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Fork to fork
How to make a salad with them
Now is the time to harvest French beans (haricot nain mangetout) which have been bred specially for their tender texture and sweet flavour.
They are easy to grow, delicious, crunchy, and very nutritious, and can be steamed, boiled, stir-fried, or baked in casseroles. French beans are best picked when they are fairly small and still young and tender - left to grow for too long they become stringy.
When the pod gets tough and the beans inside start to grow they are past their best. Rely on the texture – the length of the pod doesn’t indicate when the crop is ready for harvesting. Remember that regular harvesting encourages pod formation and the production of a bigger crop.
If, however, you don’t manage to pick all your beans when they are very young you can always pull the string off both sides of the pod and provided that they are not too old they should be fine.
French bean salad with vinaigrette and capers
A delicious salad which can be eaten either warm or cold.
Serves 4
Salad:
400g trimmed French beans
1 large red onion, chopped finely
2 tbs capers
3 tbs chopped fresh parsley leaves, chopped
1 tbs fresh tarragon leaves, chopped
Bowl of iced water (for a cold salad only)
Vinaigrette:
1 large garlic clove, crushed
4 tbs wholegrain mustard
2 tbs cider vinegar
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
First make the vinaigrette by placing the garlic, wholegrain mustard and cider vinegar into a bowl then slowly adding the olive oil while whisking until you get a thick dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Then cook the beans in boiling salted water for about four minutes until al dente. If serving cold plunge them into the iced water to refresh then drain.
Mix the beans with the vinaigrette and all the other ingredients. When serving warm, mix the vinaigrette with the warm beans and the other ingredients just before serving.