Green Bean Salad with Feta Cheese & Walnuts

Yes me, a person who has never won anything in her life.

I know, so many people say that after they have just won the lottery and are promising that the multi millions that have just been deposited I their bank, making their bank manager very happy. 

You’ve seen them on the local news, beaming smiles, giant fake check and when asked what the first thing they are gong to spend the money on they all say a family holiday.

Ok, I need to stop now, ‘cos it could very easily take me down the “That should have been me” route, but I must remember what the lovely Mr G tells me all the time when I’m spouting out about how I never win the lottery, “…it helps if you bought lottery tickets”. He’s right.

 I always mean to. I’m not stupid, (shhhh) I see the adverts for the vast amounts of cash being offered as the prize, and I’m all  “If I win the lottery I’m going to buy houses for the kids, pay off the mortgage, holiday in the sun and more kitchenalia. The last one I probably should keep to myself if I’m honest, more kitchenalia and Mr G will begin to rethink that we need more building work, please no more.

Anyway, I’ve been entered into a competition, not sure exactly what its about, some sort of writing thingy.

But someone put me in for it and one of the things I need to do is to add to this new website some of the recipes I’ve written for other companies.

 If you didn’t know, writing recipes and guest blogs for great food producers is what I do, along with the Foodie Book Club.

 So I need to go through my work for others and get some of those and add the links to their websites and my guests blog on here too. You should be able to click right over to them, ha ha, fingers crossed.

 Not sure how I’m going to find the time to recreate all of these, but I’ve never said no to a challenge.

 I thought I’d start with one from Vale of Mowbray Pork Pies.

Reading back through my recipes and guest blogs, I realised that I love to have weird titles for my blogs. I think they are funny at the time, but reading them again, maybe not so funny. Not sure that will stop me doing it though, it keeps me amused and I like having fun with it.

 This recipe for Vale of Mowbray Pork Pies was called “Do I have to call it a salad?”

I wanted to adapt a dish that most families have on their tables for Thanksgiving Dinners. However, I wanted to make it fresh and inviting, something you’d want to make again and again. Of course it had to be great to be eaten with their pork pies, and I think it worked. I know I still use it.

 Click this link to read the full guest blog Vale Of Mowbray Pork Pie-Do I Have to Call It a Salad?

Enjoy Your Sweet Life

Green Bean Salad

 What You Need:

•  2lb fresh green beans – Topped, tailed and washed

• 3 medium or 2 large shallots – finely chopped

• 300g Cleaned and Sliced mushrooms -See Tip Box

• 300g mini tomatoes – sliced in half

• 1 fresh chilli – finely sliced (seeds removed if preferred)

• 4 cloves sliced garlic

• 4oz crumbled feta cheese

• 1 vegetable stock cube

• 2oz chopped walnuts

• 100g butter (may need a little more or a little less)

 For the Dressing

• 4 Tablespoons Extra Virgin olive oil

• Juice and rind from 1 fresh lime  

• 3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

 How It’s Done

• Put the cleaned and trimmed beans into a large pot and cover with water. Add the stock cube. Bring the beans to the boil, lower the heat and simmer the beans until they are soft but still have a little crisp bite to them. Once cooked, drain well.

• While the beans are cooking, melt some of the butter in a heavy bottomed frying pan. Add the sliced garlic and fry until a light golden brown for approximately 3-5 minutes. - See Tip Box

• Remove onto a plate covered with kitchen paper to drain and set aside

• In the same heavy bottom pan, melt another tablespoon of butter.

• In batches, fry the cleaned and sliced mushroom in the hot butter, (adding pepper to taste) Turning only occasionally until light golden brown -See Tip Box

• Once all batches are cooked, set aside on kitchen paper to drain.

• In the same heavy bottom pan, add another tablespoon of butter, reduce heat, add the chopped shallots and chopped chilli. Cook both gently until soft. Set aside on kitchen paper to drain.

• Add all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and mix together with a fork until mixed well .

• Add all of the cooked ingredients to a large bowl, add the tomatoes , chopped walnuts and crumbled feta. Pour over the dressing and mix until all the ingredients are coated with the dressing

• Enjoy hot or cold

Tip Box

• Mushrooms are very absorbent so don’t wash them, otherwise you’ll end up with soggy sponges. Cut off the end of the stalks and using a damp piece of kitchen paper, wipe away the dirt.

• When cooking the garlic, don’t take your eyes off it. Burnt garlic is very bitter, but beautifully golden fried garlic is nutty and flavourful, worth staring at.

• The way to get beautifully golden mushrooms is to have your butter very hot, and don’t overcrowd the pan. So cook the mushrooms in batches in the hot butter for perfect mushrooms. Worth the wait.

Enjoy Your Sweet Life