Herby Broad Bean Salad

Broad beans (according to the all knowing resource, Wikepedia) were used for voting yes in Roman times; all white beans were a vote for yes and black beans were a no, apparently. I vote YES to broad beans too... yes to how tasty they are, yes to how brilliant it is that they're one of the few vegetables that every time really work out in my veg patch and yes to how easy they are to cook. Oh, and they're really healthy and low cholesterol too. This leafy broad bean salad looks very decadent, but is actually quite thrifty on account of all the brilliant stuff I keep finding in the garden... apparently some lettuces and herbs just keep coming back...

Ingredients

  • Broad Beans
  • Lettuce
  • Avocado
  • Red Onion
  • Dill, Basil, Chives, Parsley

Dressing

  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Lemon (or White Wine Vinegar)
  • Honey
  • Dijon Mustard

Wash the Lettuce and the Herbs… Dry carefully on kitchen paper

Blanch the Broad Beans by pouring boiling water over them and leaving for 10 minutes… Carefully pod the larger beans (the little baby ones are OK to leave as they are, the bigger ones will be better for podding…)

Slice some Red Onion

Lay everything out on a plate…

Make your dressing… In a large ish bowl, whisk a long drizzle of Olive Oil with the juice of half a fresh Lemon, a teaspoon of Dijon Mustard and a teaspoon of Honey (or Maple Syrup etc).  Whisk and taste… it may need more Lemon if it isn’t light enough, or more Oil if it’s too citrus-ey?!

Serve the Dressing in a small jug or bowl on the side of the Salad… and at the last minute, peel and slice the Avocado (it will go brown if chopped too early!)

Enjoy with almost anything… A bean or beef burger is great with this… or a lovely piece of fish?!

 

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