Sam recently wrote a piece on our blog about the “hungry gap” , which we’re currently in the midst of. Our winter crops have finished (such as kale, leeks, broccoli) and supplies of staples from the farms we partner with are dwindling while we await the first crops of the new season.
For seasonal eaters, drying and storing is one of the numerous ways to preserve produce in order to get us through the trickiest part of the food-year. That’s what we did with the remainder of our borlotti beans which we sold fresh last autumn. We took the abundance from the high-season when we had more than plenty, to help make it through this hungry-gap period. All it took was a bit of careful planning and it means we can provide a pleasant surprise this week.
The stored borlotti beans in your bags this week are beautiful little pulses with a sweetish flavour and a smooth, creamy texture. As with most dried pulses, you need to soak them overnight before using them. The borlotti beans work well in stews and salads, and Pavlina, our own resident Food Fairy’s whipped up a recipe to make them even more delicious.
Borlotti Bean Salad
- 400gr cooked Borlotti beans
- 2-3 carrots
- Salad leaves (2 handfuls)
- 1-2 red peppers (or equivalent cherry tomatoes instead)
- A bunch of spring onions (or red onion)
- Fresh mint and parsley to taste (a handful of each recommended)
Mix the dressing in a separate bowl, to taste:
- Salt
- Olive oil
- Balsamic vinegar
Method:
- Soak the beans overnight.
- In fresh water, simmer until tender (roughly an hour), and then drain the excess water.
- Grate the carrots, chop the peppers and onions, and mix everything together.
- Drizzle the dressing over the salad before serving.
Also tasty served on a piece of toasted baguette or our seasonal rosemary focaccia bread.