Tripple color bean salad, with crispy mustard seeds

Tripple color bean salad, with crispy mustard seeds

It's really funny how the idea of a new dish comes to live. It always begins with the thought of one particular ingredient, (kind of obsessively actually) and once the idea has settled itself somewhere in my head, it's almost impossible to get rid of it. It doesn't really matter what i'll make with it, as long as it's something with that particular vegetable or ingredient. Ridiculous, if you think about it.

Anyway, this morning i thought of beans. I know, i often do, but this wasn't about 'just some' beans, but about beans in different kinds and sizes, and in different colors and structures. It had to be something beautiful on your plate, (because people like to eat things that look good, it's a fact) but also as simple and pure as possible. Not anything like a Mexican-style-kindney-beans-and-corn-saladbar which you can find already prepared in you supermarket, for example. I'm just saying.

So, at a certain point this picture popped into my head of some very, very greenish broad beans, and didn't go away. Which was a good thing, of course. Broad beans do take some time to prepare, but are awesome in salads if you keep them fresh and crispy. They combine beautifully with the white giant beans and the darker green haricots vert. But more important, it's just a very nice and tasty salad, with crispy mustard- and cilantro seeds and some zest of an organically grown lemon. Need i say more?

 SEE THE WHOLE RECIPE

Ingredients

300 gr. of (frozen) broad beans
150 gr. fresh haricots vert
130 gr. giant white beans (small can)
Zest of 1 organic lemon
Half a red onion
Handful of flat parsley
2 tsp cilantro seeds, coarsely mashed
1 tsp mustard seed
half a tsp chili flakes
1 garlic clove
4 tbs olive oil, extra virgin

Preparation

Bring some water to boil, chop off the ends of the  haricots vert, and blanch them for 4 minutes. Rinse them and cool them in ice cold water for a few minutes before draining.

When you use white giant beens from a can, rinse an drain them as well.

Again, bring some water to boil, toss in the (frozen) broad beans, and blanch them for just a minute. Rinse, and pop them out of their shells.

Put all the beens together in a large, wide bowl, cut the onion in very thin half rings and add as well.

Roughly chop a handful of flat parsley, and add to the salad.

Chop 1 garlic clove, and grate the zest of a lemon, set aside.

Cush 2 tsp of cilantro seeds, add 1 tbs of mustard seeds (don't crush!) and half a tsp of chili flakes.
Heat the 4 tbs op olive oil, and add the seed mix. Wait until the mustard seeds begin to pop, and pour over you salad.

Add the zest and the chopped garlic, season with salt and fresh ground pepper, and enjoy a very good and crispy triple color bean salad!

chop off the ends of the  haricots vert,

and blanch them for 4 minutes.

Rinse them and cool them in ice cold water for a few minutes before draining.

When you use white giant beens from a can, rinse an drain them as well.

300 gr. of (frozen) broad beans

Blanch them for just a minute. Rinse, and pop them out of their shells.

Slice the onion very thinly

Put all the beens together in a large, wide bowl, and add the onion as well. 

Roughly chop a handful of flat parsley, and add to the salad.

Chop 1 garlic clove,

and grate the zest of a lemon. Set aside.

Crush 2 tsp of cilantro seeds,

 add 1 tbs of mustard seeds (don't crush!) 

and half a tsp of chili flakes.

Heat the 4 tbs op olive oil, and add the seed mix. Wait until the mustard seeds begin to pop, 

and pour over you salad.

Add the zest and the chopped garlic, season with salt and fresh ground pepper, 

and enjoy a very good and crispy triple color bean salad!