Flat Beans and Green Cabbage

Hi everyone,

This week we have lovely Flat beans in all our bags which you can of course simply boil or steam but they also work really well in salads. One of my favourites is with Cous Cous and Chorizo which makes a great lunch on its own or, you can serve it as part of a bigger mezze style meal (ie with lots of other dishes like say, Hummus, Spanish Omelette, Olives, Cheese and maybe nice spanish Ham). Chorizo is a spicy sausage from the south of Spain which gives great flavour to all kinds of dishes (in Andalucia they eat it with absolutely everything). When it’s tossed on the pan it releases a beautiful spicy oil and I make sure this goes into the salad so there’s lots of flavour and you don’t need to add much more in the way of dressing.

Warm Cous Cous salad with Flat Beans and Chorizo

You’ll need

280gr-300gr Flat Beans (about what you have in your bag this week) topped and tailed

1 Cup Cous Cous

1 Onion

A piece of Chorizo 2-3 inches long

Olive Oil

Lemon Juice

Red Wine Vinegar

Begin by cooking your Beans. Cut them in three so you have pieces about an inch and a half long. Drop into boiling water and cook until tender. Drain, rinse under cold water and set aside.

Prepare 1 cup of Cous Cous. My method, which I explained a few weeks back, involves toasting the grains on a dry (ie. no oil) frying pan over a medium heat (this gives them a lovely nutty flavour which adds to your final dish). When they start to turn golden add 2 cups of hot water, turn off the heat and stir until all the water is absorbed and the Cous Cous is cooked adding more water if necessary. If you find the grains are still undercooked simply turn on the heat again, add more water and cook until absorbed and the grains are done.

Chop your Onion and mix it through the still warm Cous Cous, season  and set aside.

Roughly chop the Chorizo and gently saute in a little Olive Oil for a few minutes before adding the Beans. Toss everything over a medium heat for another minute then mix into the Cous Cous making sure to get as much of the Chorizo Oil from the pan as possible. Dress with a little Olive Oil, Lemon Juice and Red Wine Vinegar.

Variation: Add Chickpeas and/or chopped Parsley

The Cabbage in your bag this week is fantastic stir-fried especially with some toasted Sesame Seeds………….

Sesame stir-fried Cabbage (for 2)

You’ll need:

1/2 head Cabbage

3 Tablespoons Sesame Seeds

Vegetable Oil

Soy Sauce or Tamari

Toasted Sesame Oil if you have it

Finely shred and wash your Cabbage and set aside. Toast the Sesame seeds on a dry pan and set aside.

Heat the Oil on your wok or pan. When it’s sizzling hot throw on the cabbage and toss until wilted. Add a dash of Soy Sauce and toss until mixed through then remove from the heat.

To serve drizzle with Toasted Sesame Oil and sprinkle with the Sesame seeds.

If you’re not sure what to do with this week’s Butternut Squash check our recipe blog for recipes and info.

Hope you enjoy these recipes,

Have a great weekend,

Sarah