Fresh Beans and Tomato Couscous Salad

I am making the most of my weekend before the working week begins all over again. August was a manic month, with so many things on the edge of happening but then not happening for one reason - leaving me both exhausted and disappointed.  I was hoping September would be a bit quieter and a little kinder in comparison, but not so much, so you just make the most of what you do have and march on. 

We had this Cherry Tomato Couscous Salad early on in the week when i time to extract myself away from the computer screen to potter a little longer in the kitchen to make lunch.

It was not really much work, as couscous from a jar is effortless.  I am adoring the pop of colours coming from the cherry tomatoes from the garden.

The couscous also has the last of the runner beans, broad beans,  green beans and peas.  There is no recipe for this.  It simply cooked beans stirred into Ainsley Harriot's  Spice Sensation Couscous and topped off with some fresh tomatoes. 

D is not much of a couscous fan, but i didn't mind this at all. I teased him that i would be making it again, but its unlikely as the beans in the garden are coming the end.

I am sharing this Cherry Tomato Couscous Salad with Soup, Salad and Sammies hosted by Kahakai Kitchen. 

Runner Bean Salad

I have had a lazy weekend.  I have had a lie in which for me is often around 7.30am, then I was up.  I spent a few hours in the back garden, weeding and harvesting and D mowed the front garden. Then I spent a couple of hours in the kitchen - baking but part of it wondering what to do with the purple beans and runner beans harvested from the garden plot. 

I  think I may have mentioned before that I do struggle to know what to do with runner beans.  

Runner beans are often served as a side, and this Runner Bean Salad can also side but can hold its own too; and if you want to make it more substantial stir in some cous cous.

This Runner Bean Salad is made with thinly sliced red onion, black olives and and seasoned olive oil and white wine vinegar dressing, oh yes and runner beans, that have been cooked until they are al dente. 

I am sharing this simple Runner Bean Salad with Soups, Salads and Sammies hosted by Kahakai Kitchen.  

Courgette and Runner Bean Curry and a Cat in the Garden

I made this Courgette, Runner Bean and Cherry Tomato Curry  last month with the last harvest from my garden of courgettes, runner beans and cherry tomatoes. 

My blog already boasts lots of original vegetarian and vegan Welsh recipes and fusion dishes too, so I am interpreting 'close to home' which is Vegan Mofo prompt today as things that I have grown from seed.   Now how close to home is that?! From garden plot to plate.  

Runner beans, courgettes from the garden plot and cherry tomatoes from the greenhouse.

I have to admit some of the runner beans were a bit on the stringy side, but mostly succulent and tender with bite.  The real star of the dish were the cherry tomatoes, that I stirred into the curry in the last 10 minutes for them just to soften and burst. It was a relatively dry curry and could work well stuffed either in a roti, chappati or even a tortilla wrap.  

Now all I have in the garden are herbs, some cherry tomatoes hanging on for dear life in the greenhouse with some salad leaves.  And Rainbow Swiss Chard.

I dug the garden a week or so back clear and ready for the following year, but a scraggy yet gorgeous log fire burnt coloured cat has recently made our garden plot their lavatory.  Any suggestions as to how to deter this furry beastie, other than resorting to London Zoo solution of Lion Pee pellets; and please don't suggest getting a male to urinate in the garden, it just is not goon to happen. Its funny and makes me giggle, but it also as you can understand be frustrating as well.  I can't sit out in the garden with a water pistol or a watering hose in my hand either, ain't going to happen.   So please I welcome any of your tried and trialed methods.

Thrifty Household had a similar problem many years back, her blog post does not offer a solution but it did make me laugh - Keeping Cats out of the Garden.

Lemon Harissa Runner Beans

I do struggle to  know what to do with runner beans in the culinary sense, but I do like growing them in my garden. So with the prompt being 'use all seasonal produce',  I was excited as it gave me the opportunity to use some of the runner beans  as well as some of the cherry tomatoes tumbling from the greenhouse.  Oh I must not forget the last of the purple french beans too, that turn green on cooking.   

