I imagine lots of people might skip past this recipe – roasted shallots don’t tend to carry the same appeal as veggies like sweet potatoes, but roasting them in their skins ensures they’re perfectly sweet and tender, so please trust me on this one, it’s a must and one of my favourite recipes in the book. It feels like one giant, very cosy, nourishing hug.
Ingredients
- 5 shallots, quartered lengthways, keeping the root intact and the skin on
- 3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to serve (see tip below)
- 4 garlic cloves, skin on
- 1 tsp thyme leaves, finely chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- Pinch of dried chilli flakes (optional)
- 2 leeks, sliced
- 120 g green beans, trimmed
- 400 g tin of butter beans
- 2 large handfuls of baby spinach (about 100g), roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- Sea salt and black pepper
- Sourdough toast, to serve (optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C fan. Toss the shallots with a tablespoon of the olive oil and a pinch of salt. Place on a baking tray, cut-side down, add the garlic cloves and roast in the oven for 25–30 minutes, until soft and caramelised.
- Warm the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan or shallow casserole, over a medium–low heat. Add the thyme, chilli flakes (if using), leeks and a pinch of salt and cook for 10 minutes, until the leeks have softened but not coloured.
- Next, add the green beans and the butter beans, along with the liquid from the tin. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for 4–5 minutes, until most of the liquid has reduced. Stir in the spinach, and allow to wilt, then add the white wine vinegar and season to taste.
- When the shallots are ready and cool enough to handle, peel their skins off and stir the flesh into the beans. Peel the garlic, gently mash it with a fork (it should be very tender) and stir it into the beans too.
- To serve, divide the braised beans between serving bowls, top with a generous drizzle of olive oil, the lemon zest and plenty of pepper. This is delicious as it is or served with some sourdough toast.
You can swap the spinach for kale, cavolo nero or Swiss chard, and make sure to use a really good quality olive oil for the drizzle at the end, it makes all the difference.