Vegetarian mains
Ragú of green beans with tomatoes, olives & farinata
Green beans don’t always have to be bright and squeaky, they are more than happy to be given a little extra time and heat. There are plenty of recipes from the Mediterranean that deal with a green bean glut in this way. What you lose in colour and bite, you make up for with a melt-in the-mouth tenderness. Farinata (also known as socca) is a dense chickpea pancake, often baked in shallow trays in wood-fired ovens. It is perfect to drag through and mop up rich sauces.
Ingredients
- 100g chickpea (gram) flour
- 250g green beans
- olive oil
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 400g passata
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 60g green olives, halved
- 2 large rosemary sprigs, roughly chopped
- 20g basil
- 25g parmesan
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
Start by tipping 330ml of warm water into a bowl. Add the chickpea flour and just shy of 1 teaspoon of salt. Whisk well to beat out any lumps. Leave to sit while you make the sauce.
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Step 2
Slice the beans at an angle into about 3-4 pieces each. Heat 2 tablespoon of oil in the saucepan and add the onion. Cook gently for 8 minutes until starting to soften. Add the garlic and the beans and continue to cook gently for a further 3 minutes. Tip in the passata, tomato purée, and vinegar. Top the pan up with a little water so that the beans are just covered. Cook at a gentle simmer for 10 minutes.
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Step 3
Add the olives to the beans and season with a little salt and pepper. Gently simmer away for a further 20 minutes, until everything is tender.
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Step 4
Meanwhile, whisk 1 tablespoon (15ml) of olive oil into the chickpea batter along with some ground black pepper.
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Step 5
5 minutes before the sauce is ready, turn your grill to medium-high and heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Add the farinata batter, tipping it to coat the pan. Evenly scatter over the rosemary and fry for approx. 4 minutes, on a medium-high heat, until the bottom is golden brown.
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Step 6
Transfer the farinata pan to your grill and cook until the top is golden brown, and the edges are nice and crispy (approx. 3-4 minutes). Check that the centre is set.
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Step 7
Tear the basil leaves into the beans at the last minute and serve the sauce, piled into 2 bowls. Sprinkle over the cheese and divide the farinata equally, using it to scoop and eat the sauce.