Butter Bean Smash with Jammy Tomatoes & Feta

Ingredients

• 2 x 400g tins butter beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 400g cherry tomatoes
• 1 red onion, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 120g feta, crumbled
• 15g flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• 0.5 tsp chilli flakes
• salt and black pepper to taste
• Crusty bread, to serve
• Rocket and seed salad, to serve
• Crusty sourdough or country bread, to serve

Method

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and soften the red onion for 4 to 5 minutes, until translucent and just starting to catch at the edges. Season with a pinch of salt now — it draws the moisture out and gets the onion sweetening properly.
2. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, pressing them gently with a spoon, until they collapse into a jammy, glossy sauce. Splash in the red wine vinegar and let it bubble for a minute — that's the tomatoes turning savoury-sweet rather than watery.
3. Meanwhile, warm the butter beans in a saucepan with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a splash of water over a low heat. Stir in the grated garlic and cook for just 30 seconds until fragrant and pale gold — don't burn it, or the whole smash turns bitter. Let the beans heat through for another 3 to 4 minutes until soft and hot.
4. Roughly crush the beans with a potato masher or fork — you want a textured smash, not a smooth puree, so leave some whole for bite. Stir in the lemon zest and most of the lemon juice, a good pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper. Taste, season, taste again — adjust now, not at the table.
5. Spoon the butter bean smash onto plates or into shallow bowls and top with the jammy tomatoes so the juices bleed into the beans below.
6. Scatter over the crumbled feta and torn parsley, sprinkle the chilli flakes, then finish with the remaining lemon juice and a final drizzle of olive oil. Serve with crusty sourdough alongside for mopping the plate clean.