Amazingly, the heat is still on full blast here in the UK. The sky has been gloriously blue, day after day, and the sun is shining down strongly. No rain in the forecast; the water butt has been dry for days!
Plenty of time to enjoy the garden at a more leisurely pace. The thought of preparing and eating hot food is not so appealing at the moment, so salads are featuring heavily on my menu. I picked my first courgettes this week – all the extra watering by hand has been worth it – and made an exception by doing a little bit of cooking. I made them into a tasty cold dish with some canned beans and a rich tomato sauce.
You can adapt the recipe to use other vegetables and pulses – aubergine and chickpeas make a good combination too, especially seasoned with some cumin and fresh coriander. The salad makes a good sauce for pasta when served freshly made, and I have also served it as a filling for a warmed pastry case.
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 onions, peeled and chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
- 2 fresh bay leaves or 1 dried
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 150ml dry white wine
- 400g can chopped tomatoes
- 2 tbsp. tomato purée
- 2 teasp caster sugar
- 1 teasp salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 250g cooked cannellini beans
- 500g courgettes, trimmed and chopped into 2cm dice
- Fresh basil, fried pine nuts, gluten-free flat bread and extra virgin olive oil to serve
- Heat the oil in a large covered frying pan and gently fry the onion, garlic and herbs, with the lid on, over a low heat, for 15 minutes, to soften without browning.
Prepared onion and garlic with fresh bay and rosemary, ready for the pot. Image: Kathryn Hawkins -
Pour in the wine and stir in the chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the rosemary and bay leaves.
Courgette cut into 2cm dice. Image: Kathryn Hawkins -
Stir in the beans and courgette, making sure they are well covered in the sauce. Bring to the boil, cover, reduce the heat, and simmer gently for 7-8 minutes until the courgette is just tender. Leave to cool completely.
Making the sauce and cooking the salad. Images: Kathryn Hawkins -
Transfer to a bowl and chill until ready to serve. Best served at room temperature for more flavour. Delicious spooned over warm flat breads, sprinkled with fresh basil, fried pine nuts and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Bon Appétit 🙂
The perfect lunch for a sunny day. Image: Kathryn Hawkins
My Virtually Free-from Kitchen 
This recipe reminds me that I should cook last year’s dry beans before it gets hot again over here! Thank you for this “cool” meal idea — even if my husband asks me to tell you that in his opinion, the word “courgette” should be banned from all dictionaries: Larousse, Oxford, Webster’s… 😄
Our son is currently touring London with his wife; they are happy to be enjoying good weather!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Greetings from the sweltering north! Glad to read that your family are having some good British weather en vacances. Sorry your husband isn’t a fan of the aforementioned vegetable. I have had bad dining experiences when it has been over-cooked and quite revolting, so perhaps he has bad memories too. I always cook it ‘al dente’ and find it much more palatable. Perhaps you can try the recipe with aubergine and/or sweet peppers – it’ll be a lovely way to enjoy your beans. Have a good weekend 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂 A nice and very healthy vegan meal to indulge in!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you. Have a good day 🙂 Apologies, Renard, for naming you Richard by mistake.
LikeLiked by 2 people