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Broccolini with snow peas, beans and sweet tahini dressing

15/11/2014

17 Comments

 
Broccolini with snow peas, green beans and sweet tahini dressing
Broccolini is one of the vegetables that always makes an appearance in my market basket. I love its sweet, mild flavour and the goodness and crunch it offers in any dish. Better still, it's one of the greens that my Peter is happy to eat on a regular basis. So imagine my joy when chef Yotam Ottolenghi prepared a salad of broccolini (and other greens) with sweet tahini at the literary lunch at Nomad that we attended in Sydney recently. 'If you make this for us at home, I'll eat it,' Peter told me after the first bite. *Happy dance* time!

The recipe is in Ottolenghi's latest book, Plenty More, and is just one of many I have flagged to cook in coming months. I've adapted it slightly to suit our own tastes and also make use of ingredients in my kitchen. For instance, I left out the coriander, as it was the one thing Peter mentioned at the lunch, noting that he felt 'it added nothing good' in terms of flavour to the salad (in fact, he even picked it out of the dish!). I also used smoked garlic and tamari, and adjusted the quantities of the acids (cider vinegar) to the sweet (honey). You will see that I used award-winning Manuka honey from Canberra's own Honey Delight, as I have plentiful stocks of it in my larder, thanks to my beekeeper friends.

Ottolenghi says the recipe is his take on a Japanese favourite, sweet sesame sauce or Goma-dare, and that the combination of the snow peas, beans and broccolini is 'a refreshing blend of textures'. The mixture of the tahini with the soy is interesting and tasty, and the textures are simply delicious.

One hint I'd like to share is that broccolini should be eaten within a few days of picking or purchase, so when you buy it make sure it is indeed snapping fresh and hasn't been sitting immersed in a tub of stale, stinky water. There's nothing worse than biting into greens that taste bitter because they were not so fresh! 

BROCCOLINI WITH SNOW PEAS, BEANS AND SWEET TAHINI DRESSING
300g broccolini, leaves trimmed, sliced in half lengthways
120g baby beans, topped and tailed
120g snow peas, topped and tailed

For the dressing:
2 tablespoons tahini paste
1 clove garlic (or smoked garlic), finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon tamari (or soy) sauce
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1-2 tablespoons hot water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

To finish:
1/2-1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
20g coriander leaves, optional

Bring water to the boil in a medium sized pan and add the vegetables. Blanch them for 2-3 minutes, until they are just cooked but still crisp. Drain them into a colander and rinse well under cold water. Pat the vegetables dry with paper towelling and arrange them on a serving platter. Sprinkle with the peanut oil.

Meanwhile, combine the dressing ingredients in a small jug (adding the water a little a time) and whisk until the dressing is smooth (and pourable) and has the consistency of thick honey. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and sprinkle with the sesame seeds before serving. This quantity will serve 4. 
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Fresh broccolini, snow peas and beans

Smoked garlic, apple cider vinegar, tahini, tamari, honey and black sesame seeds for the dressing

Broccolini with snow peas, beans and sweet tahini dressing

Tell me dear readers, do you enjoy broccolini? What other ingredients go into your shopping basket regularly?
17 Comments
maureen@orgasmicchef.com link
15/11/2014 07:31:09 pm

I agree with you about eating fresh. If I can't cook something right away, I make veggie stock out of it. Much better than tossing it out or heaven forbid trying to eat it.

Love this dish.

Reply
Lizzy
18/11/2014 07:27:15 pm

Maureen, I love that idea... what a wonderful way to make use of those vegies!

Reply
e / dig in hobart link
16/11/2014 09:06:32 am

i have new sugar snaps coming on, they would be perfect with this too! i think YO would approve of your tweaks.
and my mum would agree with your peter. she thinks coriander tastes like ants, which sets us off the conversation "how do you know what ants taste like..." :-)

Reply
Lizzy
18/11/2014 07:27:43 pm

Ah, ha ha ha, Elizabeth, that is too funny! I hope you will try this, sans the coriander ants!

Reply
John link
16/11/2014 11:15:32 am

There are some veggies -- sweet peas is the best example -- that I almost always buy frozen simply because it's so hard to get decent fresh. Snow peas, though, I can usually get quite fresh, as well as broccolini. So I'll be able to make this! Really good stuff -- thanks.

Reply
Lizzy
18/11/2014 07:28:19 pm

Me too, John, there are always baby peas in my freezer... I hope you might try this recipe... it's really quite good!

Reply
Eha
16/11/2014 01:11:10 pm

My on-line big shop arriving tomorrow and guess what is going to be on for lunch! Love the combo and have not made a dressing quite like this. Coriander I could eat by the handful so shall fit that in somewhere :) ! And we are using the same tahini at the moment!

Reply
Lizzy
18/11/2014 07:28:45 pm

Oh, perfect timing, Eha.... I hope you enjoy this as much as we do... and that Tahini is great! : )

Reply
Merryn@merrynsmenu link
16/11/2014 04:05:54 pm

What a lovely, fresh dish. This is a great tahini based dressing, not too strong but very pleasant. I will have to try this (I bought Ottlenghi's book Jerusalem and was wondering about purchasing this book too, it is good to hear positive feedback.) We grow broccoli for most of the year and it is wonderful to have a fresh idea on how to present it, thank you :D

Reply
Lizzy
18/11/2014 07:29:30 pm

Hi there Merryn and welcome to Good Things... yes, all the Ottolenghi books are fabulous! I hope you try this recipe... thanks for stopping by xo

Reply
Laura (Tutti Dolci) link
17/11/2014 09:31:02 am

Your tahini dressing sounds so good, what a tasty side dish!

Reply
Lizzy
18/11/2014 07:29:45 pm

Thank you, Laura, it is rather delicious!

Reply
lilli @ sugar and cinnamon link
17/11/2014 09:35:36 am

I love tahini on greens! This is so simple but looks incredible! Thanks for sharing :)

Reply
Lizzy
18/11/2014 07:30:03 pm

Thanks so much Lilli, and thanks for stopping by!

Reply
David Scott Allen link
22/11/2014 02:34:42 am

I loved this recipe! I have made it twice now - once after I got Plenty More, and once again when I saw your post the other day. I admittedly served it as a side to a steak, but I am sure Ottolenghi will forgive me!

Reply
Amanda @ Gourmanda link
27/11/2014 05:14:18 pm

Some of my favourite greens are in this dish! Some asparagus as well and this would be fantastic.

Reply
Jeroo link
11/2/2015 11:46:59 am

Loving the look of this recipe - I will be making this next time I make my yummy barbecued lamb rump with lebanese spice mix… can't wait !

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