Bean and Shallot Salad with Lyonnaise Vinaigrette
Broad Beans in Their Own Sauce
Broad Bean Risotto
Pea Soup with Bacon
Minted Pea Purée
Pea Guacamole with Parmesan Bruschetta
Petits Pois à la française
Sweetcorn Chowder
Sweetcorn Fritters
Runner beans grow like wildfire in the gardens and vegetable patches of Mousehole. There’s one particular allotment on the sea-facing slope just before you come into the village which always has an especially fine show. The vines look so pretty climbing up their wigwam of supports with their bright red flowers standing out against the fresh, green leaves. Runners are so popular that it’s often possible to buy them in the village shop. We can’t get enough runner beans. I slice them in the old-fashioned way, thinly and on the slant. I often use them in salads and ring the changes by slicing them down the length of the bean so they look like green spaghetti. After cooking, they can be pushed into pretty mounds or into a nest for crab in a herbed mayonnaise or poached monkfish in mayonnaise which has been coloured pink with tomato ketchup and Tabasco.
Broad beans grow from pretty white flowers but are notoriously difficult to cultivate because blackfly love them so much. Fortunately, Royden is very successful with them and has passed on his excesses on many occasions. Not everyone likes the mealy texture and strong flavour of broad beans and they aren’t a commercially successful crop because their furry-lined pods are heavy and often don’t hold many beans. Consequently they seem expensive for what you get. Young, tender bean pods can be eaten whole, but if they are old and tough, it is wise to remove the crescent attached to the bean and even their outer skin. This skin cooks up like a rubbery sheath and peels away easily. Inside, the beans are a vivid bright green.
Fresh garden peas are increasingly a luxury. Fewer people grow peas these days, although Mousehole gardens are full of scented sweet peas and their pretty pastel-coloured flowers. The reality is that frozen petits pois have spoilt us for the real thing.
Corn on the cob or sweetcorn is a common crop around these parts of the south-west peninsula and gluts, happily, are inevitable. We never tire of boiling them for about 10 minutes and biting the corn off the cobs with a slathering of butter and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. They are possibly even better cooked in their husks on the barbecue.
Unlike most salads, this one actually improves if left to sit for an hour or so. It is particularly good with terrine, either as a relish or served more generously for a main course with baked potatoes. I love the simplicity of this salad but it is also very good with diced (peeled and seeded) tomatoes stirred in just before serving.
There will be more vinaigrette than required for the recipe but as it’s a useful all-rounder it will soon be used up. Store in a screw-top jar in the fridge.
4 shallots
2 tbsp Hellmann’s mayonnaise
1kg green beans
salt and pepper
for the Lyonnaise vinaigrette:
pinch of caster sugar
generous pinch of salt
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 generous tbsp smooth Dijon mustard
black pepper
approx. 250ml vegetable oil
1 tbsp cold water
First make the vinaigrette. Stir the sugar and salt into the vinegar until dissolved and then pour into the bowl of a food processor with the mustard, garlic, if using, and several grinds of black pepper. Blitz at high speed and add the oil in a gradual stream, followed by the water, to give the vinaigrette a pale, glossy emulsion and a creamy texture.
Peel, halve and finely chop the shallots. Place the mayonnaise in a salad bowl, gradually beat in about a cupful of vinaigrette into the mayo with a wooden spoon to make a thick, creamy dressing. Stir in the shallots and leave to sit for at least 15 minutes
Top and tail the beans. I usually cut them in half because it seems to make them go further and they are easier to eat. Cook the beans in 3 or 4 batches in plenty of boiling salted water for a couple of minutes (from boiling) until slightly undercooked. Scoop the beans out of the pan and into a sink of cold water to arrest cooking. Drain and pat dry.
Add the beans to the salad bowl, stir thoroughly and stir again just before serving.
