pea, broad bean and feta salad

this pea, broad bean and feta salad is scarily similar to a salad i made back in may. sorry for being so uninspiring but the key difference here, and the reason for posting details is the shallot dressing.

this punchy dressing has a kick that comes from both the mustard and the shallot. it is a great complement to the sweet, green flavours of the salad and the gentle creaminess of the feta. it’d also be nice over a potato salad.

pea, broad bean and feta salad (serves 4 as a side dish)

250g broad beans, podded

1 shallot, grated

½ teaspoon english mustard

75ml olive oil

45ml sherry vinegar

150 g mixed salad leaves – i used rocket, watercress and spinach

250g fresh peas, podded

200g feta, crumbled

blanch the broad beans until tender (about 5 minutes). drain them and remove the grey-green skins, revealing their bright greenness.

mix the grated shallot, mustard, olive oil and vinegar to make the dressing – taste it as you add the vinegar so you get the right balance of flavours.

assemble the salad, mixing the rocket with half the dressing then topping this with the green beans, broad beans, almonds, peas and feta. drizzle with the remaining dressing and scatter the mint over.

Comments

[Julia S]

hi ab, are the almonds an intended part of the recipe? the shallot dressing sounds great--I've got to try it.

[Patricia Scarpin]

I love salad dressings with mustard - what a delicious salad, Abby!

[abby]

hi julia - the almonds were part of the other version i did, not this one.you could mix and match though!

patricia - i've recently remembered about mustard and dressings. i think it's particularly good for adding flavour if you're avoiding garlic for any reason.

[carolyn]

That looks interesting. I love feta and broad bean combinations.

[abby]

hi carolyn - me too. the beans are also beautiful with a fresh goats curd instead of the feta, particularly if you get some beetroot involved as well!

[carolyn]

i'm going to try this soon. do you boil the peas for a couple of minutes before adding them to the salad?

[abby]

hi carolyn - i leave the peas uncooked as i really like the sweet flavour of fresh raw peas. they are also a nice contrast with the cooked beans. maybe try a few peas and if they're not quite sweet enough, cook them for a few minutes?