Roasted Green Beans with Spiced Tahini & Sesame Seeds
and a good menu for a laid-back Saturday lunch
How are you? It’s such a sincere question and one I think we should ask more. I would love to know how you are and if you had anything delicious lately? Something that fills you with joy when you have it. Mine? Hmm, after 16 years of no coffee, a good flat white at my favourite coffee shop hits the spot every time.
I am writing to you from a rainy Cape Town and after a warm week it feels like bliss. I am however struggling to get my head around how it turned out to be March next week?!
The decision to throw studies in the mix is proving to be an interesting & challenging juggle, although I am loving what I am learning (Biomedicine) I am missing my creative output which is and will always be cooking.
Luckily I invited my sister and a friend along for a Saturday lunch the other day which was the perfect opportunity to get creative in the kitchen. I am in my element when I don’t really know what I am cooking but have a fridge full of random veggies and other interesting bits.
I like to make up recipes as I go, its not always successful, but mostly I get to ‘play’ in my kitchen using basic ingredients mixed with my favourite flavour staples. I find that lemons, limes, a very very good extra virgin olive oil, garlic, dill, a very good feta, olives, my chilli oil, Himalayan salt & fresh pepper can really elevate anything.
I rarely cook with meat these days and when I do it really needs to be from a farm that I am happy to have in my home.
On the lunch menu:
I made a slow roasted Lowerland lamb shoulder (studded with garlic, anchovies & rosemary) which I roasted in the oven on 220c (without a lid) and then on 150c until falling from the bone - a tight lid is essential (see notes below).
Roasted Pumpkin Wedges with a Zesty Coriander Dressing and Dukkah (recipe coming soon)
Brothy Beans with Preserved Lemons (pic below)
I always like to have a good chilli oil on the table and salsa verde (a green herb sauce).
By now I think most of you know how in love I am with seasonal produce from small scale farmers, to me, they are the heroes and we should really sing their praises more.
Bushrah & Nevau from Those Who Harvest are my favourites farmers, I often sing their praises and their boxes brings me so much joy. I feel forever grateful that I have access to produce grown with so much care and love in soil looked after a family with a true passion for biodynamic farming. They deliver every second Friday in Cape Town.
Here is a recipe that I made celebrating the best of the late summer tomatoes, green beans and a really good Tahini.
Roasted Green Beans with Spiced Tahini & Sesame Seeds
500 g cherry tomatoes on the vine
500 g green beans topped but not tailed
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds (I combined black & white)
2 tablespoons roughly chopped coriander leaves
2 tablespoons extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
sea salt flakes & black pepper
Spiced Tahini Dressing
75 g tahini
juice of 1/2 lemon
5 tablespoons water maybe more
2 garlic cloves minced or finely grated
4 tablespoons EVOO
1 1/2 teaspoon runny honey
pinch cinnamon
pinch Ras el Hanout * or smoked Spanish sweet paprika
Preheat the oven to 200c.
Put the tomatoes into a roasting tin big enough with enough room to add the beans later. Toss the tomatoes with 1 tablespoons of oil and season really well with salt and black pepper. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes.
Toss the green beans with the cumin seeds and olive oil and add to the tomatoes. Return to the oven for the last 10 minutes (maybe more if beans are bigger). Keep an eye on the timings though as both the tomatoes and the beans can go from perfect to overdone in a flash. At the end of the roasting time the tomatoes should be completely soft, even caramelising a bit and the beans slightly scorched.
To make the dressing, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and season well. The tahini will ‘seize’ (become solid) and thicken when you add the lemon juice, don’t panic, adding the water will smooth things down a bit. Tahini varies in thickness (see below for brand suggestions) so you might need less or more water to achieve your preferred consistency. I normally go for a thickness of cream.
Spoon the dressing over the roasting tray if you are serving this in the roasting tray, alternatively, spoon the dressing on a plate, place the veggies on top and scatter with toasted sesame seeds and the coriander.
A note on Ingredients:
Lowerland Farm: I only source animal products from farmers that I trust and I know the farmer, farm and history. Regardless of your food preferences animals play a vital role in farming and they deserve to be treated with respect and ethics. Farmer Bertie is a biodynamic farmer vocal and transparent of their farming practices.
Tahini: is made with toasted sesame seeds, grounded to a smooth paste, I love a natural Tahini with no additives and a runny consistency. I love the Sababa one (Cape Town) they are at the OZCF market on a Saturday (not Sunday). There are a few online options too.
Ras El Hanout is a warm Moroccan style spice mix with beautiful rose petals. It’s a good spice to have in your cupboard, when mixed with olive oil it makes the perfect rub for vegetables or meat. If you are in Cape Town, you can find this spice at The Olive Branch Deli or any good deli or large supermarket.
My ‘To Cook’ list this week:
my Chinese cabbages are huge and its time to make some Korean kimchi - I have made a batch before which I ate in two days and hoping to have the same success.
I am out of my chilli-garlic & ginger oil which I have on EVERYTHING, I think I could possibly be addicted to chillies.
I am making a big batch of Cauliflower & Celeriac SOUP for my freezer. Its a new recipe and in case you don’t know I am obsessed with soup! Need some inspiration check this out and this!
Have a great week ahead
xxx Adré