Recipe by Alby Hailes, for our Spring Gardening Series 2023.
I’m a big fan of using the ‘whole’ vegetable. And grilling whole broad beans (pods and all) is a revelation. The beans steam inside the pods as they grill, and the heat also softens the pods to a pleasant eating texture.
This side dish sings of spring, with seasonal additions of raw asparagus and elderflower cordial, and a punch of flavour from preserved lemon in the dressing. Swap in whatever fresh herbs you have available, or turn this into a heartier lunch with the addition of cooked bulgur wheat, quinoa, noodles or your favourite protein.
Serves 4-6 as a side
Ingredients
300g whole broad beans (in their pods), ends trimmed
3 tbsp olive oil
sea salt
cracked black pepper
200g asparagus spears, woody ends trimmed
1 medium bunch flat-leaf parsley leaves (about 20g), roughly chopped
1 large handful mint leaves, roughly chopped, plus extra to serve
1 large handful coriander leaves, roughly chopped, plus extra to serve
1 small green chilli, finely chopped
50g roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped, to serve
Preserved lemon + elderflower dressing
skin of ½ preserved lemon, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely grated
3 tbsp elderflower cordial
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
⅓ tsp sea salt
Method
First make the dressing. Place all dressing ingredients in a jar and shake until well combined. Set aside to allow the flavours to mingle.
For the beans, place the whole broad bean pods in a large bowl, add the olive oil, season with salt and black pepper, and toss to coat. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once the pan is very hot, add the beans and any oil from the boil to the pan in a single layer. Grill for about 2 minutes on each side, until nicely charred and starting to soften. Return the grilled beans from the pan to the large bowl. Take each asparagus spear and using a potato peeler, shave along the length of each spear to create long thin ribbons of asparagus. You will reach a stage where the asparagus is too thin to hold and shave ribbons from – at this point, roughly chop the leftover spears into 1cm pieces. Add the asparagus ribbons and pieces to the broad beans, along with the chopped parsley, mint, coriander, and chilli.
To serve, shake the dressing again to mix, and pour half of the dressing over the beans, tossing through the vegetables to evenly coat. Transfer the greens to a medium-large serving platter. Drizzle with the remaining dressing, then finish with the chopped roasted hazelnuts, and a scattering of mint and coriander leaves.
