‘I’d rather have a cupboard full of herbs than a closet full of heels’
This dish was inspired by my friend Kim. Literally one of the nicest people I have met. She mentioned using canned butter beans to make puree, how much time it saved and how tasty it was, and I was won over. I’ve made this puree before with dried beans (Ottolenghi recipe) and I have to say, I couldn’t tell the difference.
I paired it with a Dukkah, a middle eastern condiment made of herbs, spices and nuts. Adding some thyme and a squeeze of lemon to give it a zaatar pivot.
Thyme – Has a beautiful fragrance. It is also an antibacterial. It contains thymol which has been extracted and is used in cough mixtures.
Kalonji – Also known as Nigella seeds, Kalonji has been known as a natural remedy to cure just about anything. This is due to its powerful antioxidant properties, it’s antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.
Ingredients
Puree
- 1 can butter beans
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ tsp. Himalayan salt
Dukkah
- 70g hazelnuts
- 2 tbsp sunflower seeds
- 1 tbsp. cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp. coriander seeds
- 2 tbsp. sesame seeds
- ½ tsp. kalonji/nigella seeds
- 2 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp. EVOO
- ½ tsp. coarse salt
Method
- Drain and wash the butter beans
- Place in a blender with the garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and salt
- Bake the hazelnuts and sunflower seeds for 5 minutes at 300F, let cool
- Dry roast the cumin, coriander and sesame seeds until you start to smell the herbs, let cool
- Add the nuts, seeds, toasted herbs, kalonji, EVOO and salt into a pestle and mortar and crush together. Top the puree.
