Cumin Roasted Green Beans w Spiced Tahini

In Diana Henry’s words: ‘If you have never roasted green beans, you have been missing out.”.  Roasted beans stay crisp, wrinkle a bit but yet the flavour intensifies. A lovely unusual side dish that I don’t mind serving warm rather than straight from the oven, and the type of leftover that leaves me satisfied every time I open the fridge door and put a bean (swirled in some tahini) in my mouth. Keep an eye on the timings though as both the tomatoes and the beans can go from perfect to overdone in a flash.

I love to serve lots of sides and then either a freshly baked focaccia (or a fresh ciabbata) and one dip. Everyone can help themselves to whatever they like. The thought of lots of little ‘titbits’ appeals to me!

Roasting Tray

• 500g cherry tomatoes on the vine
• 500g extra fine green beans (topped but not tailed)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds (I toast mine)
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped coriander leaves
• 2 tablespoons EVOO
• sea salt flakes & black pepper

Spiced Tahini Dressing

• 75g tahini
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 5 tablespoons water (maybe more)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced or finely grated
• 4 tablespoons EVOO
• 1 1/2 teaspoon runny honey
• pinch cinnamon
• pinch Ras el Hanout * (or smoked paprika)

1. Preheat the oven to 190c.
2. Put the tomatoes into a roasting tin big enough with enough room to add the beans later. Toss the tomatoes with 1 tablespoons of oil and season really well with salt and black pepper. Roast in the oven for 10minutes.
3. Toss the green beans with the cumin seeds and olive oil and add to the tomatoes. Return to the oven for the last 10minutes. At the end of the roasting time the tomatoes should be completely soft, even caramelising a bit and the beans slightly scorched.
4. To make the dressing, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and season well. The tahini will ‘seize’ (become solid) and thicken when you add the lemon juice, don’t panic, adding the water will smooth things down a bit. Tahini varies in thickness (see below for brand suggestions) so you might need less or more water to achieve your preferred consistency. I normally go for a thickness of cream.
5. Spoon the dressing over the roasting tray if you are serving this in the roasting tray, alternatively, spoon the dressing on a plate, place the veggies on top and scatter with toasted sesame seeds and the coriander.

Recipe adapted from Diana Henry From Oven to Table

NEW INGREDIENT:

Ras El Hanout is a warm Moroccan style spice mix with beautiful rose petals. Its a good spice to have in your cupboard, when mixed with olive oil it makes the perfect rub for vegetables or meat. You can find this spice at The Olive Branch Deli.

Tahini: I love a natural Tahini with no additives and a slightly runny consistency. I love the Oh Mega range