Broad beans and gooseberries have a lot in common. Both enjoy an old-fashioned charm and a short season and both have always been popular with people who grow their own food but not with market gardeners. It would be a pity to miss out on this delicious way of cooking broad beans in a creamy sauce with a little ham. Lovely with fish and chicken.
400g shelled broad beans or young beans in their pods
salt and pepper
25g butter
½ tbsp flour
100ml cooking water
200ml milk
squeeze of lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 slices good ham (optional)
nutmeg, optional
If the beans are young and tender, include a section of the pod around some of them. Drop the beans into boiling salted water. Return to boil and cook for 1 minute. Drain, reserving 100ml water. Melt the butter in a medium–small saucepan and stir in the flour until smooth. Add the reserved cooking water and the milk. Bring the sauce to the boil whilst constantly stirring to make a smooth sauce. If it turns lumpy, give the sauce a good beating with a whisk. Reduce the heat immediately. Season with salt and pepper and cook at a gentle simmer for 6 or 7 minutes to make a thick and smooth sauce.
If the beans are big and old, remove the now wrinkly, rubbery covers to reveal bright green beans. Stir the beans into the sauce. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and the parsley. Use scissors to chop the ham directly into the pan. Stir well to separate the pieces of ham and warm through the beans. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning, adding a little nutmeg if liked.
This way of making risotto takes all the stress and labouring over a hot stove out of the dish. It is a strictly unethical recipe but ends up as good, if not better, than many restaurant risottos I’ve been served. The rice should be soft and creamy on the outside with a slight bite on the inside. If it isn’t, just add a little more hot water and continue simmering for a few more minutes before you add the cream. This recipe, incidentally, works brilliantly with fresh or frozen peas. If you do use peas, pre-cook them but don’t add them until the risotto is cooked, otherwise they will dull in colour and turn very sweet.
1 litre hot chicken stock or 2 chicken stock cubes
400g shelled broad beans
125g bunch of spring onions
50g butter
300g arborio risotto rice
glass of white wine
salt and pepper
150g thick cream
handful of mint leaves
freshly grated Parmesan to serve
Put the kettle on to boil, measure off 1 litre of boiling water into a saucepan and dissolve the stock cubes into it, if using. Bring the liquid back to the boil and add the broad beans. Boil for 2 minutes, then scoop the beans into a colander to drain without wasting any stock. Leave the beans to cool slightly, remove the stock from the heat and cover the pan. Trim and finely slice the spring onions, including as much green as possible. Melt the butter in a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed pan with a tight-fitting lid and cook the onions gently for 2–3 minutes until wilted and tender. Stir the rice into the buttery onions and cook, stirring constantly, for a further 2 minutes until the rice is glistening. Add the wine and cook, stirring frequently, until absorbed by the rice. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat. Remove the rubbery and wrinkled skins from the cooled beans. Set aside about one-third of the beans and stir the rest into the rice. Now pour all the stock into the rice. Bring the rice liquid to the boil, stir and, when there are bubbles all over the surface, turn off the heat and clamp on the lid. Leave untouched for 30 minutes. Cook for a further 10 minutes if the rice is still chalky. Remove the lid, add the cream and reserved beans. Stir whilst gently reheating. Shred the mint, stir it into the risotto and serve with grated Parmesan.
This is one of the most useful recipes ever. It is such a simple soup and one that you can vary and jazz up with minimal trouble. And so quick. I often add a little mint sauce or a handful of fresh mint, but it’s not really necessary. Other soft herbs like basil, chervil and chives make it quite different and it’s very good with the South-east Asian combination of garlic, chilli and coriander.
