Recipes

RECIPES FOR YOUR RUNNER BEANS

By David Marks
Runner Beans are a classic British summer vegetable and young ones straight from the garden are a delight. We describe a simple recipe for cooking them as a side vegetable below which makes the most of their fresh taste. Many gardeners grow too many runner beans and thoughts turn to freezing them. Yes it can be done and we describe how to do it but fresh is always best when serving this vegetable on its own. Turn it into a soup though or add it to a Keema Curry, a Paella Valencia or a Spanish type omelette and frozen runner beans will do the job just perfectly.

COOKING RUNNER BEANS

Cut off the tops and tails and chop the runner beans into 3cm / 1in portions. Put them into boiling water for 5 minutes, drain and serve with a knob of butter. Simple but the perfect way to enjoy runner beans.

And whilst on the subject of cooking runner beans, beware, they are definitely not good for you if eaten raw. Some say they are poisonous when eaten raw but this may be an exaggeration. However, eat a few whole runner beans raw and you may well feel the worse for it. The article here explains why.

RUNNER BEANS IN BUTTERED ONIONS

Ingredients:
500g of home grown runner beans, top and tail and cut into 3cm / 1in slices
1 largish onion chopped
30g butter
1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon normal sugar

Add the onions and butter to a pan on a medium heat, fry for 10 minutes stirring every minute or so to stop the onions sticking.

While the onions are frying, boil a pan of water and add the runner beans. Cook for 4 minutes and drain away all the water.

When the onions are cooked add the white wine vinegar and sprinkle in the sugar. Turn up the heat and stir all the ingredients well for 90 seconds.

Add the runner beans into the pan with the onions, stir well for 30 seconds and serve as soon as possible.

KEEMA CURRY

A Keema curry is basically a minced meat curry which uses lamb or beef. In India they would use only a small portion of meat but lots of vegetables. The choice of vegetables would consist of whatever was available from the local market. Often this would be peas although chopped runner beans would make a delicious alternative. The curry should be slightly drier than a normal curry and not sloppy. This would be a mild dish in order to let the spices, meat and vegetables shine through. Our favourite recipe for keema curry can be foundhere.

RUNNER BEAN CURRY

Ingredients:
500g runner beans cut in 3cm pieces
3 tbsp olive
1 onion thinly sliced
2 bay leaves
1 tomato cut into quarters
2 green chillies
1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
1 ½ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup coconut milk
¼ teaspoon curry powder

Heat the olive oil and add the onion and bay leaves and stir. Then add the rest of the ingredients apart from the coconut milk and curry powder.
Mix gently for a few minutes.
Add the coconut milk, bring to the boil and simmer until cooked through, about 7 minutes.
Taste, and sprinkle with curry powder if needed.

Serves 4.

This keeps well in the fridge to be heated up as needed.

SPICED RUNNER BEANS AND NEW POTATOES

Ingredients:
300g runner beans
300g new potatoes chopped into 2cm cubes
3 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves , finely sliced
large pinch chilli flakes
2 cloves
2 x 400g tins plum tomato , drained of juice
small bunch basil , leaves torn

Run a potato peeler down either side of the beans to remove any stringy bits.
Cut on the diagonal into 2cm pieces.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and add the garlic.
Cook for 2 minutes then add the beans, chilli and cloves.
Cook for 2 minutes then tip in the drained tomatoes and potatoes.
Cover and cook for 20-30 minutes until the beans are tender and the sauce is thick and rich.
Stir through the basil just before serving.

NEXT PAGE – RUNNER BEAN START PAGE

MORE PAGES ABOUT GROWING RUNNER BEANS:

Growing Runner Beans

Caring for Runner Beans

Runner Bean varieties

Pests and diseases

Runner Bean Recipes

COMMENTS / QUESTIONS LEFT BY OUR READERS

Sometimes our readers ask specific questions which are not covered in the main article above. Our
Runner Bean comment / question and answer page
lists their comments, questions and answers. At the end of that page there is also a form for you to submit any new question or comment you have.

Recipes

LETTUCE RECIPES

By David Marks
There are some who believe that braised lettuce, boiled lettuce or even barbecued lettuce make an appetising addition to a meal. We are not one of those, we promise.

Lettuce should be enjoyed as it grows in nature, uncooked. That doesn’t mean it’s boring though as any lover of a well-prepared Caesar Salad will tell you. It can served as an addition on its own to all meats, fishes both hot and cold. Combine it with other other vegetables and dressings and it can be used in an infinitesimal number of ways.

One of they keys to enjoying lettuce is to use the various types in the best way possible. Some lettuce are crisp and crunchy with almost no taste, other are soft and flavoursome and yet others share crunchiness and taste in the same variety. Remember, not only taste is important in eating, texture and visual appearance are also key. Our recipes below are grouped according to the major lettuce types, crisp, cos, butterhead and loose-leaf.

