BEANS AL LIMONE WITH ASPARAGUS & PEAS
I've based these beans on the Italian dish 'Pasta al Limone'. Luscious and lemony, with lots of gorgeous spring vegetables. If you like, you can swap the asparagus and peas for any other spring veg you have at home - tenderstem broccoli is great here.
Ingredients
- extra virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 700 g jar butter beans
- 300 g asparagus bottoms trimmed
- 100 g fresh or frozen peas
- 1 lemon zested into long strips & juiced
- 4 tbsp crème fraîche
- 35 g parmesan grated
- salt & freshly ground black pepper
- to serve: lemon zest, extra parmesan
Instructions
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Heat a good glug of olive oil in a large pan set over a medium heat. Once hot, add the garlic and fry for a minute or so, just to soften. Add the beans, with their liquid, and a pinch of salt and stir well to combine. Bring the pan to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until the beans are ultra tender.
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Meanwhile, heat a good glug of olive oil in another large pan set over a medium heat. Once hot, add the asparagus and a pinch of salt and fry for 3-4 minutes, until starting to gain some colour. Add the peas, lemon zest and a good crack of black pepper and continue to cook for a further minute or so, or until the peas are bright green and tender. If your peas are frozen, they might need an extra minute or two.
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Stir the crème fraîche, parmesan and lemon juice through the beans. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed, then remove the pan from the heat.
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To serve, arrange the asparagus, peas and lemon zest overtop of the beans (you won’t want to eat the lemon zest, so remove it before tucking in, but it's too pretty not to serve on the dish!). Finish with a grating of parmesan and a good crack of black pepper and eat with lots of crusty bread.