Pazılı kuru börülce salatası (black-eyed bean and chard salad)

Pazılı kuru börülce salatası (louvi in Greek) is a staple Cypriot salad that is best enjoyed when fresh chard is in season. It brings together the delicately earthy, creamy and nutty flavours of dried black-eyed beans (kuru börulce - 'kuh-ruh buh-rool-jeh') with the mellow, mildly earthy-sweet flavours of chard (pazı - 'pah-zuh'). The salad is brightened with a simple dressing of extra virgin olive oil blended with a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Pazılı kuru börülce salatası is perfect as a light meal in the summer, served with fresh bread to dip into the olive oil and lemon dressing. It is also great as a side dish to grilled fish or tinned tuna. Similar to pazılı kuru bakla salatası (broad bean and chard salad), it can be eaten warm in the cooler months and chilled when the weather is warmer.

We use a green chard variety from Cyprus, which is available in most Cypriot food stores when in season. However, rainbow chard can be used as an alternative if that is what you have available. You can also substitute chopped white courgettes or pak choi for the chard. If you use different vegetables than those listed in the recipe, you may need to adjust the cooking times accordingly.

To prepare the salad, we pour the cooked chard along with its water into the saucepan containing the boiled black-eyed beans. This makes it easier to stir them together and prevents mashing the beans. However, you can drain both and mix them together that way if you find it easier.

Finally, we use Cypriot extra virgin olive oil for our dressing, as it has a peppery flavour that balances the earthy and tangy flavours of the vegetables. However, you can use other varieties if you prefer.

Serves 4 to 5 | Preparation time: 15 minutes | Cooking time: 45 minutes | Additional time for cooling

Ingredients

Bean and chard preparation
500g dried black-eyed beans	​1 ½ tsp salt, or as desired
400g chard, washed and strained	​1 tbsp malt vinegar (or 2 tbsp lemon juice)
Dressing
​150-200ml extra virgin olive oil, or as desired	50-100ml lemon juice, or as desired

Hob heat settings

Method

1. Sift through the beans to remove any defective ones, then wash them thoroughly and strain.

   
   

   

   
   

2. Lay the chard leaves flat, one-by-one, on a chopping board. Cut the bottom ends of the stalks if they are a bit brown and discard them. Then, cut the leaves in half lengthwise.

   
   

   

   
   

3. After splitting the leaves in two, cut them horizontally (stalks included) into 1cm strips.

   
   

   

   
   

4. Add the beans to a large saucepan and fill with enough hot water from the kettle to cover by 5cm. Simmer on a hight heat while loosely covered for 20 minutes and stir occasionally, before pouring away the dark water. (If the beans float to the top, you can add a little cold water to make them sink down to the bottom to ensure they cook.)

   
   

5. Top the beans up with enough hot water to cover by 5cm again, along with the vinegar (or lemon juice) and 1 tsp salt, before returning to a high heat. Simmer for a further 15-20 minutes on a high heat, or until the beans are cooked and tender in the middle. The vinegar - or lemon juice - works to remove the dark colour from the water for a brighter salad.

   
   

6. In a separate saucepan, add the prepared chard leaves and stalks and ½ tsp salt, along with enough hot water to cover by 2cm. Simmer while loosely covered on a high heat for 5-10 minutes, or until the chard is cooked (the stalk pieces should be firm but tender in the centre). Try to time this step towards the end of the beans cooking.

   
   

7. Add the cooked chard, along with its cooking water, to the pot with the cooked black-eyed beans and their water. Gently stir together before draining off all the water. By mixing in water, it prevents the beans from mashing.

   
   

8. In a separate bowl, mix the olive oil and lemon juice to create a dressing, before pouring this over the beans and chard, mixing to evenly coat them. You can adjust the quantities of lemon juice and olive oil to taste. To mix the beans and chard, you can use a large oven tray and lift the beans from the bottom with a large spoon to make it easier to evenly coat the salad with the dressing and to avoid mashing the beans.

   
   

9. Serve warm, or cold from the fridge. Pazılı kuru börülce salatası pairs perftecly with grilled fish and fresh bread to soak up the olive oil and lemon dressing.