Griddled Helda Beans with Goat’s Cheese

Serves 4, 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 700g Helda beans, or other flat beans, such as young runner beans if you can’t find Helda, topped and tailed
• 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp runny honey
• 1 tsp cider vinegar
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
• a small bunch of mixed green herbs (parsley, mint, dill, sorrel, chives, basil)
• 125g soft, creamy goat’s cheese
• edible flowers (chives, nasturtiums, pot marigolds), to finish (optional)

Method

1. Set a griddle pan over a high heat and leave it to get really hot, or prepare your barbecue grill (see intro).
2. Toss the beans in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.
3. Place them in the hot griddle pan or on the barbecue grill and cook for 2–3 minutes, then turn them over and cook for the same amount of time on the other side, so they become branded with dark char lines on both sides. Depending on the size of your griddle or barbecue, you may need to do this in batches to achieve uniform charring.
4. Once cooked, transfer to a heatproof mixing bowl.
5. In a bowl, whisk together the remaining olive oil and the honey, vinegar and spring onions, along with a pinch of salt.
6. Tear the herbs and add them too. Mix, then check the balance of flavours and adjust as needed.
7. Pour the dressing over the warm beans and muddle everything together gently. Arrange the dressed beans on a serving platter. Daub pieces of goat’s cheese on top, shower over a confetti of petals to finish, if using, and serve.

 

Extract taken from: From the Veg Patch by Kathy Slack (Ebury Press, £25).Photography by Kathy Slack

NorthernLife July/August 2022