These charred green beans with confit tomatoes, crispy capers and rosemary are a summer side dish that’s simple but a little bit special. Cherry tomatoes are gently confited in olive oil for around 20 minutes until they’re incredibly sweet, and you’re left with a jar of tomato-infused oil to use in dressings afterwards. Green beans are blanched, then charred on the barbecue or with a blowtorch for a smoky flavour. Rosemary and nonpareille capers are fried in the tomato oil until crisp, and the warm oil is mixed with caper brine and agave to make the dressing. You could roast the tomatoes instead, but confiting them is worth it. It’s a vegan, gluten-free vegetable side that serves 4-6 and goes with grilled meat, fish or a summer barbecue spread. Part of my Seasonal Sides series of simple seasonal vegetable side dishes.
recipe
Servings:
4-6 people
Cook time:
40 minutes
Ingredients
300g green beans
500g cherry tomatoes
325ml olive oil, or enough to cover the tomatoes
2 sprigs rosemary
1 x 100g jar nonpareille capers, brine reserved
1 tsp agave
Salt
Black pepper
Method
1. Add the cherry tomatoes to a small pan and cover with the olive oil. Cook gently for around 20 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft and their skins are just starting to come away. Drain, reserving all of that tomato-infused oil.
2. While the tomatoes are confiting, blanch the green beans in a pan of heavily salted boiling water for 2–3 minutes. Drain and leave to cool on a rack.
3. Once cool, char the beans briefly on the barbecue. If, like me, you don't want to light an entire barbecue just for your beans, a blowtorch works surprisingly well!
4. Add the beans and confit tomatoes to a serving bowl.
5. Heat a little of the reserved tomato oil in a frying pan and fry the rosemary until crisp. Remove and add to the salad.
6. Drain the capers, making sure you reserve the brine, then pat them really dry with kitchen paper. Fry them in the same oil until crisp - be careful as they can spit! Add them to the salad.
7. For the dressing, add the warm oil from the rosemary and capers to some of the reserved caper brine. Add the agave and season with salt and pepper, then mix well and toss through the salad.
8. Finish with the crispy rosemary and capers.