Green bean, olive and pine nut salad is a lovely fresh small starter, or antipasti. No Italian could possibly begin a meal without antipasti – deliciously delicate and tempting bites to whet the appetite.
Ingredients
- 50g pitted black olives
- 2 sunblush tomatoes in oil, drained
- 25g Grana Padano, coarsely grated
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 300g fine green beans, halved
- 50g pine nuts
Method
- 1. Put the olives and tomatoes on a board and finely chop. Tip into a bowl, and stir in the grated Grana Padano, oil and vinegar.
- 2. Cook the beans in a pan of salted boiling water for 3-4 minutes, until tender. Drain, cool, then add to the bowl.
- 3. Toast the pine nuts in a small frying pan until golden. Add to the bean salad and toss together. Serve in bowls
Chef's tip
This recipe uses Grana Padano cheese which is a hard Italian cheese, similar to Parmesan. It's non-vegetarian. To make this dish veggie, use a veggie cheese.