I made a recipe called Harissa Runner Beans that I saw in the cookbook Veggiestan. The only thing that I did differently was use Blodyn Aur  Lemon Infused Rapeseed Oil, hence the Lemon Harissa Runner Beans.  The recipe reminded me of a lot of Sri Lankan Ceylonese Runner Beans that I made many years ago, as well as some cooked in paprika.

We had these simply with Jacket Potatoes.  I have also made some Green Chilli or Verdi Chilli to sound more interesting with runner beans and green beans, but I will share that later in the week. 

Cauliflower, Runner Beans and Chickpea Curry

Because of my South Asian features and heritage, a lot of people who don't know me stereotypically assume I just specialise in food from the Indian Sub-Continent.  And yes, although I can make a mean killer Chickpea Curry and Creamy Lentil Dal,  I have always branched out and made other worldly vegetarian cuisines.   I don't and have never wanted to be put into an 'ethnic' box. I have always avoided tokenism at work where people have used their ethnicity to progress; or permitted employers to use their photograph in promotional materials, when in reality the organisation was doing very little in relation to workplace diversity and addressing inequality, and I am sad to say such tokenism occurs somewhat in cooking too. I refuse to play that game and be a stereotype. I have and will always continue to remain true to myself.  I am diverse person and love cooking ethnically diverse world wide cuisine.  

Saying all this, I am very aware and proud of my roots and heritage, I just don't make a big thing of it.  Okay back to cooking, I am a self-taught cook, though I would be a liar if I didn't admit to my mother showing me how to make an awesome flaky Paratha filled with spicy cauliflower and onion; and tasty Onion and Spinach Bhaji's aka Pakoras, but in relation to other cuisine - I am self taught as I fell in love with cooking when when I had to fend myself at University. 

Vegan Mofo prompt today is to 'veganize an old family recipe'. I come from a  family that does not write down recipes, cook from cookbooks, from television programmes etc.  Recipes are simply passed on  from a family member or friends to another.  We learn by watching and doing, this is my way of saying  I don't have a family recipe to share. So instead I share with you one of my husband favourite Indian style recipes.: Cauliflower Curry aka Gobi Salan.  

Green (Runner Beans, Peas) and Yellow (Courgette and Sweetcorn) Minestrone

I made this Green and Yellow Summer Vegetable Minestrone a couple of weeks back with homegrown golden yellow courgette and runner beans, though I have to admit the sweetcorn and peas both at the height of the season have come from the freezer.  I know shame on me, call myself a seasonal cook. 

Anyway, this Minestrone was fresh and tasty. The courgettes had crunch, the runner beans imparted that faint beany flavour, the peas and sweetcorn were sweet and the broth light and fragrant from both fresh basil and min. But there is a but....

I was not convinced by the addition of rice, so maybe next time I would replace the rice by stirring in some baby pasta, but that is no criticism to the dish itself, it tasted alright and if presented wit it again, I would happily eat it especially on a breezy day like today.  

Runner Bean Risotto with Balsamic Beetroot Drizzle

I have and always try to make whatever vegetable I use play a starring role in the dish, not just a bit side part.   However, saying that I do struggle finding interesting and inspiring recipes for runner (flat) beans and find myself often just blanching them, then dousing in a little extra virgin olive oil and seasoning and serving them simply on the side.  Not this time, as the runner beans play a central role in this risotto dish accompanied by an optional cheat balsamic beetroot drizzle. 

It was lovely.  I enjoyed every mouthful.  The risotto was naturally creamy, no addition of cream or vegan alternative.  The runner beans still had bite and the beetroot gave it that extra boost, both in favour and visually. 

I know some people cannot eat risotto without a grating of cheese on top, or even vegan cheeze - a dairy free alternative, but I have pretty much always enjoyed my home-made risotto dishes without this additional richness, but feel free to cater to your own tastes.  

Runner Bean Pasta Salad

Even though the runner beans in my garden are beginning to dwindle, I still have plenty to be getting on with.  

I made this Runner Bean Pasta Salad last week for lunch.  

