GREEN BEANS WITH ROASTED TOMATOES, CAPSICUM & BREAD

This is a tweaked recipe from Nigel Slater’s Greenfeast. The beans add fresh green-ness contrast and a crunch to the roasted flavours and soft textures of the tomatoes, capsicum and bread.

Think of a Italian bread and tomato salad, panzanella, but baked.

serves 4

400g day old ciabatta or sour dough bread slices, torn into 4-5cm pieces

500g cherry or small heirloom tomatoes

2 cloves garlic, halved

4 small red bullhorn pepeprs or 2 small red capsicums, quartered and seeds removed

125ml extra virgin olive oil 

sea salt

400g green beans

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (or sherry vinegar)

¼ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves chopped

ground black pepper

Goat’s curd or crème fraiche, to serve (optional) 

Pre-heat oven to 180°C fan-forced. Have 4 individual baking dishes (or ramekins) about 12cm diameter, ready.

Place the bread pieces in a single layer across base of each dish. Divide and arrange the tomatoes, a garlic halves and peppers over the bread layer. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and drizzle over the olive oil. Roast for 30 minutes, until tomatoes have blistered.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Have ready a bowl of icy cold water. Cook beans in boiling salted water for 3 minutes. Drain and immediately plunge beans into the cold water to stop the cooking process.  When cool, drain well.

Drizzle the vinegar over each dish. Sprinkle over the parsley. Using back of a fork, press tomatoes to break up and gently stir once or twice to mix the tomato juices, vinegar and parsley through, leaving some crispy bread edges exposed as the bread will sop up the liquid. Season and top with green beans and serve straight away accompanied with goat’s curd or crème fraiche, if desired.

Recipe by Fiona Hammond, April 2021