Three-Bean Salad with Chimichurri and Charred Spring Onions

• 1 x 400gtin borlotti beans
• 1 x 400gtin butter beans
• 1 x 400gtin black beans
• 1 tspfine salt
• 2bunches spring onions (about 16 in total)
• 1 tbspolive oil
• pinch of flaky salt
• 1large bunch flat-leaf parsley (about 40g, leaves and fine stalks)
• 2 tbspfresh oregano leaves (or 2 tsp dried)
• 1red chilli, finely chopped (deseeded if you want less heat)
• 3 tbspred wine vinegar
• 6 tbspextra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbspgarlic-infused oil
• ½ tspflaky salt
• ½ tspblack pepper
• 200 gcherry tomatoes, halved
• 1red pepper, finely diced
• ½cucumber, deseeded and diced
• 1small red onion, finely diced

Method

1. 1Drain and rinse all three tins of beans thoroughly under cold water until the water runs clear; that starchy tin liquid is what makes bean salads taste tinned, so rinse it off properly. Tip into a large mixing bowl and season with the fine salt.
2. 2Trim the root and the very tops off the spring onions but keep them whole. Toss with the tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of flaky salt.
3. 3Get a griddle pan ripping hot; you should feel fierce heat rising off the surface when you hold your hand 10cm above it. Lay the spring onions across the ridges in a single layer and leave them alone for 2-3 minutes. Don't fidget with them; they need contact time to char. Turn once and char the other side for another 2 minutes until the whites have softened and the greens are blackened in spots. That blackening is the flavour; it's what turns this from a bean salad into something worth eating.
4. 4Tip the spring onions onto a board and roughly chop into 3cm lengths. Set aside.
5. 5For the chimichurri, finely chop the parsley (leaves and tender stalks) and oregano by hand; a food processor turns it into a green sludge and you lose the bite. You want it chopped, not pulverised.
6. 6Combine the chopped herbs in a bowl with the chilli, red wine vinegar, both oils, salt and pepper. Stir and let it sit for 5 minutes; the vinegar needs a moment to mellow into the oil and the herbs need to release their oils into the dressing.
7. 7Add the cherry tomatoes, red pepper, cucumber and red onion to the beans.
8. 8Pour two-thirds of the chimichurri over the beans and fold gently with a large spoon; you want the beans coated, not crushed. Butter beans break easily, so be patient.
9. 9Taste. It should hit you with vinegar first, then herbs, then a low warmth from the chilli. If it tastes flat, it needs more salt or another splash of vinegar; bean salads need more seasoning than you think because the beans are bland on their own.
10. 10Tip onto a wide platter, scatter the charred spring onions over the top, and spoon the remaining chimichurri over so the green oil pools across the surface. Rest for 10 minutes before serving; this is the difference between a good bean salad and a great one. The beans need time to drink in the dressing.

Per serving

kcal

649

protein

26.5g

fibre

25.4g

carbs

65.3g

fat

33g