I am a huge fan of Yotam Ottlenghi’s vegetable recipes. He can turn the simplest ingredients into magical masterpieces. One recipe of his that I still crave is a green bean salad with wild rice and loads of fresh tarragon. He uses a coarse grain mustard for the vinaigrette so you get this beautiful contrast in textures and flavors. Promise me you’ll try the coarse-grain mustard in this version as well. It adds an unexpected pop to every bite! Thank you, Yotam, for inspiring me to give vegetables the center stage more often.
8oz.225 g snow peas, trimmed and sliced on the bias
2cups60 g pea shoots, optional
½cup20 g roughly chopped fresh mint, tarragon, or combination of the two
MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE:
¼cup60 ml ) fresh lemon juice
2Tbspminced shallot
2Tbspcoarse-grain mustard
1Tbsphoney
½cup120 ml extra-virgin Olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 2 Tbsp salt. Prepare an ice bath in a large mixing bowl (3 parts ice to 2 parts water).
Blanch the green beans until bright green and barely softened, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the ice bath until cooled, then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to dry. Blanch the snap peas until bright green and slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Transfer to the ice bath, then transfer to a paper-towel lined plate.
In a small skillet over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the pine nuts and a pinch of salt, and cook until fragrant and golden brown, about 3 minutes. Let cool completely.
To make the mustard vinaigrette: In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, shallot, and mustard, and let sit for about 5 minutes. Whisk in the honey. Slowly whisk in the oil until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
To assemble the salad: Combine the blanched green beans and snap peas and raw snow peas in a large bowl. Add the pea shoots, mint, pine nuts, and ½ cup of the vinaigrette. Toss to combine, adding the remaining vinaigrette as desired, and serve.
Notes
Recipe from “The Vibrant Life: Eat Well, Be Well” by Amanda Haas (Chronicle Books, 2019).