Its a simple recipe really.  The runner beans are topped, tailed and blanched, then drained, doused in equal quantities of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, along with some seasoning before stirring in the cooked pasta.  I thought it looked a little plain, so I threw in some orange and red cherry tomatoes from the greenhouse.   

I am sharing this simple minted broad bean potato salad with Lisa from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen and Jacqueline of Tinned Tomatoes for this months No Croutons Required. Also for those of you who are looking for vegan runner bean recipe inspiration, you may be interested to check out these recipe below too. 
Chilli coconut Runner Bean Curry
Spicy Tomato Runner Bean Pasta
Za'atar Spiked Meatballs and Runner Beans Stew

Chilli Coconut Runner Beans Curry

Runner Beans and Raspberries has been the accidental theme of my blog for the month of August, and it seems to set to continue with the next dish where the runner beans are infused with spices before being drenched in coconut milk.  

This  Chilli Coconut Runner Beans Curry recipe has Tamil Nadu, South Indian influences.  If you like Thai food, then you will like this as its very reminisce of Thai Green Curry.

Spicy Tomato - Runner Beans with Pasta

Summer seems to have come to a sudden and abrupt end, replaced first by a weekend of non-stop rain pour and it seems  now that the week ahead is not going to be much better either.  

So its time for some warm bowl like grub.  Not quite cold for soup or stew, but definately a big bowl of pasta coated in thick red sauce, even better if that sauce is a little spicy.  As I have loads of runner beans still coming from the garden, I decided to incorporate some of these into this pasta dish, it made more of a meal of it for sure.    

Sri Lankan Chilli Coconut Runner Bean Pie

Early in the week we had every weather hit us thanks to Hurricane Bertha.  The sun shine, the rain fall, the thunder storms, the lightning, hailstones and then the blustery winds.  We woke up in the morning, only to look out of the bedroom window and  find the one vegetable doing brilliantly in the garden getting a good bashing from the weather.  One of our climbing bean frames was on its side.  We managed to get it back upright, but its not the same as the structure is now weakened.   Never mind. We harvested a load of runner beans,  I will probably freeze a load of them, but I want to make the most of them while fresh, so any recipe suggestions would be most welcome.  

I remembered making a Ceylonese Spiced Runner Beans recipe a few years back and thought why not incorporate some runner beans into a large pie.   I also had some Chilli Coconut Sambal that I decided to stir into the filling. The result this rather large Sri Lankan Chilli Coconut Runner Bean pie.  It is based on my Green Pasta Loaf. It has texture and bite from the runner beans and flavour from the Chilli Coconut Sambal.  There was heat from the chilli and sweetness from the coconut.  Its certainly different for a pie filling. 

This recipe is best made a day in advance, as it will cool down and making slicing a bit more effortless. Its fabulous for a picnic or as an accompaniment for a vegetarian friendly BBQ, with this in mind I have decided to share this Sri Lankan Chilli Coconut Runner Bean Pie with Vanesther at Bangers and Mash for this months The Spice Trail.  The Theme is Beach BBQ and the spice here is chill!. Also as Phaseolos coccineus are a scientific name for runner beans and I am going to use this as a good reason to share this pie with Caroline Makes and The More Than Occasional Baker for this months edition of AlphaBakes where the chosen letter is P.  Runner beans in some parts of the world are also known as Pole Beans too.  Finally, I am also sharing them with Karen at Lavender and Lovage for Tea Time Treats Picnic challenge also hosted with Janie at The Hedgecombers.

Za'atar Spiked Vegan Meatballs and Runner Beans Stew

Early in the week, the weather has temporarily changed from blazing hot to blustery windy rain falling horizontally.  So something a bit more stew liked was needed, but not too heavy.  It had to be light to eat, but relatively quick to make too.  

