Jono & Jules do food & wine

We’ve been revisiting the original ‘Cookbook’ from Ottolenghi and found this delicious spring salad. Works well as a side for a barbecue or on its own with some warm pitta breads. The leftovers didn’t suffer too much packed into lunchboxes the next day.

Radish & broad bean salad with green tahini sauce – serves 4

• 500g broad beans, fresh or frozen
• 350g small radishes
• ½ red onion, very thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander
• 30g preserved lemon, finely chopped
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp ground cumin

For the Green Tahini Sauce:

• 150ml tahini paste
• 150ml water
• 80ml lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• ½ tsp salt
• 30g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped if making by hand

First make the tahini sauce by using a food processor or blender to whizz all the ingredients except the parsley together until smooth. Add more water if necessary until you have a honey-like consistency. Add the parsley and blitz for another few seconds, then adjust the seasoning to taste. (If you don’t have a processor you can whisk the ingredients together in a bowl and add the chopped parsley at the end.)

Chill the tahini sauce until needed. It will thicken the longer it is left in the fridge so add a bit more water if necessary before serving.

Simmer the broad beans in a pan of boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water. Remove the beans from their papery skins by squeezing them gently.

Cut the radishes into 6 wedges each and mix with the broad beans, onion, coriander, preserved lemon, lemon juice, parsley, olive oil and cumin. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with warm pitta breads.

(Original recipe from Ottolenghi: the cookbook, by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi, Ebury Press, 2008.)