4 slices rindless streaky bacon
1 leek or 2 bunches of spring onions
1 small lemon
50g butter
salt and pepper
750g frozen peas
1 chicken stock cube
Slice across the rashers of bacon to make chunky, short ribbons. Place in a medium-sized heavy-bottomed pan and cook, gently at first, increasing the heat as the fat runs, until very crisp. Scoop from the pan and set aside. Meanwhile, trim the dark-green end of the leek and quarter it lengthways, stopping just short of the root. Wash under cold water, hold the leek together and slice across to make tiny scraps. If using spring onions, trim and finely slice. Grate the zest from the lemon or remove in small scraps with a potato peeler. Add the butter to the pan and stir in the leeks or spring onions and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper, cover the pan and cook over a medium-low heat for 5 or 6 minutes until soft. Fill the kettle and boil. Measure off 1½2 litres water. Add the stock granules or cube and stir to dissolve. Add the stock to the onions, return to the boil and add the peas. Boil for 2 minutes. Liquidize in batches and pour into a clean pan. Reheat and adjust the seasoning with salt and lemon juice. Serve with a garnish of bacon.
A deliciously useful complement to simply cooked fish. Tweak the flavours with other herbs and try adding bacon or ham with the onion. It looks very pretty with white fish and turns peas into a quick, posh sauce. Excellent with fish fingers made by dipping pieces of fish fillet first in flour, then in beaten egg and then in breadcrumbs.
1 large shallot or medium onion
25g butter
400g frozen peas
about 20 mint leaves
salt and pepper
2 tbsp clotted or thick cream
Trim, peel and finely chop the shallot. Soften gently in the butter. Add the peas, 150ml water and the mint. Season and cook for about 10 minutes until the peas are tender. Add the cream and blitz to make a smooth purée, adding a little extra water or cream if it seems too stiff.
Pea guacamole is a great party snack. It’s quick to make and good at any time of the year. Apart from being delicious on toast (bruschetta), it makes a terrific dip with tortilla chips or strips of toasted pitta bread.
2 bunches of spring onions
2 tbsp olive oil
7-slice pack of Speck, Parma or Serrano ham
or 5 tomatoes
big handful of fresh mint leaves (about 75g)
750g frozen petits pois
salt and black pepper
1 lemon
200g feta cheese (optional)
for the bruschetta:
30 slices country-style bread
2 large garlic cloves
approx. 100ml olive oil
approx. 30g freshly grated Parmesan
Trim the spring onions and finely slice. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat and add the spring onions. Using scissors, snip two slices of ham into shreds directly into the onions, together with 2 tablespoons of chopped mint leaves. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring often, until the onion is tender. Add the peas, 350ml cold water and 1 heaped teaspoon of salt. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat so the peas simmer gently for about 5 minutes until just tender. Tip the peas into a colander placed over a bowl to catch the liquid.
Place two-thirds of the peas in the bowl of a food processor/blender and pour in the liquid. Add the remaining mint leaves, the lemon juice and several grinds of black pepper. Blitz briefly to make a chunky cohesive mixture. Use a potato masher to crush the reserved peas. Tip both sets of peas into a bowl. Stir well, taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Snip the remaining ham into little pieces over the peas and stir. If including feta, crumble it over the top and stir that in too. If using tomatoes, cover them with boiling water, count to 20, drain and remove the skin. Cut them in half, scrape away the seeds, chop them quite finely and stir into the peas. Leave to cool.
To make the bruschetta, toast the bread then rub one side with garlic and dribble a little olive oil over the top. Dust each bruschetta with Parmesan. Cut into 2 or 3 pieces and pile with a generous scoop of guacamole.
The French way of eating peas, traditionally served with a spoon and eaten as a course on its own. Both peas and lettuce dull in colour and the flavour is purposely sweet. Lovely with fish.
16 silverskin or other small onions
100g butter
750g frozen petits pois
1 tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp white sugar
3 Little Gem lettuce hearts
small bunch flat-leaf parsley
Place the onions in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for a couple of minutes, drain, trim and peel. Cut a shallow cross in both ends of the onions to stop them collapsing. Bring 100ml salted water to the boil, drop in the onions, cover and boil for 5 minutes. Drain. Meanwhile, melt 75g butter with 150ml water in a wide-bottomed pan, then stir in the frozen petits pois. Cook, tossing the peas constantly for a couple of minutes until they have defrosted and the butter that has solidified around them has melted. Add the salt, black pepper and sugar. Quarter the lettuce hearts lengthways, rinse under cold running water, shake dry, then shred finely across the quarters. Stir the lettuce and onions into the peas. Set aside a couple of sprigs of parsley and bundle up the rest with cotton or string and bury in the peas. Simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes until peas, onion and lettuce are thoroughly cooked. Discard the parsley bundle, stir in the remaining butter and, when melted, adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Chop the remaining parsley, stir into the peas and serve immediately.
