This Month's Recipe...
French Beans with Shallots and Olive Oil
From page 351 of The New English Table.
The French love the gentle, savoury taste of shallots with dwarf beans. Why mess with something that good? Eat these with roast poultry, a salty ewe's milk cheese like feta or with a tomato salad. To get the full flavour eat them at room temperature.
Serves 4
480g dwarf French beans
large pinch of salt
2 shallots, peeled, halved and sliced very thin
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
black pepper
Snip off the ends of the beans. I leave the pointed ends on – I like their appearance.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and add the salt. Add the beans and cook for about 4 minutes until tender – they should still be a bright green but not squeak when you bite them. Drain, then toss the beans in a bowl with the shallots, oil and a twist or two of black pepper and take them to the table.
