Yogurty Butter Beans with Pistachio | Yotam Ottolenghi

Layering of butter beans with yogurt, pea, fresh herbs, feta, turmeric oil, and a generous sprinkling of dukkah

This is the kind of mezze that welcomes spring when the days are getting longer and our appetite is getting lighter. Grab a can of butter beans and the seasonal pea and herbs and you’re in business. This is a Ottolenghi dish with his signature touch of the layering bright and fresh flavor of vegetables. A dash of crunchy dukkah over tender butter beans with peas and herbs coated in a creamy, garlicky yogurt dressing make up a perfect bite. Serve with crisp lettuce, or bread if you like, for a light lunch or as part of a mezze spread.

Want to put together a table of mezze selections, top on the list are: puréed beets with yogurt and za’atar, baba ganoush, and butternut squash and tahini spread. Depending what you have on hand, these recipes will get you started in a delicious way.

There is a cold dish with no cooking involved when you’re using canned beans. Start with roasting the spices for the dukkah: coriander, cumin and sesame seeds, then add them to the dry oregano, dry mint and a good amount of roasted and crushed pistachio. A waft of  dukkah spice fill the air and a delightful spread is only minutes away.

Making Dukkah at home

The word “Dukkah” is derived from the Arabic for “to pound” since the mixture of spices and nuts are pounded together after being dry roasted to a texture that is neither powdered nor paste-like. It is an Egyptian spicy mixture consisted of hazelnuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, and salt and pepper.

The flavor of the spices are best released by toasting them. This can be a time consuming task to toast each kind of nuts and seeds separately. Coriander seeds take longer to brown than cumin or fennel seeds. Getting each to toast properly takes time and attention.

It’s less tedious with the Ottollenghi’s recipe (see below) which consists of fewer seeds and spices. Start with a small pan set over medium heat, toast the coriander and cumin, shaking the pan occasionally, until the seeds are a shade darker and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer spices to a small bowl and repeat with the sesame seeds, toasting for 30 to 60 seconds. Add the sesame seeds to the same bowl to cool. Next, finish the Dukkah by adding the pistachios, oregano, mint, salt and the cooled seeds to a food processor, using the smaller bowl insert if you have one. Pulse a few times until you have a rough crumble with larger pistachio pieces. Return to the small bowl.

I double the recipe since I have all the ingredients in place. Dash the Dukkah away in a small jar for later use. When I first started making the spice mix a few years ago, that’s the only way to go. I had a hard time finding Dukkah in a typical grocery store, including Whole Foods. Time has changed. But for a freshly roasted flavor, you really can’t beat the homemade variety.

Print Recipe

Yogurty Butter Beans with Pistachio

mezze

By Yotam Ottolenghi – Serves: 4-6

A kind of spring mezze when peas and fresh herbs are bountiful. Layering flavors with beans, yogurt, peas, feta and a dash of dukkah.

Ingredients

• FOR THE DUKKAH:
• 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 ½ teaspoons sesame seeds
• ⅓ cup/40 grams unsalted and roasted shelled pistachios
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried mint
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• FOR THE BEANS:
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ⅛ teaspoon ground turmeric
• ½ cup/110 grams plain Greek yogurt, at room temperature
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Fine sea salt and black pepper
• 2 (15.5-ounce) cans or 1 (700-gram) jar butter beans, rinsed and drained (3 cups/550 grams)
• ⅔ cup/90 grams frozen peas, thawed
• ¼ cup loosely packed/5 grams fresh picked dill
• ¼ cup loosely packed/5 grams fresh mint leaves
• ½ cup/80 grams coarsely crumbled feta

Instructions

1

Start the dukkah: In a small pan set over medium heat, toast the coriander and cumin, shaking the pan occasionally, until the seeds are a shade darker and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer spices to a small bowl and repeat with the sesame seeds, toasting for 30 to 60 seconds. Add the sesame seeds to the same bowl to cool.

2

Make turmeric oil: Add 1½ tablespoons olive oil to the pan used for the seeds. Heat over medium until visibly hot (shimmering and wavy) but not smoking, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat, stir in the turmeric and set aside to infuse and cool completely.

3

Finish the dukkah: Add the pistachios, oregano, mint, salt and the cooled seeds to a food processor, using the smaller bowl insert if you have one. Pulse a few times until you have a rough crumble with larger pistachio pieces. Return to the small bowl.

4

Dress the butter beans: In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add the butter beans and use a spatula to gently coat in the yogurt dressing, being careful to not break apart the beans.

5

Assemble the pea mixture: In a separate bowl, mix together the peas, fresh dill, fresh mint and remaining 1½ teaspoons olive oil with ⅛ teaspoon salt and a good grind of pepper.

6

Serve: Transfer the butter bean mixture to a large plate with a lip and top with the feta, followed by the pea mixture, the turmeric oil and a generous sprinkling of the dukkah. Serve the remaining dukkah to eat alongside.

Notes

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023079-yogurty-butter-beans-with-pistachio-dukkah