400g French beans
400g mangetout
70g unskinned hazelnuts (sliced almonds can be used as a substitute if preferred)
1 orange
20g chives, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of hazlenut oil (or another nut oil if preferred)
coarse sea salt and black pepper
Pre-heat the oven to 180/Gas Mark 4.
Using a small, sharp knife trim the stalk ends off the French beans and the mangetout, keeping the two separate. Bring plenty of unsalted water to the boil in a large saucepan - make sure you use a large pan because you need to give the beans space, so you preserve their colour. Blanch the French beans in the water for 4 minutes, then drain into a colander. Run cold water through them until cold; leave to drain and dry. Repeat with the mangetout, blanching them only 1 minute.
While the beans are cooking, scatter the hazlenuts over a baking tray and roast in the oven for 10 minutes. Leave until cool enough to handle, then run them in a clean tea-towel to get rid of most of the skin. Chop the nuts with a large, sharp knife. they should be quite rough; some can stay whole. (If using flaked almonds they will roast more quickly - check them after 3 minutes, removed when they look lightly toasted.)
Peel the zest from the orange in strips, being careful to avoid the bitter white pith. Slice each piece of zest into very thin strips.
Before serving, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, toss gently, then taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve at room temperature.
Recipe adapted from Ottolenghi, The Cookbook