Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
Ottolenghi’s Green Bean Salad Recipe
This can be a bewitching inexperienced salad from Yotam Ottolenghi’s wildly standard cookbook Jerusalem. It’s a bean salad delivered to life with an earthy dressing of crispy garlic, capers, coriander and cumin, and freshened with a handful of chervil, tarragon and a few lemon zest. It’s a novel Mediterranean-hopping salad that’s buzzing with flavour!
I’m a self-confessed Ottolenghi tragic (who isn’t??). His present and fervour for imagining authentic vegetable dishes with eclectic influences which might be vibrant, nourishing, thrilling and exquisite to the attention , is impressed.
This can be a recipe tailored from a inexperienced bean salad in his standard cookbook Jerusalem. In traditional Ottolenghi fashion, it’s a salad that brings collectively an unlikely mixture of elements that however simply works so effectively collectively:
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A distinctly Jap Med / Center Jap-inflected dressing made by scorching cumin and coriander seeds in oil together with thinly sliced garlic till the garlic turns to crispy and golden chips;
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A touch of the Mediterranean with a sprinkle of capers offering welcome tanginess and addictive salty pops; and
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An unmistakably nod to French cooking by way of handful of recent chervil and tarragon.
Right here’s what you might want to make this:
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Inexperienced beans – Ottolenghi’s recipe requires a mixture of inexperienced and yellow beans, for color life. For easy ease and accessibility, I sometimes simply make this with inexperienced beans solely;
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Chervil and tarragon (heaps!) – Two massive gamers on this salad that make it so memorable and provides it a uniquely French contact! These herbs develop abundantly in my backyard which is one motive why I’ve been making this salad so usually. Nevertheless, if they aren’t so accessible to you, attempt one in every of these mixtures as a substitute (completely different flavour profile however they work simply as effectively and convey an identical really feel):
Possibility 1: 1/2 cup roughly chopped coriander plus 1/4 cup chopped dill (ie. chop first, then measure)
Possibility 2: 1/2 cup roughly chopped parsley + 1/4 cup roughly chopped coriander + 1/4 cup chopped dill; -
Pink capsicum / bell peppers – These add a terrific splash of color on this in any other case very inexperienced salad!
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Coriander and cumin seeds – Spices that add a distinctly Jap Mediterranean / Center Jap flavour to the dressing. Don’t skip them!
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Garlic – Finely sliced and cooked till golden so that you get little crunchy bits all through the salad. In addition they infuse garlic flavour into the dressing oil;
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Capers – For some welcome briny tanginess;
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Inexperienced onion – A superb quantity of finely sliced inexperienced onion introduces one other recent ingredient on this salad; and
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Lemon – As a result of salad, lemon! Simply the zest, 2 teaspoons. Sufficient for a touch of delicate flavour.
This can be a salad that may be served both heat or at room temperature. It retains effectively in a single day too, however make sure you convey it to room temperature earlier than serving.
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Cook dinner beans – You may prepare dinner the beans both by boiling or steaming, your alternative. However prepare dinner them solely till simply cooked (3 minutes if you happen to boil them). You need them so they’re cooked by way of however not boiled to loss of life. Overcooked beans are gray, limp and lifeless (and stripped of all vitamin and flavour!);
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Drain and dry – Drain, then run underneath chilly faucet water to cease them cooking additional. Folks with a gradual provide of ice can plunge them in a bowl of ice chilly water to hurry this up. In any other case chilly faucet water works simply positive. Drain effectively, and dry utilizing one in every of these strategies: depart them out for some time, unfold out on a tea towel or pat them dry.
Let the beans settle down till simply barely heat, or to room temperature;
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Cook dinner capsicum – Ottolenghi and I differ right here on strategy. He opts to only oven bake the capsicum strips till softened. I want to sauté them over excessive warmth in a forged iron skillet so that you get a little bit of color (the charred spots are the most effective!). As a result of as I at all times say, color = flavour! Add these to the bowl with the beans and allow them to cool for five minutes;
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Golden garlic dressing – For the dressing, warmth the oil in just a little skillet or saucepan over medium warmth. Put the garlic in first and prepare dinner it for 20 seconds;
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End dressing – Then add the capers and prepare dinner for 15 seconds. Add the cumin and coriander seeds, and prepare dinner for an additional 15 seconds or till the garlic is golden and crispy;
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Douse and sizzle! Instantly take away the skillet from the range and pour the dressing over the beans. Benefit from the theatrics of the sizzle!
