I actually don’t know where to start in writing this recipe, as I type I can not even think what I should call it as this gorgeous lunch came about completely by accident, well I say accident, what really happened is that as usual on a Sunday morning before our Ocado delivery arrives, Hubby likes to go through the fridge and vegetable drawers to see what needs throwing out and due to a week of clean eating recipes we seem to of accumulate rather a lot of fresh herbs, a packet of feta and some left over beans, not wanting to waste any of these delicious goodies Hubby decided to throw them all together and came up with a rather stunning lunch that we enjoyed in the garden in glorious sunshine.
So I ask that you please bare with me when reading the recipe below, giving measurements and instructions will not be easy, I didn’t even see him make most of this dish as I was in the garden, lovingly tending to our little tomato, cucumber and pepper plants, but I have done my best.
I have taken an old pesto recipe from my blog just to give you some rough guidance, but really just use what you have and just throw it all in.
This dish was delicious, so tasty and so filling, Luca was at his friends next door and came back for some, turning down a cheese toasty for it !!
I think that is was just lovely as it was, but if you had any left over asparagus a poached egg on top would of been divine. It was such a great way to use up some really wholesome and nutritious ingredients that would of only ended up on the compost heap.
Broad Beans are so good for our digestive system, they are high in fibre and there is rather a lot of garlic in this recipe which is great for the heart and circulation, not one food can really be classed as a superfood, they often need each other for their complex mix of nutrients and vitamins to be of use to our body, but when a dish tastes this amazing, not only do you feel virtuous that you haven’t thrown away perfectly good food but you also have the knowledge that it is doing your body so much good as well.
So I hope that this has inspired you for when you next look into your fridge and see a pile of different ingredients that you would normally throw out, sometimes anything is possible and the results may just surprise you.
Buon appetito
Pesto ingredients
3 cups dry, clean and very tightly packed basil leaves (we used a mixture of basil, oregano and rocket)
5 small to medium cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
3/4 cup olive oil or rapeseed oil
1/2 cup lightly toasted pine nuts (we used left over hazelnuts)
2 cups (4 1/2 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan
Zest of 2 lemons
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon of salt
Granary or wholemeal brown bread slices ( one to two slices per person, depending on how hungry they are)
1 garlic clove, peeled and left whole
Green Beans (broad bean, soya, peas, runner, French etc) enough for a good serving per person
Feta
Freshly ground black pepper
Start by making the pesto first, place the basil, garlic and olive oil in a food processor. Process continuously or in pulses until the basil is pureed, it takes about 15 seconds. Add the pine nuts, grated Parmesan, lemon zest and salt. Pulse only for a few seconds more, until the ingredients have combined into a rough paste, set to one side until needed.
Steam or boil your chosen beans until cooked through and tender according to which beans you have decided to use.
When the beans are cooked, pop your bread into the toaster or under the grill. It can be browning whilst you put the finishing touches to the beans.
Once the beans are cooked, strain any cooking water and place them into a large bowl, crumble over the feta, pour over your pesto and stir gently to combine everything together.
Place your toast onto plates, rub over with the clove if garlic and top with the bean mixture and freshly ground black pepper and serve.
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