High summer is the perfect time for British green beans, not least because their flavour far surpasses that of those imported ones that are available year-round. Today’s recipe pairs these seasonal vegetable delights with mahón, a delicious, semi-hard cheese from the Balearic islands. With its bright orange rind from a paprika rub and its full, fruity flavour and creamy texture, mahón takes this dish to the next level and turns it into something truly mouthwatering and special.
Warm green bean salad with crisp jamón and mahón
You’ll probably have to go to a specialist cheese shop to get hold of mahón; if you can’t find any, use gouda or manchego instead, though they won’t be quite the same. This versatile recipe can be tweaked in all sorts of other ways, too: use any beans or peas you like, or replace them with ribbons of raw courgette; also try swapping the hazelnuts for almonds or using serrano ham instead of ibérico.
Prep 5 min
Cook 15 min
Serves 4 as a light lunch
200g runner beans, trimmed and sliced
200g french beans, topped
60g hazelnuts
1 tbsp olive oil
100g jamón ibérico – a pack or two of ready-sliced is fine
1 tbsp cider vinegar
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
25g mahón, shaved into shards
Bring a large pan of water to a boil, blanch both varieties of bean for two to three minutes, until just tender, then drain.
Toast the hazelnuts in a dry frying pan until golden, then tip out on to a board and roughly chop. Put the olive oil in the still-hot pan and fry the jamón until golden and crisp. Tip that out on to a board, too, where it will continue to crisp up as it cools. Once cool, roughly chop or tear.
Whisk the cider vinegar in a large bowl with a little seasoning, then whisk in the extra-virgin olive oil until emulsified. Add the warm beans, toss to coat, then top with the hazelnuts and jamón, and toss again. Scatter the cheese on top, then serve.
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