Saturday 6 April 2013

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?)

12 comments:

  1. I love your opening description as it makes me feel as if I am sitting there basking in the bright blue sky and chomping down on these delicious beans.

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  2. Oh, this is so lovely! The dressing on this is just perfect!

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  3. I love all those things too. As we are suffering through Spring deluges here, it's nice to think of warmth, and sun and a delicious bean salad to top it all off.

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  4. Thanks Little Kitchie. It's all about the dressing.

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  5. Hey Pink Patisserie. We are just coming out of our super-hot period and into the best Autumn weather and we are making the most of being able to eat outside. Hang in there, it'll be your turn soon.

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  6. "Shut up, just shut up! You had me at mustard!"

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  7. @why-in-the-heck - Okay I'll shut up if you eat your greens :)

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  8. I never tried a bean salad like this. I'm curious!! When the fresh summer beans gonna be on the market, I'll do this recipe with pleasure :)

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  9. Hey Gabrielle. This is a lovely way to eat beans - with mustard, in the sun.

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  10. I love this especially cause the sauce looks like it could be made earlier in the day and just thrown on just when the beans are drained. Love it!

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  11. Thanks for stopping by Rachel. The sauce can most definitely be made in advance. It's a really lovely way to serve green beans.

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