Salad of green beans and tomatoes

This is a delicious midsummer salad that works brilliantly on its own as a starter with some fresh, crusty bread. The secret is to make sure that your infredients are perfectly fresh and the tomatoes are full of flavour.

Ingredients (servers 6-8)

For the salad
6 best-quality ripe tomatoes
3 Sallots, finely chopped and blanched (plunge them into boiling water for 30 seconds, remove and immediately refresh un ice-cold water, then dry with a clean tea towel)
600g haricots verts, cooked al dente
10-15 basil leaves, roughly chopped
Salt & Pepper
Parmisan Shavings

For the dressing
1sdp sherry vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 dsp soy sauce
1 dsp oriental fish sauce
1 dsp sesame oil
2 dsp olive oil

If the tomatoes are top quality and ripe, they should not need peeling. Cut them into eighths, then chop each of these segments across in half. Put into a bowl with the blanched chopped shallots.

Mix all the dressing ingredients together and pour over the tomatoes and shallots. Finish by adding the beans, chopped basil leaves and Parmesan shavings. Season and serve.