Beans & Greens

Ive been growing swiss chard in my back plot, as it makes a great vegetable for small areas and you can continue to trim leaves throughout the year to prolong your harvest.
Unfortunately my experiments in german radish has resulted in them being overshadowed and a smaller yield than I would have liked.
Hence, finding some leftover greens in the back of a fridge I've bolstered my chard in the following recipe.
For an even leaner week, you could supplement the chard with cabbage trimmings from your local market, or this time of year peruse the hedgerows for sorrel, fat-hen and rosebay willow herb.
Dried pre-shelled fava beans are cheap and plentiful in any asian supermarkets and make a protein rich alternative to mashed spuds, having soaked them overnight and boiled them until soft. They are popular in lebanese cooking but feature in many mediterranean dishes. This one is inspired by a rural dish from Puglia where hedgerow greens are popular in traditional food.

Fava bean & pot herb bake

1. In a shallow oven dish sweat off a sliced onion and your chard and greens in oil. Season with salt,pepper and nutmeg (if available)

2. Meanwhile, cook off your pre-soaked fava beans until soft.

3. Drain your beans and return to heat.Continue stirring until they resemble mashed potato, season and add some oil or vegan marg if the mash is too stiff and not smooth enough.

4. Take your mashed fava beans and layer on top of your greens. Drizzle with oil and bake in a oven (gas mark 6) until crispy on top.

5. Serve and enjoy. I picked up some reduced basil at my local wholefood shop so I got my partner Jane to mix up one of her lovely vegan pestos to accompany it with fresh garlic herby flavours. You can also make a simple ragu of soya mince and passata and have this as one of the side dishes for a meal with friends.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.2