Broad Bean Salad with Lettuce and Ham

How to cook the beans

Most often we make this bean salad as a side dish for grilled meat. A big plate of tasty green vegetables goes very well with steaks. When it’s served as an appetizer on its own, we add a little diced baked pork or ham. You can even add hot pepper if you like, which makes the taste very piquant.

Fresh frozen broad beans are available in stores. They come in packs that are enough for four servings of salad.

1. Boil the beans until done. Pour 1-1.5 l of water into a saucepan and add 0.5 tsp of salt (3 g) and 1 tsp of sugar (5 g). The sugar makes the beans tastier and helps preserve some of their color. Add the beans and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Cook covered over low heat for 15-20 minutes, until the beans are soft. That is enough.

2. Cool the beans: drain the water, put the beans in a small bowl, cover with an upside-down saucer and let them cool to room temperature.

   

How to assemble the salad

3. Prepare the lettuce leaves: wash them, pat dry, tear them into pieces by hand and arrange in serving bowls. They aren’t mixed with the other ingredients but serve as a “cushion” for them.

   By the way, you don’t have to use lettuce only. Any salad leaves work well, such as romaine, oak leaf or frisée. Some have a slightly bitter taste, which many people like, so it’s up to you.

   

4. Cut the meat and cucumber and combine with the beans. For the appetizer we use store-bought or homemade baked pork, and you need only a little. Cut the meat into fairly large cubes, close in size to the beans. If you want to use ham, choose one that’s not too fatty and is tender. Cut the cucumber into large cubes as well, and there’s no need to peel it. Put the boiled beans, cucumber and meat in a bowl.

   

5. Add the herbs and onion, season and toss. Pick the leaves off the herb sprigs and chop them finely with a knife. Peel the purple sweet onion and cut it so that it can be separated into rings. Add the herbs and onion to the bowl. Add a little salt and pepper, and I recommend adding dried oregano, which goes very well with vegetable salads. Gently toss all the ingredients.

   

6. Make the dressing and dress the salad. In a cup, mix 2 tbsp of olive oil and a few drops of balsamic vinegar. If you like, add a few drops of Worcestershire sauce too. Whisk the mixture with a fork or a handheld blender, then pour it over the salad and gently toss once more.

   

Serving

7. Before serving, put a portion of the appetizer in a bowl, on top of the torn salad leaves. The salad isn’t mixed with the leaves beforehand. You can do that at the table while eating. The appetizer doesn’t need chilling, and the flavor is best at room temperature, which also keeps the aroma.

   

   If you like, you can add diced celery stalks or green onion to the salad. Don’t add herbs that are too aromatic, such as basil or mint. Before serving, you can also sprinkle the appetizer with grated Parmesan. Instead of meat you can use boiled or grilled chicken breast, and smoked chicken works great too.