A fresh summer salad of gently blanched Green Beans, Zucchini ribbons, Peas, Mint and Extra-virgin Olive Oil, served with slices of organic Smoked Chicken and a zesty Lemon-Thyme vinaigrette.
Sounds fancy. It is... but it's also dead easy, and the perfect way to showcase your home grown summer produce.
Lemon-Thyme vinaigrette
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6-8 Sprigs of Lemon-Thyme from the garden
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2 Tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar
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2 Tablespoons of Extra-virgin olive Oil
Remove the Lemon-Thyme leaves from their stalks and place in a small bowl with the Apple Cider Vinegar and Olive Oil. Add Salt and Pepper, stir vigorously, and then set aside for the herb flavour to infuse.
Green Bean Salad
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2 good handfuls of Dwarf beans (any variety will do)
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1 medium sized Zucchini (Courgette)
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1 Cup of Peas (we used snap-frozen baby peas)
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4-6 Cos Lettuce leaves (or similar)
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A few sprigs of fresh mint from the garden
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Extra-virgin Olive Oil
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Using a vegetable peeler or mandolin slicer, slice the Zucchini into long thin ribbons. Top and tail your Beans, and then add to the boiling water along with the Zucchini and Peas. After 30 seconds, remove the vegetables from the boiling water, drain and leave to cool. Finely slice your mint leaves, tear up the Lettuce and stir through the cool vegetables in a salad bowl with a generous 'glug' of Extra-virgin Olive Oil. Add Salt and Black Pepper to taste.
Smoked Chicken
Maybe you're crafty enough to smoke your own Chicken, but today, we did not have the time or space. In this case, we used a small, whole Smoked Chicken from our local farmers market, but a good quality, free-range, smoked breast works too. Portion your Smoked Chicken and thinly slice. Arrange the salad and chicken on your plates or serving platter, and dress the chicken with the Lemon-Thyme vinaigrette. Be sure to give the vinaigrette a good stir or even a shake first.
If you are catering to dietary requirements, keep in mind that this recipe is Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Nut Free and 100% guaranteed to please!
