Charred Green Beans & Corn with Marinated Lentils
From: Ian Seddon's Cookbook
🥘 Ingredients
- Quick Pickled Chiles and Shallots 1-2
- medium red/orange/yellow bell pepper 1
- medium lemons 2
- fresh basil and/or flat-leaf parsley leaves 2 handful
- good-quality extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp
- Cooked Lentils 2 ½ cup
- Kosher
- of fresh corn 3
- fresh green beans 12 oz
- avocado oil or other high-heat, neutral-flavored oil 1 ½ tbsp
- garlic cloves 4
- Herby Yogurt Sauce 10.67 tbsp
- For serving: Crusty bread to serve 4
Fresh summer corn is delicious raw as in this recipe, but if you prefer your corn cooked, here are two options: (1) Shave the ears of corn as instructed in step 2. After cooking the green beans, heat 1 1/2 tbsp high-heat oil in the same skillet or wok. Cook the corn over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, tossing just occasionally to allow charring; (2) If you have a grill or grill pan, you can grill the cobs whole, then shave the kernels. If you bought frozen sweet corn, defrost 2 cup in the fridge, then cook using the instructions on the bag. This meal is quite filling and veggie-heavy, so you may not need to serve it with a salad on the side. Storage: Store the lentil-corn-green bean salad separately from the Herby Yogurt Sauce in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Leftovers are great cold, but if desired, reheat the lentil salad in the microwave until heated through or in a frying pan with a touch of oil over medium heat. Top with Herby Yogurt Sauce and serve with bread. Top with freshly chopped herbs if you have any. Nutrition boost: Stir halved cherry tomatoes, more diced bell peppers, or thinly sliced celery into the marinated lentils. For added protein, stir some cubed pre-baked tofu into the marinated lentils. Or, make my baked tofu recipe. Shortcut: Skip zesting the lemons and add sumac to taste instead.
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1Gather: Quick Pickled Chiles and Shallots , medium red/orange/yellow bell pepper , medium lemons , fresh basil and/or flat-leaf parsley leaves , good-quality extra virgin olive oil , Cooked Lentils , Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, of fresh corn , fresh green beans , avocado oil or other high-heat, neutral-flavored oil , garlic cloves , Herby Yogurt Sauce , For serving: Crusty bread to serve .
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2Marinate the lentils. Set a strainer over a small bowl and drain the Quick Pickled Chiles and Shallots, collecting the pickling liquid in the bowl. In a large bowl, combine the drained Quick Pickled Chiles and Shallots plus 1 tbsp pickling liquid, diced bell pepper, lemon zest, chopped herbs, olive oil, Cooked Lentils, 1 tsp kosher salt, and pepper to taste. Toss to combine, then taste. Add a few squeezes of lemon juice if desired. Set aside to marinate.
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3Shave the corn. Position an ear of corn upright over a sheet pan (this helps prevent the kernels from flying everywhere; or use this bowl-in-bowl method). Use a chef’s knife in a downward direction to shave the kernels, allowing them to drop into the pan.
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4Stir the corn into the lentil salad. Taste, adding more olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and/or pepper until it tastes bright and well-seasoned. Marinate while you make everything else.
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5Trim the green beans’ ends, if needed; if any beans are very large, cut in half. Pat dry to avoid oil splatter when cooking.
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6Prepare your side salad, if you’re making one.
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7Cook the green beans. Open windows for ventilation and turn on your oven vent. Heat a wok or large cast iron skillet over high heat. Once you see light wisps of smoke, add the avocado oil (if using a wok, swirl it up the sides). Now add the green beans. Spread out in a single layer as much as possible. Season with 1/2 tsp kosher salt. Cook undisturbed for 1 minute, or until some beans start to blister. Toss and cook for 3 to 4 additional minutes, tossing only every 1 minute to allow charring. When the beans are charred in many spots and mostly tender, reduce the heat to medium. Now add the garlic. Stir-fry for 20-30 seconds , stirring constantly to prevent burning. Take off the heat. If you have time, chop the green beans in half. Add the beans to the lentils and corn. Taste, adding more olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and/or pepper to taste.
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8Divide the mixture among bowls. Dollop the Herby Yogurt Sauce on top of each. Serve with crusty bread and your side salad, if you made one.