Three-bean salad. Photograph: Jonathan Lovekin/The Observer

A salad of contrasting textures, deepest green, like its dressing. This is a garden salad, one to be eaten in the dappled light of a tree, on the hottest day of the year. I would offer it with some ripe tomatoes, sliced and dressed with olive oil and sea salt, and slices of warm frittata served in its pan. A practical point: it is fine (and good sense) to use the same water for cooking the beans, but cook the green beans before the broad beans as the latter are prone to colour the water. Warm the bottled or tinned haricot beans just before you toss everything together as they are best when dressed while still warm.

 

 

Serves 4
green beans 200g
fresh broad beans 450g (weight in pods)
haricot beans 500g, bottled or tinned
nasturtium flowers optional

For the dressing
dijon mustard 2 tsp
cider vinegar 2 tbsp
olive oil 4 tbsp
water 2 tbsp
parsley leaves 3 tbsp, finely chopped
shallot 1, finely chopped
tarragon leaves 8g, finely chopped

Put a large pan of water on to boil. Trim the ends of the green beans, cook them for 2 or 3 minutes in the boiling water, then lift them out with a draining spoon.

 

Remove the broad beans from their pods (you should have about 125g of beans). When the green beans are out of the water, add the broad beans and cook for about 7 minutes, drain and, if you wish, pop the beans out of their papery skins (I do this with all but the youngest beans, because I’m not fond of the skins, though it is up to you).

Make the dressing: put the mustard in a jam jar, then add the vinegar, oil and water, then the chopped parsley leaves, shallot and tarragon leaves. Season with a little salt, then seal the jar and shake vigorously to mix the dressing.

Half fill the pan with water and bring to the boil, then add the drained haricot beans. Let them warm through for a few minutes, then drain and toss with the green and broad beans and the dressing.

A few nasturtium flowers or leaves, should you have any, will add a peppery element.