Full of Beans: Be Bold!

Full of Beans: Be Bold! – We love beans in our house; not just baked beans (but we love them too) but all manner of beans. And Bold Bean Co beans tend to feature regularly on our shopping lists, because they are just fabulous and so versatile and good for us. Amelia Christie-Miller, who founded the company, has just this week published a fabulous new cookbook: Full of Beans, that’s packed with delicious beanie recipes to inspire us.

Organised by types of beans, including butter beans, chickpeas and red kidney beans, recipes range from quick, satisfying lunches and weeknight dinners, through to showstopping feasts, all centred around beans. There are warming autumnal dishes such as Sausage and butter bean stew; Nduja beans with mozzarella and hot honey; and Sweet potato and peanut butter curry. Salads and soups include Black bean makhani with kachumber and a cosy chicken and white bean soup, as well as satisfying lunch ideas like Cheesy marmite beans on toast with pickled shallots. Showcasing how versatile and exciting beans can be, the book also includes double page spreads on traybakes and their ‘beanottos’ – where beans are used in replacement of rice.

Published by Octopus Books in hardback, packed with lovely photographs, it’s £22 and it’s available now.  To inspire you and encourage you to buy a copy, here are a couple of recipes from the book.

Crispy Baked Halloumi, Carlin Pea + Orange Salad (Feeds 2 Takes 30 minutes)

 This super easy lunch is a perfect antidote to sad desk salads. Think of it like an orange fattoush. It’s light, refreshing and leaves you feeling FULL OF BEANS! You get a salty kick from the cheese, freshness from the herbs, sweetness from the oranges and crunch from the croutons. Plus it’s a great way to use up old pittas or leftover bread.

225g (8oz) halloumi

2 pitta breads or leftover bread (optional)

2 tbsp olive oil

pinch of dried chilli flakes or chilli powder (optional)

25g (1oz) walnuts or pecans or almonds, roughly chopped

2 large oranges

570g (1lb 4½oz) jarred carlin peas, drained

15g (½oz) mint or dill, finely chopped

100g (3½oz) mixed salad leaves, such as rocket or spinach, roughly chopped

salt and pepper

For the dressing

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp honey

2 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice

½ red bird’s-eye chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced (optional)

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6.
2. Tear the halloumi and pitta breads or leftover bread, if using, into rough bite-sized chunks. Tumble onto a baking tray and drizzle with the olive oil and chilli flakes, if using. Season, remembering that halloumi is already salty. Bake for 8 minutes, flipping halfway, then add the walnuts and bake for a further 3–5 minutes until everything is golden.
3. Meanwhile, prep the rest of the ingredients and make the dressing. Cut the peel and pith away from the oranges, then use a small serrated knife to segment them, catching any juices in a bowl. Set the segments aside. Squeeze any excess juice from the off-cut pith into the bowl as well. Use this as the base for your dressing: add the mustard, honey, vinegar or lemon juice, chilli, if using, and olive oil, then season with just a pinch of salt and pepper, and mix well to combine.
4. Add the drained carlin peas, mint, orange segments and salad leaves to a bowl, along with the crispy baked halloumi and walnuts.
5. When you’re ready to eat, pour over the dressing and mix well, scatter over the croutons, then tip onto plates or a serving platter and serve.

Chickpea, tomato + harissa stew  with herby yoghurt  (Feeds 2  Takes 20 minutes)

This is an iconic Bold Bean dish. Sweet cherry tomatoes, spicy harissa and chickpeas make an absolute banger of a dish – and it only takes 20 minutes. The tomatoes get blistered and charred so they’re bursting with flavour, the bean stock makes everything super saucy and the harissa kick is balanced with creamy, herby yoghurt.

2 tbsp olive oil

250g (9oz) cherry or baby plum tomatoes

2 garlic cloves, finely sliced

570g (1lb 4½oz) jarred chickpeas, with their bean stock

2 tbsp good-quality harissa paste

FOR THE HERBY YOGHURT

2 garlic cloves, grated

zest of 1 lemon and a squeeze of the juice

15g (½oz) dill or parsley, finely chopped

3 tsp capers / a handful of green olives, drained and chopped

250g (9oz) Greek yoghurt

TO SERVE OPTIONAL

Warm flatbreads

Couscous or quinoa

1. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over a high heat. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook for 5–6 minutes until blistered, soft and slightly charred. Lower the heat to medium, then add the garlic and fry for 1–2 minutes, stirring, until fragrant.
2. Add the chickpeas, along with their bean stock, and bubble for 3–4 minutes until reduced by half. Stir through the harissa and simmer for 2–3 minutes more.
3. Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the herby yoghurt. Adjust the seasoning and acidity to your taste, adding a squeeze of lemon juice if you like it very lemony.
4. Spoon the chickpeas into warm bowls and top with the herby yoghurt. Serve with warm flatbreads and/or cooked couscous or quinoa, if you like.

The Seasoned Gastronome