Fresh Broad Bean and Goat Cheese Salad

11:30 am on 4 October 2010

A simple little salad using very young broad beans which can be served raw, without removing the skin or if a little older, blanch them in boiling salted water and slip off the outer skin to reveal the two bright green beans inside.

Serves 8 (small servings).

Ingredients

  • 1 kilo broad beans – about 2 cups once podded
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 3 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped
  • pinch crushed dried red chilli flakes
  • 250 grams soft goats’ cheese, crumbled into small pieces
  • sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

Combine the beans and all the other ingredients, except the cheese, and season well.

Place the beans in a shallow dish and scatter over the cheese. Drizzle with a little extra olive oil and a scattering of sea salt and pepper.

Serve straight away as an appetizer with some grilled bread.

The beans and cheese can also be warmed through in a sauté pan before serving.

Stephen Morris’s wine recommendation

2010 Twin Islands Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough) - zip and zing. Nice green, fresh speed. Great value for money.

2010 Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough) - classic. Clean. Good passionfruit, but not aggressive. Iconic winemaker - Kevin Judd, ex-Cloudy Bay.

2010 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough) - consistently one of my top ten every year, and this is no different. Such a taste of summer. Citrus and green. Elegant. No bite.