Sweetcorn comes to life with a burst of chilli, garlic, lemon zest and fresh coriander leaves. A favourite quick soup.
1 onion, approx. 200g
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1 small unwaxed lemon
2 small red chillies
1 red pepper
4 corn on the cob
salt and pepper
2 chicken stock cubes
handful of coriander leaves
Peel, halve and finely chop the onion. Heat the oil in a 2 litre capacity heavy-bottomed pan and stir in the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, over a medium heat for 5 minutes while you prepare the seasoning. Trim and peel the garlic and slice into super-thin rounds. Using a potato peeler, remove the zest from half the lemon in paper-thin scraps. Trim and split the chillies. Scrape away the seeds, slice into skinny strips and then into tiny scraps. Wash your hands immediately before you forget and rub your eye or another sensitive part of your body with lethal chilli juices. Stir garlic, lemon zest and chilli into the onions. Quarter the pepper, discard the stalk, seeds and white filament, then cut into small chunks. Stir the pepper into the onions. Adjust the heat so that everything cooks without burning. Trim the corn on the cob and stand on the flat end. Using a sharp knife, slice down the cobs to remove the kernels. Stir the corn into the onion mixture. Season generously with salt and pepper. Dissolve the stock cubes in 1 litre of boiling water and add to the pan. Bring the liquid to the boil, reduce the heat immediately, partially cover the pan and cook for about 15 minutes until everything is tender. Coarsely chop the coriander leaves and stir into the soup. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
Sweetcorn fritters are so good, it’s difficult to stop people eating them straight from the pan. They go with everything from sausages and simply cooked chicken or fish to roast tomatoes and cauliflower cheese. I’ve even eaten them with foie gras (at Kensington Place).
3 corn on the cob
50g flour
2 eggs
150ml milk
handful of coriander leaves and 1 small red chilli,
or 2 slices of good ham and 25g watercress leaves
salt and black pepper
vegetable oil for frying
Trim the corn on the cob and stand on the flat end. Using a sharp knife, slice down the cobs to remove the kernels. Drop the kernels into boiling water, boil for 10 minutes and drain.
Sift the flour into a mixing bowl. Add the egg yolks, breaking the whites into a separate mixing bowl or the bowl of a blender with a whisk attachment. Use a wooden spoon to stir the egg yolks into the flour, gradually adding the milk. Replace the spoon with a whisk and whisk vigorously until the batter is smooth and has the consistency of pouring cream. If including coriander and chilli, coarsely chop the coriander leaves. Split the chilli, scrape away the seeds and remove the stalk. Slice into skinny strips, then cut across the strips to make tiny dice. If using ham and watercress, dice the ham quite small and finely chop the watercress. Stir sweetcorn, coriander and chilli or ham and watercress into the batter. Add ½ a teaspoon of salt and a generous seasoning of pepper. Whisk the egg whites until they hold firm but not stiff peaks. Fold into the batter until amalgamated. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat, swirl a little oil round the pan and drop spoonfuls of batter into the pan. Don’t crowd the pan; you should be able to fit about 3 big fritters and 5 or 6 small ones. Cook for 2–3 minutes until you see little bubbles appearing in the fritters and when you lift an edge you can see that the bottom is brown and the fritter is beginning to set. Using a fish slice or blunt knife, quickly flip the fritter over and cook for a further 1–2 minutes. Eat immediately or keep warm in a single layer in a very low oven.