, not floppy. Drain the beans and pop them into a big salad dish.

Dress the beans with the mustardy sauce while the beans are still hot. 

Serve warm or at room temperature. Great with roast chicken and crusty bread, (but then, what isn't?)