Chargrilled Courgette & Green Bean Salad

To make the dressing: Finely grate or mince your garlic a paste and add to a small bowl, leave to one side for 10 minutes to maximise on its wonderful health benefits. Then add the rest of the ingredients, give it a good mix and leave to infuse whilst you prep the rest of the dish.

Slice your courgettes on a slight diagonal into 1/2-3/4cm thick slices, season lightly with salt & pepper to help draw out some of the moisture.

Top & tail the green beans and place in a steamer (or a sieve over a pan of boiling water) to steam for 3-4 minutes until cooked but definitely still al dente. If using frozen edamame beans you can then thaw these in the pan of boiling water whilst the green beans cool in the sieve. Drain the edamame after 5 minutes and leave everything to drain dry (toss the sieve a couple of times to get as much water out as possible).

Preheat a griddle pan on a high heat. Once hot, lay your courgette slices at a 45º angle across the ridges, press them down with a spatula or back or a spoon to get those beautiful char marks. Flip them over after 2-3 minutes, then back again but at 45º in the other direction to get crosses in those chars, cook for another 2 minutes then flip for a final time before turning out into a dish to cool. You might need to do these in batches.

Now for the assembly. Halve your cherry tomatoes and add to your serving dish with the green beans, courgettes, edamame and fresh herbs, pour over your dressing and toss everything together. Add the rocket, give it a final toss and serve, it makes a great Spring match for my No Effort Roast Chicken.