Yotam Ottolenghi recipes: parsley, lemon and cannellini bean salad, plus beef, butterbean and bulgar stew | Salad (2024)

My new More 4 series, Ottolenghi's Mediterranean Feasts, starts a week on Monday, exploring the cuisine of Morocco, Turkey, Tunisia and Israel. This salad, with its herbs and whole lemon, peppered with sweet spice, could easily be found in any of my four destinations. Serves four.

90g red quinoa (or white, if need be)
20g parsley, finely shredded
20g mint leaves, finely shredded
50g spring onion, finely sliced
300g cooked cannellini beans, drained (tinned are fine)
½ large lemon, pips removed and finely chopped (you need 70g in all)
½ tsp ground allspice
4 tbsp olive oil
Salt and black pepper

Put the quinoa in a small saucepan and add 180ml water. Bring to aboil, cover and turn the heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes, then removefrom the heat and set aside with the lid still on for 10 minutes more. Remove the lid and leave to cool down. Transfer the cooled quinoa to a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients, including three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt and some black pepper. Stir everything together and serve.

Beef, butterbean and bulgar stew

Dried Iranian limes boost this stew with their unusual sharp, slightly bitter aroma that I just love. The limes need to be punctured so they'll soak up some liquid and sink into the stew – remove them when they start disintegrating. You can get them online and from Middle Eastern shops. If you don't like them or can't get them, don't worry – you can leave them out. Serves six.

In a large casserole dish or sauté panfor which you have a lid, sauté the onions with two tablespoons of the olive oil until soft, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.

Put the flour in a large bowl and mix in the cinnamon, a teaspoon of salt and a generous grind of pepper. Add the beef and toss with your hands to coat all over. Return the pan to a high heat, pour in atablespoon of olive oil and brown half the beef all over. Tip into the onion bowl, and repeat with the remaining oil and beef.

Stir in the soaked butterbeans, cover the pan with a lid and simmer for another hour to 90 minutes, until the beef and beans are tender, adding water if necessary.

Ten minutes before serving, add the bulgar and simmer gently. Once the bulgar is cooked, stir in half ateaspoon each of salt and pepper, taste and add more if needed. Remove the herb bundle and limes, and serve, garnished with the gratedlemon zest and some chopped parsley.

Ottolenghi's Mediterranean Feasts starts on Monday 12 November at 9pm on More4.

The new Ottolenghi app is available now on iTunes for £4.99.