Salads
Warm runner bean salad with fennel, apple and walnut dressing
We serve this regularly in our Field Kitchen restaurant and it gets a great response. The walnut dressing really makes this dish. Try it also in winter with leeks and cauliflower.
Ingredients
main
- 100g walnuts
- 1 tsp walnut oil
- pinch cayenne pepper
- 300g runner beans, sliced on the diagonal into 1-2cm lengths
- 2 apples, cored and cut into 1cm dice
- 1 fennel bulb, very finely shaved (a mandolin is good for this)
for the walnut dressing
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp honey
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 100ml sunflower oil
- 1 tbsp walnut oil
- salt and pepper
Method
main
-
Step 1
Preheat oven to 180°C/Gas 4.
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Step 2
Mix the walnuts with the walnut oil, cayenne pepper and a pinch of salt and spread them out on a baking sheet.
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Step 3
Place in the oven and roast for 5 minutes, until lightly toasted. Remove and leave to cool.
For the dressing
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Step 1
whisk together all the ingredients and season to taste. Lightly crush half the walnuts and add them to the dressing.
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Step 2
Cook the runner beans in a pan of boiling salted water for about 5 minutes, until just tender.
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Step 3
Drain and toss with the apples, fennel, walnut dressing and the remaining walnuts. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
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Step 4
Leave to sit for a while before serving, so the runner beans can absorb the flavours.