I also wanted to make the most of my home-grown runner beans, so having  just rediscovered my jar of Zaytoun Palestinian Za'atar -a zesty Middle Eastern seasoning made with wild thyme, toasted sesame seeds and sumac. I made a decision that Za'atar had to be an ingredient in this dish, not just as part of the tomato sauce base, but also incorporated into the Vegetarian 'sasuage' mix. I haven't used pre-packed blended mock meat products since my student days, but for convenience  and a trip down memory lane, thought I'd try them once again. Except these were not to be turned into vegetarian sausages, but vegan meatballs!

The meatballs were textually soft and highly seasoned without me requiring to add any more salt and pepper to it.  My only addition was spiking the mix with a little Za'atar spice and it did make a difference.  The tomato sauce base was also lightly infused with the Zaatar spices coming though gently, finished off with with bite and crunch from my home-grown runner beans. 

Fresh Mint Broad Bean Potato Salad

A simple green potato salad dish straight from the garden plot to the plate.

Yes I am proud to boast that all the ingredients have come from my garden.  New potatoes, fresh mint, spring onions and broad beans finished off with a light olive oil dressing seasoned with salt and pepper. Simple.  

 So there is no real recipe to share here, you just have to make it to taste and tuck in with a fork.  

 Enjoy!

Jamaican Butternut Squash Stew

You will have to forgive me for what will be a short post, I am a little distracted at the moment with things that are taking a little bit more priority than blogging at the moment, but before I go, I thought I'd share this Jamaican Butternuts Squash Stew that I made for our supper this evening.

Oh my it was really flavourful.  I really liked the gravy and the heat imparted from the scotch bonnet.  If the thought of Scotch Bonnet frightens you, then please feel free to exchange it for a milder red chilli. The stew was served with some plain white rice. 

Ceylonese spiced runner beans

Even though he has not said it out loud, I can see it in D’s body language ‘ Oh, not runner beans again!’. But what can I do, they are still growing in the garden plot. Some are a little far gone, the skins tough to chew due to neglect, however others can still be picked and eaten. I have to admit the thought of eating plain runner beans coated in a little butter or olive oil did not thrill me either, so I have had to find another way of eating them. We’ve already eaten them in salads and 'spiced up' in various ways. This time it was Ceylonese spiced runner beans. I have to admit, I know very little about Ceylonese (now Sri Lanka) cuisine. My assumption like many is that it is similar to South Asian, namely Indian food, but as I delved more. I learned that there are also Arab, British, Dutch and Portuguese influences. Alongside these influences, the country has some of its own traditional Sri Lankan offerings such as the renowned 'hoppers' (crispy at the edge and gooey in the middle pancakes) that every tourist reminisces about when back on home turf. There is also kiri bath (milk rice served at ceremonies), pol sambol (fresh grated coconut combined with chilli, onions, lime salt and pepper) and kavum (dough cakes deep-fried in coconut oil).

But what I am making is not traditional at all, but the flavours are very definitely Ceylonese. I wasn’t sure if these would go well with the celery and pecan cakes, but I was willing to try. It was a good accompaniment. The flavours complimented the celery and pecan cakes very well indeed.
Ceylonese spiced runner beans
Serves 4
Ingredients
300g runner beans,
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon black or brown mustard seeds
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon ground coriander
2 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon, grated root ginger
½ teaspoon salt
Juice of ½ lemon or more to taste
Method
If the runner beans are a little tough, string them, then top and tail. Slice diagonally into 1 ½ inch pieces. Cook the runner beans in a pan of boiling salted water until just tender, then drain and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the garlic for a minute. Add the cumin and mustard seeds and cook for another minute, then add the ground spices and cook for a further minute. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and simmer for a couple of minutes until softened and a little pulpy. Stir in the beans, ginger, salt and lemon and simmer for five minutes. Adapted from Ainsley Harriott’s Gourmet Express 2.

Mushroom Tofu loaf served with Chipotle runner bean ragout

Although meatloaf is of European origin, I have always associated it as part of American cuisine. So it will not be a surprise to some of you that I have never seen a meatloaf up close. But D having lived in the States for a couple of years vouched that visually this vegan 'Mushroom Tofu loaf' looked pretty close. It wasn't just about the way it looked though, it was about taste too.
I’ve mentioned before that D is not keen on tofu (or tempeh), so he was the perfect guinea pig. I asked him what he thought of the flavours and texture of the loaf. He actually said he could not detect the tofu, the texture and flavours were good and was very happy eating it. He added he was actually enjoying the accompaniment of the chipotle runner bean-mushroom more with its smoky and warming undertones.

