I am so here for the butter bean renaissance. No longer are they reserved for soft, brown stews (although I love those, too); you can use these legumes to make so many vibrant, flavour- and texture-packed meals. Both of today’s dishes are nourishing and would make excellent sides for a weekend feast, but they’d equally also be fabulous for a midweek dinner.
Purple sprouting broccoli, bean and walnut bake (pictured top)
Prep 5 min
Cook 35 min
Serves 4 as a main, 6 as a side
100g walnut halves
Salt and pepper
400g purple sprouting broccoli
50g butter
1 onion, peeled and sliced
50g flour
600ml whole milk
125g mature cheddar, grated
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
580g jar butter beans, or 1½ 400g tins butter beans
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Pop the walnuts on a small baking tray and toast for seven minutes.
Fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to a boil. Season with a tablespoon of salt, then, working in batches, drop in the broccoli spears stalk side down and blanch for two minutes. Lift out into a colander and leave to steam dry while you blanch the remaining broccoli.
Melt the butter in a saute pan over a medium heat, then add the onion and cook, stirring often, for 15 minutes, until soft and just taking on some colour. Tip in the flour, cook, stirring, for two minutes, then gradually add the milk, whisking in each addition until smooth before adding more. Bring the sauce to a boil, then simmer, stirring so it doesn’t stick, for two minutes, until the sauce thickens.
Take the pan off the heat, then stir in 100g of the cheddar and the nutmeg, and season to taste. Drain the butter beans, then pour them into the sauce and stir to coat.
Turn on the grill to high. Lay the broccoli and three-quarters of the walnuts in a large baking dish, then pour the sauce all over the top. Pull up a few spears, so they poke out of the sauce, then sprinkle over the remaining 25g cheddar.
Grill for five minutes, until bubbly and golden, sprinkle over the remaining walnuts and some black pepper, and serve.
Sesame, carrot, orange and crispy bean salad
Prep 20 min
Cook 40 min
Serves 4 as a side
500g carrots
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
3 tbsp honey
580g jar butter beans, or 1½ 400g tins butter beans
50g sesame seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
30g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 oranges
150g tahini
Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7. Peel the carrots, cut any large ones in half lengthways, then put them on a baking tray. Sprinkle over the paprika, a tablespoon of olive oil and a teaspoon of salt, and toss to coat. Bake, tossing occasionally, for 40 minutes; spoon over the honey for the last five minutes.
Meanwhile, drain the beans, pat them dry, then tip into a second baking tray. Sprinkle over three tablespoons of olive oil and a teaspoon of salt, toss to coat, then bake, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes, until they’ve crisped up evenly.
Toast the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan for two minutes, then add the cumin seeds and toast for a minute more. Pour the seeds into a bowl, then add the parsley, 50ml olive oil and half a teaspoon of salt, and stir to combine.
Carefully cut the skin off the oranges, slice one and a half of them into 1cm-thick rounds, then cut each round in half.
Pour the tahini into a large bowl, add the juice of the remaining half-orange and 80ml water, then whisk until it forms a silky-smooth paste – the mix will curdle before it gets there, but stick with it! Season with salt to taste.
Spoon the tahini on to a platter and spread it around with a spoon. Arrange the carrots, butter beans and oranges on top, then drizzle over the sesame mixture and serve.
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Sophie Wyburd is the author of Tucking In: A Very Comforting Cookbook, published by Ebury Press at £22. To order a copy for £19.80, visit guardianbookshop.com.
Content shared from www.theguardian.com.
