Beans have spent too long being treated as culinary admin: tipped into stews to make them stretch further, abandoned at the back of the cupboard or eaten dutifully because somebody has mentioned fibre. Amelia Christie-Miller’s Bold Beans has a rather more persuasive proposition. Beans, it argues, should be the reason you are making dinner in the first place.
These three recipes make an especially strong case during the warmer months, when nobody wants to spend an evening simmering something worthy. They are quick, colourful and substantial enough to count as dinner, while remaining firmly within the loose, forgiving category of salad.
The charred courgette and chickpea salad is built around contrasts: hot, deeply marked courgettes, sumac-crusted chickpeas, cool lemony yoghurt and plenty of mint. It would sit happily beside anything from the barbecue, although it requires no sausages or skewers to justify its presence.
Then there is a green goddess salad that takes the term “salad” as more of a starting suggestion. Romaine lettuce is briefly charred before being loaded with white beans, edamame and cubes of halloumi glazed with honey, chilli and lemon, all arranged over a thick, herb-packed dressing.
Simplest of all is the tomato and herby bean salad, a 10-minute assembly job relying on ripe tomatoes, creamy white beans, capers and fistfuls of basil and parsley. Add garlicky grilled bread and a boiled egg, or eat it directly from the serving bowl while congratulating yourself on having made lunch.
Charred courgette and chickpea salad with lemony yoghurt
“This recipe is such a great summery dish. It’s perfect as a side to a barbecue, but tasty and hearty enough to hold its own as a lunch. The simplicity of the recipe allows the sumacroasted chickpeas to shine through and take centre stage – we can almost guarantee there will be no leftovers. We first discovered this recipe through Tiggy Willett, one of Amelia’s childhood friends, and knew a version of it had to be in the book. We’ve added petits pois to Tiggy’s original recipe, which we love as it lightens it a little.”
Serves: 2-3
Time: 30-35 minutes
Ingredients:
700g (1lb 9oz) jar chickpeas or 2 × 400g (14oz) cans chickpeas, drained
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp sumac
3 courgettes, quartered lengthways then chopped into thirds
100g (3½oz) cooked petits pois (frozen are fine here)
2 baby gem lettuces
Large bunch of mint (about 30g/1oz), leaves picked
1 tsp dried chilli flakes (optional)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the lemony yoghurt dressing:
Juice of 1 lemon
3 tbsp Greek, natural or plantbased yoghurt
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbsp olive oil
Method:
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Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/400F/gas mark 6.
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Rinse the chickpeas, then tumble them into a roasting tray and pat dry with a paper towel. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, then sprinkle over the sumac. Season with salt and pepper and toss well to coat. Roast for 25-30 minutes until golden and crisp.
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Brush the courgettes with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle over a good pinch of salt. Heat a griddle pan over a high heat and add the courgettes. Griddle for around 2 minutes on each side until nicely browned – you’re looking for deep char marks here.
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While the courgettes are cooking, make the dressing. Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl and season to taste, adding more lemon if you like.
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To assemble the salad, toss the charred courgettes, crispy chickpeas, petit pois and lettuce leaves together in a large salad bowl, then drizzle over the yoghurt dressing and sprinkle with fresh mint leaves. Add chilli flakes if desired for some heat and serve.
Green goddess salad
“A nod to the old-school classic, this version makes the dressing the base for some epic toppings: garlic, chilli, honey-glazed halloumi and savoury white beans, with the grilled lettuce wedges as the centrepiece. In many ways, it’s not really a salad at all, but a killer veggie main. Serve this alone, or with some fresh toast to mop up any dressing that remains.”
Serves: 4
Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 romaine or cos lettuces, sliced in half with the stalks intact
700g (1lb 9oz) jar white beans, drained
100g (3 ½ oz) edamame beans (see tip below)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the honey-glazed halloumi:
225g (8oz) halloumi, cut into 2cm (¾ in) cubes
2 tbsp runny honey
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
Juice of ½ lemon
For the green goddess dressing:
50g (1¾ oz) mixed fresh herbs: tarragon, dill, parsley and mint
1 tbsp capers
Juice of 1 lemon
150g (5½ oz) Greek yoghurt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, roughly chopped
1 tbsp mayonnaise (optional)
1 garlic clove, crushed
½-1 tsp Dijon or English mustard
Method:
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First, put your halloumi in a shallow bowl and slather the cubes in the honey, chilli flakes and lemon juice. Put in the fridge to marinate for 15 minutes.
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To make the dressing, put all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Season to taste.
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Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wide frying pan over a high heat. Add the lettuce ‘wedges’ cut-side down, and fry for 2 minutes until they’re a little browned. You’re looking to char the underside without cooking the lettuce. Set aside.
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Reduce the heat to medium–high and, using the same pan, heat the remaining oil. Add the marinated halloumi cubes, ensuring they don’t stick together. Fry the halloumi for 2-3 minutes on each side, checking regularly to see that it doesn’t burn.
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To serve, pour half of the dressing on to a large serving platter. Top with the lettuce wedges, then dress the surrounding area with the white beans. Scatter over the edamame and top with the glazed halloumi. Serve immediately, with the rest of the dressing on the side. You can use any left over for another cracking salad as it keeps for 3-5 days.
Tip: Feel free to use frozen edamame here. Simply defrost in a little boiling water, then run under cold water to cool.
Tomato and herby bean salad
“No cooking involved here, though you could slice some bread, drizzle with olive oil, grill it, then rub with raw garlic if you wanted to up the ante. This salad is perfect for those hot summer days; get your hands on some juicy, ripe toms to beautifully complement the creamy, fudgy beans. A go-to speedy meal or lunch-box staple that will keep beautifully in the fridge for 2-3 days.”
Serves: 4
Time: 10 Minutes
Ingredients:
For the dressing:
1 small garlic clove, grated
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to serve
For the salad:
700g (1lb 9oz) jar white beans, drained and rinsed
600g (1lb 5oz) tomatoes (I like a mix of cherry and large, on the vine tomatoes)
1 large red onion or 2 banana shallots, finely chopped
Small bunch of basil (about 15g/½oz), roughly chopped
Small bunch of parsley (about 15g/½oz), roughly chopped
2 tbsp capers, finely chopped
1 red or green chilli, deseeded and finely sliced (optional)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Optional extras:
Chopped hard-boiled eggs, grilled
Garlic toast
Method:
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Add all of the ingredients for the dressing to a small bowl and mix to combine
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Add all of the salad ingredients to a large serving bowl.
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Pour the dressing into the bowl and toss well to coat. Check for seasoning and serve, along with any optional extras.
‘Bold Beans: Recipes to Get Your Pulse Racing’ by Amelia Christie-Miller (Kyle Books).