I was still grinning at the way the loaf turned out to think about the ragout. Having never used tofu as a binding agent, I was very impressed with the way the loaf came out in tact. I was honestly actually expecting it to collapse somewhere in the middle. If you do decide to have a go at making the Mushroom Tofu loaf (and I strongly recommend that you do so) just bare in mind that it is rather substantial. It should really be made for a gathering of friends and family; not for two people, unless of course your planning to make it ahead for the working week, which of course we have. It will keep us fed and happy for at least another 3 evenings.

Now onto the ragout - I don’t know how often the Mexican chipotle chile has mingled with the quintessentially British runner bean, but here in this ragout they are just loving each other. I was rather pleased with this fusion dish too, and it was also a nice way to eat the runner beans still growing in the garden plot.

Mushroom Tofu Loaf
Serves 6 - 8
Ingredients3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
50g chopped walnut or Brazil nuts
50g rolled oats
150g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
500ml vegetable stock
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
500g firm tofu, pressed of excess water and crumbled
3 tablespoons arrowroot or cornflour
140g stale brown bread crumbs
Method
In a large pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally until soft and golden brown. Transfer to a bowl. Set aside
In the same pan, heat the remaining oil. Add the nuts, oats and mushroom. Saute for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are tender. Stir in a small amount of stock, turn up the heat and loosen stuck on bits. Add the remaining stock and cook for 10 minutes . Add the soy sauce, mustard, tomato paste, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Continue to cook until the mixture is thick. Add to the bowl with the onions and set aside. Season to taste.
Add the tofu and arrowroot or cornflour to a food processor; puree until smooth. Add to the onion mixture and blend in enough breadcrumbs to make a thick paste; mix well/ tip gently into a non-stick or lightly oiled loaf pan measuring 9 by 5 by 3 inches. Press down firmly to pack in the mixture into the pan. Bake for 40 minutes. For optimal result, let the loaf cool for an hour or two before slicing; or make a day ahead and reheat. Adapted from Ken Charney’s The Bold Vegetarian Chef

Chipotle runner bean-mushroom ragoutServes 4
Ingredients
Handful of runner beans, topped and tailed, then sliced into 1 inch diamond shapes
2 chipotle chiles1 medium onion, finely sliced
3 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
200g chestnut mushrooms
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon mushroom sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Cook the runner beans in salted boiling water, until tender. Drain and set aside.
Split open the chipotle chiles, remove the seeds and soak in hot water until soft (about 30 minutes). Mince the chiles and set aside.
In a large pan, cook the onion in the oil over medium heat until soft and lightly browned. Add the garlic, mushrooms and the minced chipotle chiles. Cook for 5 minutes, then add stir in tomato paste and mushroom sauce and 300ml water. Bring to a boil. Cook until the liquid is reduced by about half mushrooms are tender. Stir in runner beans and cook for a minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and serve immediately. An idea inspired by a recipe from Ken Charneys The Bold Vegetarian Chef.

Let the Runner Bean frenzy continue

Of course I am referring to those runner beans I harvested from the garden plot.

