courgette, pea and bean salad

i make versions of this salad throughout the summer – i am a sucker for buying peas and beans when they are in season and find that courgette is a good balance to all their legume-y goodness.

these peas and beans were actually from the freezer and i pulled them out to get them finished – there was peas, broad beans and soya beans all mixed in – cook them separately, starting with the broad beans so you can take off their tough outer pod while cooking the rest (use a slotted spoon to remove them and you’ll be able to use the same water for all of them).

the courgettes were sliced, tossed with a little oil and then placed on a smoky hot griddle so they could receive their charred branding and makes the dish look so delicious and taste so much of summer (this is the prefect bbq dish as it captures the taste of bbq’d meat and veg perfectly). a handful of rocket and a dressing of olive oil (i used some of the oil that my oak-smoked tomatoes come in) plus lemon zest (don’t use juice, it will turn the beans from a bright and vivid green into a sludgy colour) were the finishing touches. goats cheese or feta would be lovely crumbled through at the end, if you want to make the salad a little richer.