Ears & Beans Salad with SunBlush Dressing

Beans & ears! It’s warm enough to eat outside so we’re laying a table on the patio and having this with chilli & garlic bread and a chilled off-dry bottle of Italian white wine.

200g orecchiete pasta

2 tsbsp olive oil

1 bunch flat leaf parsley

1 sprig rosemary

1 clove garlic

1 red chilli, chopped

6 sun blush tomatoes, chopped

3 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

400g butter beans (canned)

Salt & pepper

Cook the pasta, drain and cool, moistening with some olive oil.

If you can’t find sun blush tomatoes, you could use sun dried tomatoes in oil, though these will have a stronger flavour.

In a food processor, add the parsley, garlic, rosemary, chilli and tomatoes. Whizz until finely chopped. Add the parmesan and olive oil and whizz again.

Drain the butter beans, rinse well in cold water and add to the pasta. Place in a large bowl and coat with the parsley/tomato dressing.

Serve with watercress, dressed in olive oil & lemon juice, and this garlic bread:

1 cross cut Batard

100g butter

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 small handful coriander

1 red chilli, finely chopped

Get the oven to 220/Gas7. Beat the butter with the chilli, garlic & coriander.  Cut about 12 deep slits into the bread and force the butter into these gaps.  Spread a little leftover mix on the top of the bread and bake, wrapped in foil for 25 mins (the last 5 mins uncovered).

This is carb-heavy, but it’s the first night we’ve eaten in the garden this year. A CD of Masses from Lobo & Cardoso is playing is still playing in the kitchen.  The boy is happy. He laughs a lot and that’s all you need. A chilled bottle of Soave has probably helped.