A day after making the spiced runner bean and chickpea salad I made this Spiced runner bean and chickpea stew. This recipe was inspired by Jamie Oliver's dish Sweet Runner Bean stew. His runner bean stew was not suitable for vegetarians or vegans as it contained anchovies, so I thought about replacing the anchovies with minced capers so that it would be reminisce of Puttanesca, but then decided not to. Instead I increased the quantity of chilli and introduced some chickpeas to the dish. Whilst the sauce thickened and bubbled away, I tasted it for seasoning and thought to myself it was rather flavourful. It was rich, spicy and saucy. In fact it actually reminded me a little of Arrabiata sauce.
Spiced Runner bean and chickpea stewServes 4
Ingredients500g runner beans, trimmed
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
2 red chilies, sliced
2 x 400g tins of tomatoes, crushed or blitzed in a food processor
1 long sprig of fresh rosemary
200g cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Feed the runner beans through a bean cutter. If you don’t have one of these nifty little gadgets, just run your speed peeler aka potato peeler down each side of the bean to get rid of the stringy bits and then cut them with a sharp knife into 1cm pieces at an angle.
Heat a large saucepan, big enough to hold all the ingredients, and the olive oil plus the garlic and fry them gently with the chillies until it goes soft. Pour in the tomatoes, the beans and the rosemary sprig. Season and bring to the boil. Place a lid on the pan and simmer gently for 15 to 25 minutes or until the beans are nicely cooked. When the beans are tender, add in the chickpeas and warm through for five minutes. If the sauce gets a little dry, add a splash of water and give the beans a stir. Remove the rosemary sprig before serving.

Serve with couscous, plain boiled rice, potatoes or even over some pasta.

Roasted Runner beans for lunch

I’ve eaten some of the runner beans steamed, this time I thought I’d oven roast them. I remembered a recipe I made last year adapted from Denis Cotters Paradiso Seasons. I thought I’d make a lazy version of it again, but this time with runner beans. Lazy for two reasons, one I was rather tired from the gardening yesterday and wanted to spend little time in the kitchen and more time on the sofa; and two, the spices in the dish have been toned down a little because I was not in the mood to follow the step by step cooking instructions. The end result was still very flavourful and rather filling.
Here are some photographs of progress in the garden yesterday.

I was unable to step into my plot without stepping on or brushing against another plant, now there is room for me to step into the plot, so much so that you can see my stepping tiles as I’ve pulled out most of the brassica plants. Sadly no home-grown cavolo nero for me this winter, and the sprouts, I have left two plants in the soil, but I don’t know if they’ll be there for the winter as they look pretty raggedy with the caterpillar damage.

We also harvested our new potatoes growing in pots. We should have really harvested them a month ago, but they are edible that's the main thing.

Surprised to see some strawberries still growing.

Picked some more bolted rainbow chard. I only touched the golden apple pumpkin and it fell of its vine, so that had to come upstairs with me too. I also snipped some lemon verbena, I am happy just sniffing it, but am going to dry some in the windowsill, so that I can enjoy it later as a herbal tea, maybe.

Even though the runner beans had lost its vibrant green colour, cooked this way they were rather succulent.
Roasted runner beans with couscous
Serves 4
Ingredients
8 shallots
Salt and pepper to taste
300g runner beans, topped and tailed, then sliced into diagonal pieces
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 large fresh red chillies, chopped into rings
1 tablespoon of cumin
50ml vegetable stock or water
200g cooked chickpeas
150g cooked couscous
Optional feta cheese and drizzling of flavoured oil
Method
Preheat oven to gas mark 6. Toss the peeled shallots or onions with a little olive oil into a large baking dish and roast until they have softened a little and beginning to colour. While that is cooking, soak the couscous in 150ml water or vegetable stock. Stir the couscous once and leave it to absorb the water or stock. Add the chopped beans and garlic to the shallots. Toss well and return back to the oven. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the sliced chillies and cumin along with the 50ml water to keep the beans from sticking. Cook for a few more minutes until the beans are tender and the flavours are well absorbed. Stir in the chickpeas.
Sift the couscous with a fork, then gently stir into the cooked vegetables. Serve with a drizzle of the flavoured oil or cubes of feta cheese.

Make time for the Runner Bean

Ah be warned - the next few days will feature recipes that include runner beans.
One of my fellow bloggers commented a little while ago and mentioned that he was not familiar with runner beans. So for those of you may be unfamiliar with it, may I give a very brief introduction.

