Broad bean and pancetta salad

A gorgeously summery salad, this is perfect for al fresco entertaining. If your broad beans are small – no bigger than your thumbnail – then it may not be necessary to peel off their skins after cooking. You could use a harder cheese, such as feta or pecorino instead of the soft goat’s cheese if you prefer.

• serves

  6-8

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

200g (7oz) pancetta or 5 rashers of streaky bacon, cut into 1cm (1⁄2 in) dice

400g (14oz) shelled broad beans (fresh or frozen)

1 tbsp chopped mint

125g (4 1⁄2 oz) soft goat’s cheese

Dressing

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

1 tbsp lemon juice

Salt and ground black pepper

Instructions

To prepare the dressing, combine the olive oil, lemon zest and lemon juice in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Place a frying pan over high heat. When hot, pour in the olive oil, add the pancetta or bacon and fry until crispy and golden. Drain on kitchen paper and set aside.

Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add the beans and boil for 1⁄2–1 minute or until just cooked. Drain. If the beans are quite big, peel them at this stage (they’ll pop out of their skins easily).

 

Pour over the dressing while the beans are still warm, then leave to macerate for 15–20 minutes. Finally, add the cooked pancetta and mint to the beans, crumble over the cheese and serve.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.