good old french bean salad

servings
4

method

I had this salad in a bistro in France and it was fantastic. You know, twangy and mustardy and so nice to eat as a starter before the main course arrived. It reminded me that sometimes cooking rules should be broken. We're told that beans should only be cooked until they're al dente, but I think we should cook them for a bit longer. I'd rather run my nails down a blackboard than eat a squeaky al dente green bean! So here's a recipe for properly cooked beans! Keep your eyes open for different color beans – green, yellow or black – as a mixture will make it even more interesting. And when preparing them, leave the wispy ends on as they look so nice.

Bring a pan of water to a fast boil, add your beans, put a lid on the pan, and cook for at least 4 to 5 minutes. Boiling the beans fast like this helps them to retain all their nutrients. Meanwhile, put the mustard and vinegar into a jam jar or bowl and, while stirring, add the olive oil to make a good hot French dressing. Season carefully with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, then add the finely chopped shallot, the capers if you're using them and the garlic.

Remove one of the beans from the pan to check if it's cooked. If it holds its shape but is also soft to the bite, it's perfect. Drain in a colander. Now, while the beans are steaming hot, this is the perfect moment to dress them – a hot bean will take on more of the wonderful dressing than a cold one. It is best to serve the beans warm, not cold, and certainly not at fridge temperature because the flavors will be muted and boring. Serve the beans in a bowl, sprinkled with chervil if you like – it's a delicate, crunchy herb that goes well with beans. Serve as a salad in its own right, or as an accompaniment to a main meal.

• from Jamie's Dinners

ingredients

• 4 handfuls of French beans, stalk ends removed
• 2–3 heaped teaspoons good French mustard, to taste
• 2 tablespoons good-quality white wine vinegar
• 7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 medium shallot, peeled and finely chopped
• optional: 1 tablespoon capers
• ½ a clove of garlic, finely grated
optional: a small handful of fresh chervil

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1. by AussieAlly on Wed 20 Jul 2011 @ 15:46

Love,Love,Love this recipe YUMMO i also thought is was even better with garlic in it,i just wanted to eat the beans for tea and forget the rest of the mean bloody legend matey xxx<br />

2. by Erin on Mon 13 Jun 2011 @ 00:14

This recipe reminds me of the food I ate while I was studying in France. Delicious!! Although I had it sans capers.

3. by Nilay on Mon 13 Jul 2009 @ 23:47

Hi,
Jamie says, "I had this salad in a bistro in France and it was fantastic."
It's was fantastic but this is not special beans for France... The beans are very delicious ...is cowpea. And South west Turkey... near Egean seaside people... in Bodrum people .. they are very good cooked. Sometimes they're make salat with lemon juice and garlic ,sometimes fried.

4. by Stacerella on Mon 13 Jul 2009 @ 17:41

OMG, I've never been able to articulate why I hate sitting down to yellow and green beans at my mother's and MIL's dinner table, but you just nailed the reason. Thank you. I would rather starve than eat el dente beans!!

Give me grilled or roasted, with charred edges and almost mushy texture mixed with some somewhat el dente thrown in for good texture mix. Brilliant dish. I make mine like that all the time. A bit of olive oil, some coarse salt, leave them cook down, then serve with some chopped nuts on top. I could eat that as a full meal and be perfectly content. :-)

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