CRISPHEAD / ICEBERG LETTUCE

Don't kid yourself, iceberg type lettuces have absolutely no taste and even less nutritional value. They are however the crunchiest lettuce ever and their white leaves set off darker ingredients to perfection. Perhaps one of their best uses is to hold or scoop up cooked meats – their texture is perfect for this use.

CHINESE PORK AND ICEBERG LETTUCE

A delightful starter for four or a light meal for two, this pork based dish is enhanced with a few choice spices. The iceberg lettuce is the perfect container and gives a delicious crunch.

INGREDIENTS
250g / 9oz of minced pork
8 spring onions finely chopped or a handful of finely chopped leeks white stem part)
6 mint leaves finely chopped plus a few leaves for garnish
3 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 small chilli with seeds removed and very finely chopped (chilli flakes can be used instead)
1 tablespoon of fish sauce
1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce
2 level teaspoons of sugar
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
Juice from a small lime
Sweet chilli sauce

HOW TO COOK
Add the oil and minced pork to a frying pan and cook on a medium heat for five minutes stirring frequently to break up the mince.

Add the garlic, chilli, fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar, continue cooking and stirring for two minutes.

Add the lime juice, spring onions and the mint then stir well for two more minutes.

Turn off the heat. Peel and clean four to six iceberg lettuce leaves.

Serve when the meat is just warm. The meat in one bowl, the lettuce leaves in another. Allow your guests to scoop up the meat with the lettuce leaves and sprinkle on some of the sweet chilli sauce.

COS LETTUCE

Cos lettuce have lots of taste in their outer leaves with inner leaves being more crunchy. Their boat like shape make them ideal for filling with savoury or spicy ingredients. They are famous as the main ingredient in Caesar Salad.

WARM CHICKEN SALAD

A classic salad which is quick to prepare. Cos lettuce, bread and chicken are the essentials with most of the other ingredients being optional depending on what you have to hand. If you have no beetroot then a few small cherry tomatoes add the colour and flavour. The recipe below serves two and can easily be scaled up or down.

INGREDIENTS
2 medium sized chicken breasts cut into bite sized chunks
110g / 4oz of unsliced white bread cut into bite sized chunks, crust removed
1 Cos lettuce with the leaves separated and halved
1 200g pack of cooked beetroot cut into bite sized chunks, alternatively use 8 cherry tomatoes
100g / 4oz of feta or goat's cheese
5 tablespoons of olive oil (normal not virgin)
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar

HOW TO COOK
Pour three tablespoons of olive oil into a frying pan on a medium heat. When the oil has warmed through add the bread chunks and fry for five minutes or so until the bread is golden brown. Turn the bread frequently to ensure it is evenly cooked. During the cooking sprinkle some salt and pepper onto the bread to season.

Remove the bread from the pan without removing the remaining oil. Turn the heat up slightly higher then add the chicken chunks and fry on a medium heat until cooked through. This should take five to seven minutes. Remove from the heat and put the chicken on kitchen paper to absorb the excess cooking oil.

To make the salad dressing mix together the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil with the balsamic vinegar, give a quick whisk with a fork. Add all the ingredients (not the salad dressing) to a large bowl, mix them up well and serve immediately. Drizzle the salad dressing over the top.

BUTTERHEAD LETTUCE

Butterhead lettuces have an almost velvety texture and great taste especially the leaves at the heart. It's excellent for all salads and makes supremely tasty soup.

COURGETTE AND LETTUCE SOUP

One of our favourite soups of all time and so cheap if you use garden grown lettuce and courgettes. It serves four and freezes very well.

INGREDIENTS
800g / 1ib 12oz of courgettes – sliced
1 butterhead lettuce with the leaves separated
250g / 9oz of old potatoes peeled and cut into small cubes
1 medium onion peeled and roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
850 ml / 1½ pints of vegetable stock (make with three stock cubes)
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to
your liking
4 tablespoons of soft cream cheese (optional)

HOW TO COOK
Pour the oil into a pan on a medium heat and fry the onions for five minutes stirring frequently. Add the potatoes plus five tablespoons of water and cook for 10 minutes. Stir whilst cooking to prevent the potatoes sticking to the base of the pan.

Add all the remaining ingredients to the pan, bring it to the boil then simmer for 15 minutes.

Liquidise the soup in a food processor, pour back into the pan and reheat for a couple of minutes. At this stage you can add the optional cream cheese and stir in well until melted. Serve with crusty white bread.

MORE PAGES ABOUT GROWING LETTUCE:

Growing Lettuce

Caring for Lettuce

Lettuce varieties

Pests and diseases

Lettuce Recipes

Recipes

RECIPES FOR
FRENCH BEANS

When, Where and How to Sow French Beans

Ongoing French Bean Care

French Beans in Containers / Raised Beds

French Bean Pest and Disease

French Bean Recipes

Recommended French Bean Varieties

By David Marks

French Beans are delicious either boiled or steamed, those are the two basic cooking methods. We have also used them regularly in a couple of other ways, a simple saute in butter (which really is delicious) and also as soup. But when we came started exploring how other people cook their French Beans the range of methods was truly astonishing. The probable reason for this is that French Beans are grown the world over and have been assimilated into many different cuisines in the process.

