Ingredients
- 2 fennel bulbs
- 300 g dark green beans
- 2 tbsp pitless black olives
- 1 chilli pepper
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 shallot
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Author of this recipe
Green beans are mainly known as ingredients in traditional dishes such as bubble and squeak. But you can do so much more with them. They are also commonly known as ‘string beans’, but to be honest that name is no longer appropriate. In the past, the only green beans that were available were so stringy and tough that they had to be cut up into small pieces or even shredded in a special bean grinder. Nowadays nearly all types of green beans can be eaten whole and have a nice, crunchy texture without being stringy. The only reason to cut them is to intensify their flavour and aroma.
There are also numerous ways of using them in your cooking, such as the grilled beans in this salad recipe.
Preparation
Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Cut the fennel into 2 cm wedges. When the water is boiling, add the beans and the fennel. Add salt to taste and boil them for approx. 5 min.
Finely chop the olives. Remove the green stem and the seeds from the chilli pepper and then chop it finely.
Finely chop the garlic and the shallot. Mix the finely chopped olives with the chilli pepper, garlic, shallot, extra virgin olive oil and then season with salt and pepper to taste.
Finely chop the garlic and the shallot. Mix the finely chopped olives with the chilli pepper, garlic, shallot, extra virgin olive oil and then season with salt and pepper to taste.
Pre-heat a grill pan or light the BBQ. Grill the green beans and fennel wedges in approx. 3 min. until cooked (NB. it may take a lot less time on the BBQ), turning halfway through.
Season with pepper and drizzle over the olive mixture.
Season with pepper and drizzle over the olive mixture.