Cuisine – Summer beans

Anyone who had the foresight to plant beans in December will now be reaping the rich reward of daily pickings. There is nothing like tender young green beans, straight from the garden, plunged into salt water for about one minute and served up straight away with a spoonful of butter or a light drizzle of olive oil. A favourite way is to use fennel or lemon-flavoured olive oil, which adds a lovely aroma to the beans.

One of my favourite ways to cook beans is to cook them as the Greeks do, slowly simmering them for about 30 minutes in a mixture of chopped ripe tomatoes, a little garlic and oil, with salt and pepper. The beans become really velvety and tender, and although they no longer have the fresh bright green colour of blanched beans, they are so tasty. But if you want your beans to retain that bright green colour (especially if you’re making that old favourite Salade Niçoise), add plenty of salt and plunge them into ice cold water after one or two minutes.

I have been buying my beans lately on Saturdays at the Matakana Farmers’ Market from Daryn of Salty River Farm. His stall has become one of the most popular to head to at the market and much of his fresh delicious farm grown produce is snapped up in the first hour. Luckily for many locals, it is also obtainable during the week at a few good food stores between Silverdale to Matakana. Daryn and his wife Louise have been growing greens, lettuces, veggies and basil both hydroponically and in the ground for almost 12 years at their farm on edge of the Kaipara Harbour.

Louise also has a great talent for sketching, and you can see the story of their farm, their stockists and many of Louise’s beautiful drawings and writings on the Salty River Farm website.

Louise and Daryn popped over this week for a casual barbecue dinner and brought their beans, already dressed and delicious. I have, with permission, adapted her recipe this week.

Incidentally, their packets of Baby Leaf Lettuce with Edible Flowers are a constant in my refrigerator, having first drawn my attention at the Outstanding NZ Food Producers Awards a couple of years ago where they gained a gold medal. Growers and food producers take note – entries for these awards close on February 5.

Info: https://www.outstandingfoodproducer.co.nz/

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Salty River Farm Beans with prosciutto, pine nuts and roasted garlic

A favourite summer way with beans at Salty River Farm, and a must for their Christmas table every year. Make the dressing with the roast garlic ahead of time.

600g fresh green beans
8 rashers thinly sliced prosciutto (recommended from Salash Deli)
2 tbsp pine nuts
4 tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves
Salt and freshly cracked pepper to season
For the vinaigrette
1 bulb garlic
4 tbsp good olive oil
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Slice the garlic bulb in half horizontally and drizzle with a little olive oil. Wrap in baking paper and roast in a small dish at 180˚C for about 20 minutes until it’s very soft, and set aside to cool. When cool, squeeze the pulp from the roasted garlic into a vinaigrette dressing jar. Add the oil, vinegar and mustard with plenty of salt and pepper to taste, shaking well. Keep aside until needed.

Top and tail the beans and quickly blanch in boiling salted water for about 30 seconds. Drain and place the blanched beans on a lightly oiled hot barbecue grill or frying pan. Once the beans are slightly blackened (but still crunchy), set aside to cool. Lightly fry the prosciutto, adding a little oil if needed until it’s crisp and chop into small pieces. Toast the pine nuts in the same pan until lightly browned. Take care, as nuts tend to keep on cooking after they’re removed from the pan.

When ready to finish the dish, place the beans on a serving dish and toss well with the garlicky vinaigrette. Chop the fresh basil and fold through the dressed beans with the prosciutto and pine nuts, reserving some to sprinkle on top. Serve at room temperature for best flavour.

Serves six as a side dish.