Hi!
If you’re new here, WELCOME…This is first and foremost a place for recipes, but also where I can dish out expertise on the only thing I truly know about- feeding your friends. I hope that You Bring The Wine either remains, or becomes, your ultimate tool kit.
In relation to the subject line of this email…I do get that having raw courgette as a party trick isn’t necessarily the most impressive of tricks. However, it is really really great, really really delicious, AND I said it would be your NEWEST party trick, so fingers crossed you’ve got a slightly cooler one up your sleeve.
SERVES 4
TIME: 20 mins
Vibe: Easy peasy
Nice on the side: Chicken (on the bbq maybe?) or Fish (a whole one served in the middle of the table with a ton of lemon)
Salad party? Serve with a prawn cocktail salad (it’s in the book) and the triple tomato (you remember? from last week)
If you’re a veggie… use vegetarian hard cheese. If you’re a vegan… use vegan 'Parmesan style’ cheese and swap the honey in the dressing for maple syrup or sugar.
GET AHEAD: Make the dressing in advance and toast the pistachios in advance.
WHEN…There are two times when this salad is perfect, firstly when you’re short of time and you need something impressive and delicious, to preferably eat outside, in the sun, alongside a big hunk of bbq meat. Secondly (and this is not so much about feeding friends) but this salad holds really well, so make extra and eat leftovers for the next few days.
WHY…I’d eat raw courgette all year around, but when they’re in season in the summer I’m obsessed with either peeling them or finely slicing them and adding them to salads, they act a little like a cucumber, but they bring less water and absorb more dressing. So.. if the appeal of beans doesn’t get everyone (beans will always be enough of a pull for me) then then trying out the magic of raw courgettes will have you hooked.
INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp fennel seeds
50g pistachio nuts
2 courgettes
2 sticks celery
120g pitted green olives (if you can get your hands on the perello ones- grab them and never let go)
1 big jar of white beans or 2 x 400g cans
large handful of mixed herbs, I used dill and parsley
75g parmesan
FOR THE DRESSING
4 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tbsp cider or white wine vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 tsp dijon
METHOD
Whisk up the dressing in the base of a large mixing bowl, season well with salt and pepper. Heat a dry frying pan over a medium high heat. Add the fennel seeds and toast for a minute until fragrant. Add to the dressing.
If your pistachios are untoasted- toast them in the oven (@160C) for 10 mins- until toasty and delicious. Slice the courgettes into 2-3mm discs, finely slice the celery and slice the olives- add them all the bowl of dressing. Drain and rinse the beans, then drain well and add to the bowl.
Pull the herb leaves from the stems and add to the bowl. Use a peeler to shave most of the parmesan directly into the bowl. Roughly chop the toasted nuts and add most of them to the bowl. Toss, taste and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a platter, shave over the remaining parmesan and sprinkle with the remaining nuts.
I’d like to caveat this trick with telling you that really you’re best to just BUY THE GOOD BEANS, I know this seems pretty obvious but seriously, please buy the good beans, the ones in the jar will make a world of difference and you won’t have to use this little handy trick.
HOWEVER, I’ve been then (BEAN there- too good to miss no?), you have some pesky beans in a tin in the cupboard that need using, OR you go to the shop and there are no jarred beans in sight. It’s cool, I’ve got you covered.
Tip the beans AND THEIR WATER into a pan, add ¼ tsp baking soda, bring to a simmer and cook for 10-15 mins, they should be softened, then let them cool a little in the pan, drain and rinse them and use as normal.
(If this doesn’t work, then honestly I can’t help you and I’d say just really cover them in a lot of dressing and hope that people are too obsessed with the miracle of the delicious raw courgette that they don’t notice or care)
This guy is not only a GREAT partner for creamy white beans (Dry, Reisling, Great Label)… it’s also really great value so you can feel almost GENEROUS sending over to your pals and telling them to bring it. As always, if in doubt, tell whoever is serving what you’re eating and trust them to choose you something similar.
MARTIN & ANNA ARNDORFER, HANDCRAFTED GRUNER VELTLINER 2020
£16.95
I’m working on a YBTW playlist, and by that, I mean I’m asking my pals that have really great music to help me draw the best songs for listening to over dinner, hopefully at some point soon I’ll be able to give you all the link BUT in the mean time here’s a tune I like to listen to whilst I cook. Maybe you’ll wanna do the same, maybe wearing the hat below.
This is the space where I give you a cute little round up of the things that I have my beady eyes on this week. I whack them all on the website so you can click click click and purchase until your heart is content. This week we’ve got a very cool piece of art from Phoebe Boddy, a very cute peeler from the Finnish design shop, my favourite wine glasses from LSA, an epic salad platter from Soho home and some salad servers from Dinosaur Designs that are probably just for lusting after.
Oh and the hat, not necessary for hosting, sure. However, its a really really great hat and maybe you can wear it whilst you’re prepping. Or better, when you take a time out from cooking for people take yourself out for lunch.