Runner beans originate from South America, so its quite surprising to note that they are one of the most common garden vegetables in the UK. In fact they have been described as a quintessentially British vegetable. I have found runner beans extremely easy to grow. Before you know it, you'll have long, green runner beans varying from 3 inches to 8 inches to harvest. I don't think runner beans taste of very much, but I still like to grow them, especially for its red-orange flowers that the bees seem to love too. To prepare runner beans, you must top and tail them. I don't tend to remove the stringy bits running up the sides, but some people do using a small knife or vegetable peeler before cooking.

Runner beans can be boiled, roasted, steamed, stewed or stir-fried. They are best cooked until al dente. Over the next few days, I will be experimenting with them.
So this is my first dish. Its an recipe inspired by Denis Cotters Chickpeas with chillies and Nigella Lawson's chickpea with chilli and garlic. Oh I also used the the bolted Rainbow Swiss chard I picked earlier.
Here it is transformed, sauteed in olive oil with some garlic.
Spiced Runner bean and chickpea salad
Serves 4
Ingredients
200g - 250g runner bean, topped and tailed, sliced diagonally
1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
1 red chilli, finely sliced
2 tablespoon olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt to taste
Method
Steam the runner beans, until tender, then set aside
Mix together the garlic, chilli, olive oil, lemon juice and salt to taste. Add in the runner beans and the chickpeas. Stir well to combine. Leave aside for an hour or so for the flavours to infuse. Serve at room temperature.

For those of you with beady eyes, I did add some roasted cubed potatoes to the salad to make more of a meal of it.

Za'atar wedges, tomatoes and spiced runner beans

For those of you who are not familiar za'atar, za'atar is a Middle eastern spice mixture. It is blend made from dried herb(s) namely wild thyme and wild oregano mixed together with flecks of sesame seeds, sumac and salt. For me the flavour is zesty and the fragrance can only be described as earthy.

In parts of the Middle East, zaatar is traditionally eaten as part of a breakfast with labneh (a yogurt cheese), olive oil and flatbread. But some of us will be more familiar with it as an hors d'oeuvre, aperitif or as a exotic salad dressing. Popularised in recent times by celebrity chefs, TV cooks or up-market fast food eateries in London.

I can't remember exactly how i discovered za'atar, I think it may have been one of the spice jars my mother in law brought back for me from Turkey along with sumac. Then I remembered the first time I went to Cyprus I had eaten a spiced flat bread at a market. This was made by a Turkish vendor selling home-made Turkish delights from his mobile van. I really wanted the lahmacun, something described as a Turkish pizza. Unfortunately for me it was made with minced meat, so I settled for a pizza like bread that was seasoned with herbs. I have to admit I thought it was going to be dull, but I was hungry and waited becoming slowly fascinated by the cooking techniques. I watched closely, first make the pizza like flatbread on a hot griddle, then drizzle it with olive oil, generously scatter over some za'atar and olives. This was then rolled like a cigara boregi and eaten on the go. It was truly one of the most delicious things I had eaten. I still remember the unique flavours .

Anyway, back to the present, whilst hunting through my tardis like kitchen cupboards, I came across a jar of za'atar. I remembered picking it up at a fair trade event during Refugee Week a little while ago, along with some delicious Palestinian olive oil. Both ingredients had been pushed to the back of the cupboard, so had not been used much, until today.
For those of you know of my greed for potato wedges, will not be surprised to learn that halfway through the roasting process, I generously sprinkled over some za'atar.
And after cutting the tomatoes in half, they too were given the same treatment, drizzled with olive oil and baked in the oven till they began to droop a little. Oh My gosh they were so tasty. But the overwhelming flavours did not stop there. Oh no there had to be some green on the plate and these spiced runner bean finished the dish off perfectly.
Runner Beans cooked in oil with paprika
Serves 2
Ingredients
250g runner beans,
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon paprika
pinch of cayenne pepper
garlic clove, crushed
150ml water
salt and pepper to taste
Method
Wash and top and tail the beans. Cut into diagonal slices. Heat the oil, paprika and cayenne pepper in a saucepan, then stir in the garlic and the beans. Pour in the water, bring to a boil, cover and simmer until the beans are tender. Check seasoning and serve. Adapted from Rose Elliot's Complete Vegetarian Cookbook.