Before cooking French Beans wash them and cut off both ends because they are slightly tough.

BOILING FRENCH BEANS

French Beans can be boiled lightly for eight to ten minutes to cook them through without making them mushy. If you want to add salt do this at the end of the cooking time to avoid toughening up the skins. If you are making gravy then the water used to boil the beans can be added to the gravy.

HOW TO STEAM FRENCH BEANS

You need a pan and a matching steaming basket to steam vegetables. Fill the base of the pan with a small amount of water (5cm / 2in) , bring to a low boil and place the beans in the basket and place the basket on top of the boiling pan.

On average, steam French Beans for about ten minutes although you may prefer slightly longer or shorter. The shorter the cooking time the more crunch the beans will keep.

MICROWAVING FRENCH BEANS

Prepare the French Beans (500g for four people as a side serving) by topping and tailing them. Place them in a microwave proof dish and add three tablespoons of water. Microwave on high for five minutes or until tender.

FRIED IN BUTTER

It’s surprising how different the French Beans taste when fried in butter, just something slightly different from the standard cooking methods above. Lightly boil the French beans in water, take them off the heat and drain for a minute or so to remove the excess water. Heat a couple of knobs of butter in a frying pan, add the beans and fry for three or four minutes. Serve hot.

SALAD NICOISE

A recipe from heaven that has stood the test of time. Tuna, eggs, salad and French Beans all combine to make a delicious main meal salad which not only tastes delicious but all looks spectacular.
This is a traditional meal but even so different recipes suggest different ingredients.Two recipes we have tried and recommend whole heatedly are the CookUK one which can be found here, or the Red Online one which can be found here.

MORE PAGES ABOUT GROWING FRENCH BEANS:

Growing French Beans

Caring for French Beans

French Beans in Containers / Raised Beds

French Bean varieties

Pests and diseases

French Bean Recipes

Recipes

RECIPES FOR YOUR BRUSSELS SPROUTS

By David Marks
Brussels Sprouts are the perfect example of a vegetable which should only be enjoyed in season and when it is locally produced. This means they will be at their best from mid October to early March. Ten years ago that window would have have been two months shorter but new F1 varieties really have extended the growing season in the UK. Supermarket Brussels sprouts are fine on most occasions but storage at near freezing temperatures and damage during transport do affect their quality. Of course, the supermarkets select varieties based on keeping qualities and appearance in preference to taste.

COOKING BRUSSELS SPROUTS

PREPARING BRUSSELS SPROUTS FOR COOKING

Peel off loose layers then wash the sprouts under running cold water. Trim the base of the sprout so that there is no stalk left on it. Don't cut in half and don’t cut a cross in the base, both of those will simply let water into the middle of the sprouts and contribute to making them soggy.

BOILING BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Add them to boiling water with a little salt and boil gently for seven minutes. Drain of water and serve in warm serving bowl.

FREEZING BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Whatever you read about freezing Brussels sprouts our simple advice is don’t bother. The freezing process always results in soggy sprouts, even the shop bought ones, and they should know how to freeze them, are just a soggy imitation of fresh Brussels sprouts.

BAKED SPROUTS WITH CHEESE, BACON AND CREAM

Ingredients

1kg / 2.2lbs fresh as possible Brussels Sprouts
150g / 5oz back bacon
6 tablespoons of fresh white breadcrumbs
4 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons of vegetable oil
25g / 1oz of butter (salted or unsalted)
25g / 1oz of flaked almonds
400ml / 14 fl oz double cream
3 teaspoons of lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Preparation
Prepare the Brussels sprouts
Cut the bacon into smallish bits
Mix the Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs in a small bowl

Cooking Method

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F / Gas mark 6, slightly lower in fan-assisted ovens.
In a large saucepan lightly boil the sprouts in salted water for 4 minutes.
Drain away the water and cut them in half.
Place a large frying pan on a medium heat, add the butter and oil then add the bacon and almonds. Sauté for 4 minutes turning the ingredients often.
Add the sprouts and cream then bring to a very light boil for three minutes stirring frequently.
Remove from the heat, add salt, pepper and the lemon juice – stir in well. Evenly sprinkle over the breadcrumb / Parmesan cheese mix.
Place in the oven for 18 minutes or so until the top is golden brown. Serve in the same dish.

Serves eight vegetable portions, halve the ingredients to serve four.

NEXT PAGE – BRUSSELS SPROUTS START PAGE

MORE PAGES ABOUT GROWING BRUSSELS SPROUTS:

Growing Brussels Sprouts

Caring for Brussels Sprouts

Brussels Sprouts varieties

Pests and diseases

Recipes for Brussels Sprouts