Seared French Beans with Picada

Method:

This dish uses a traditional savoury Spanish garnish, called a Picada. It can be as thin as a paste or as dry as a crumble. If your green beans aren’t perfectly fresh, try blanching them in salted water for 2 minutes before roasting to bring them back to life. 

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
2. Toss bread cubes and hazelnuts in a small bowl with 1 Tbsp oil, garlic, ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper. Transfer mixture to baking sheet and bake 8 minutes or until browned. Toss with thyme. Cool slightly then transfer to food processor, and pulse into crumble.
3. Meanwhile, toss together green beans, shallots and remaining 2 Tbsp oil. Season with remaining salt and remaining ¼ tsp pepper, if desired. Transfer to baking sheet and roast 8-10 minutes, or until crinkled.
4. Transfer to bowl and toss with sherry vinegar. Serve topped with breadcrumb mixture.

Credit: Vegetarian Times

Ingredients:

• ¼ C stale bread cubes
• ¼ C blanched, unsalted hazelnuts
• 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
• 450g French beans or green beans, stem ends trimmed
• ½ C shallots, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp sherry vinegar

Serves 8
30 minutes or less