Broad bean, chargrilled peppers and manchego salad

 

Looking with a renewed interest in Jamie Oliver’s five ingredients cookbook I decided to try this very attractive looking salad for lunch. It reminded me of a starter that you would be served in a very nice restaurant. The ingredients aren’t necessarily items I would have in, but I usually have a jar of roasted peppers and some almonds and the manchego cheese could be replaced with Parmesan. My husband loves broad beans so this was a real treat of a lunch for him. I bought frozen beans and they were perfect for this dish.

Ingredients

Serves 2
200 g fresh podded or frozen broad beans
30 g whole almonds
1 x 480 g jar of roasted red peppers , in brine
½ a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley , (15g)
30 g Manchego cheese

Method
Boil the beans in a pan of boiling salted water for 3 minutes, then drain and pinch the skins off any larger beans.
Toast the almonds in a dry griddle pan on a medium heat until lightly golden, tossing regularly, then remove and finely slice.
Drain the peppers and open out flat, then char on the hot griddle until bar-marked on one side only. Remove and slice 1cm thick.
Finely slice the parsley stalks, pick the leaves, then toss with the broad beans, peppers, 1½ tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon each of red wine vinegar and brine from the pepper jar.
Taste, season to perfection with sea salt and black pepper, and divide between your plates.
Finely shave over the cheese with a speed-peeler, drizzle with 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil, scatter over the almonds, and serve

The beautiful flowers are a bouquet from my mum in law from Bloom and Wild. They are so pretty with their gorgeous autumnal colours. The bouquet is called Orla and is in the letterbox section. I have had numerous bouquets from this company and the flowers are always lovely. They take a day of so to revive so don’t be disappointed when they arrive. They are certainly brightening up these rainy,  lockdown days for me.