Name: Bean salad with tarragon dressing
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: Dressing; 5 tablespoon lemon-infused olive oil; 1 clove garlic, crushed; 3/4 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 2 tablespoon tarragon vinegar; Salad; 1/4 cup small pitted black olives; 250 gram slim green beans, trimmed; 2 firm, perfectly ripe avocados; 1 punnet cherry tomatoes; 1.5 baby cos lettuces, trimmed, broken apart into leaves, washed and dried; 2 slim witloof, trimmed and broken into leaves; fresh baby peas, blanched for 2-3 minutes; parsley florets; small mint leaves; 2 tablespoon snipped chives; 1/2 cup small basil leaves; 1 tablespoon chopped dill; micro greens; edible flowers or petals; 1/4 cup toasted, skinned, chopped hazelnuts

Bean salad with tarragon dressing

Julie Biuso adds a dash of pizazz to vegetable sides, ensuring your summer dining table is alive with colourful, fresh and healthy flavours. Imaginative vegetable sides can turn a meal into a fabulous feast. We’re not talking plain boiled carrots – we’re talking flavour, colour and attitude. Bring in ginger, spices and chilli for a little zing; nuts for the crunch factor; edible flower petals for colour; then yellow and red capsicum to contrast with the green vegetables.

Ingredients

Dressing

5 tablespoon lemon-infused olive oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoon tarragon vinegar

Salad

1/4 cup small pitted black olives

250 gram slim green beans, trimmed

2 firm, perfectly ripe avocados

1 punnet cherry tomatoes

1.5 baby cos lettuces, trimmed, broken apart into leaves, washed and dried

2 slim witloof, trimmed and broken into leaves

fresh baby peas, blanched for 2-3 minutes

parsley florets

small mint leaves

2 tablespoon snipped chives

1/2 cup small basil leaves

1 tablespoon chopped dill

micro greens

edible flowers or petals

1/4 cup toasted, skinned, chopped hazelnuts

Method

1.Make the dressing first and let the black olives steep in it while preparing the salad. Whisk oil, garlic, salt, pepper and vinegar together in a medium-sized bowl. Add olives.

2.Plunge beans into a saucepan of salted, boiling water and cook until nearly tender (this is not a salad for super-crunchy beans, although don’t let them turn to pulp). Drain beans and refresh with cold water. Tip them onto paper towels and quickly pat dry. If the beans are fat, slice into short lengths on the diagonal. Add to bowl of dressing with olives and toss well.

3.Cut avocados in half, extract the stones and remove skin. Chop flesh. Halve tomatoes. Put cos lettuce, witloof and baby peas in a large shallow serving bowl. Pour beans and olives on top, scraping in all the dressing. Toss well.

4.Scatter with all the herbs and add avocado and tomatoes and toss again, this time more gently, then top with micro greens and flowers or petals, if using, and give a final quick toss. Scatter with toasted hazelnuts and serve immediately.

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Ingredients

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