Grah rogačić, that’s what we call green beans in Dubrovnik – it’s a very local name, so don’t try it out in Split or Zagreb. I love green beans in all their shapes and sizes, actually it’s one of my preferred vegetables. Most often, we eat it boild, with some boiled potatoes and dressed in olive oil – that’s the traditional pod ulje (literally, “under oil”) way for all veggies all over Dalmatia.
And I love that, that’s the food I grew up on, but sometimes all of us need a bit of change.
I flipped though my cookbooks and the Ottolegnghi team’s recipe for green beans stood out. I changed some parts, but kept the gist. This one is a keeper.
Do try this out while green beans are still in season. And stay tuned – as I told you on Instagram yesterday, big changes are underway!
GREEN BEAN AND BUCKWHEAT SUMMER SALAD
Serves four
- 2red onions, cut into 2-cm wedges
- olive oil
- 90 g buckwheat
- 400 g green beans (trim them and cut them in half)
- chilli flakes or pepperoncino
- coarse sea salt
sauce
- 150 g Greek yoghurt
- 1 garlic clove, pressed or minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- a few drops of lemon juice
- fresh mint and/or dill, chopped
Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
Line a roasting tray with baking paper, arrange the onions on top and season them with olive oil and salt. Roast the onions for 20 minutes, until golden and soft. Remove it from the oven and let it cool.
Fill a medium-sized pot with water, let it boil and add some salt. Cook the buckwheat according to package instructions until al dente.
You can cook the green beans in the same or in a separate pot. The green beans also need to be al dente, but the exact cooking time will depend on how fresh and young the green beans are.
When both the buckwheat and green beans are cooked to your liking, strain them and rinse them under cold water.
Take a bowl and combine the onions, buckwheat, green beans, season with olive oil if necessary and add some salt. Add the chilli flakes on top.
Combine the sauce ingredients in a separate bowl and serve the sauce on the side or in dollops on top of the salad.