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Toss effectively – Toss instantly whereas the dressing it scorching. Toss effectively to coat all of the beans in that beautiful garlicky dressing!
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Add recent herbs – And at last, add the inexperienced onion and recent herbs, and toss once more. Serve instantly, or maintain as much as in a single day!
As I discussed earlier, the explanation I’m sharing this salad is as a result of I like the originality of the flavour mixture that’s distinctive but additionally has such common attraction. I’m telling you, all people loves this salad!
All credit score to Ottolenghi, I doubt I’d have ever provide you with such an depraved mixture myself.
Although the plain thought can be to serve issues with all issues Center Jap, its eclectic character means it’s a salad that I feel is simply as at dwelling alongside many Western / European dishes too.
The final time I made it was for a lunch with Garlic Butter Roast Chicken with Lemon Potato Salad, and served it heat as a result of it’s winter over right here in Sydney.
For Center Jap choices, serve it with Chicken or Lamb Shawarma, or with koftas. For one thing just a little completely different, attempt placing on a diffusion of fascinating salads for lunch with mates – nice for catering for vegetarians particularly. This Inexperienced Bean Salad with, say, a Roasted Pumpkin Salad with Yogurt Dressing, a Greek Marinated Chickpea Salad and a few flatbreads or crusty bread would pleasant.
However this can be a salad that’s additionally fascinating sufficient to face by itself two toes and be the star in a meal. Attempt it with a easy piece of pan fried fish or baked chicken breast. Have it alongside grilled pork chops or a easy but grand-looking complete baked herb-stuffed fish. Ooh sure! That might be a terrific mixture! – Johnsat x
Ingredients
- 500g/ 1 lb green beans , trimmed (Note 1)
- 4 green onions , finely sliced
- 2 cups chervil leaves (Note 2 other herb options)
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped tarragon leaves (Note 2 other herb options)
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 red capsicum / bell peppers , cut into 0.5cm / 0.2″ strips
- 2 tsp olive oil
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves , finely sliced
- 3 tbsp capers , rinsed and patted dry
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
Instructions
- Cook beans: Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add beans, bring back up to the boil, then cook for 3 minutes.
- Drain and dry: Drain, rinse under cold running tap water to cool. Shake off excess water well, then pat dry. Transfer to bowl.
- Blister capsicum: Heat oil in a heavy based skillet over high heat until smoking. Add capsicum with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring every now and then, until tender-crisp with some nice charred edges. Transfer bowl with beans, allow to cool to room temperature.
- Dressing: Heat oil in a small skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 20 seconds. Add capers and cook for 15 seconds. Add cumin and coriander seeds. Cook until garlic is golden, then immediately pour over the beans.
- Toss and serve: Add green onion, herbs, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Toss well. Serve immediately, though it keeps really well overnight too (make sure to serve at room temp).
Notes
1. Beans – Ottolenghi uses a mix of green and yellow beans (equal parts). I typically just make this with green beans because they’re more readily available.
2. Herbs – Excellent salad to make if you’ve got chervil and tarragon growing abundantly in your garden! If not, try these combos instead – different flavour profile but also very, very good:
Option 1: 1/2 cup roughly chopped coriander plus 1/4 cup chopped dill (ie chop first, then measure)
Option 2: 1/2 cup roughly chopped parsley + 1/4 cup roughly chopped coriander + 1/4 cup chopped dill
3. Source – Adapted from the Mixed Bean Salad recipe in Yotam Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem cookbook. Changes I made: Only use green beans instead of 50/50 yellow and green beans, char capsicum on stove instead of cooking in oven (just kind of goes soggy).
4. Storage – Keeps very well overnight even once dressed. Make sure to serve at room temperature.
5. Nutrition per serving, assuming 6 servings.
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