This broad bean, courgette and lentil salad with marinated feta started as something for my vegetarian friends — though I should be honest and say my feta was almost certainly made with animal rennet, so perhaps not strictly vegetarian after all. It is very good regardless.

The marinated feta is the part that requires forethought. Cut a block into generous cubes and pack into a jar with toasted fennel seeds, juniper berries and torn basil leaves. Cover with olive oil, seal tightly and leave in the fridge overnight if you can. The feta softens slightly and takes on the aromatics in a way that makes it considerably more interesting than feta straight from the packet.

The dressing is where it gets slightly unexpected. Sun-dried tomatoes, lemongrass, fresh ginger, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and lemon juice are blitzed together, passed through a fine sieve and finished with extra virgin olive oil. It sounds like a long way round for a salad dressing. It isn't. The result is tangy, complex and unlike anything you will find in a bottle.

Pardina lentils are the ones to use here if you can find them — small, nutty brown lentils from Castilla y León that hold their shape well and are widely available in Spanish supermarkets. If you can't find them, any small brown or green lentil will do.

Broad Bean, Courgette and Lentil Salad – What You Need

For the marinated feta:

• 200g feta, cut into cubes
• 1 tsp fennel seeds, toasted
• 6 juniper berries
• A few fresh basil leaves, torn
• Olive oil to cover

For the dressing:

• 4 sun-dried tomatoes in oil
• 1 lemongrass stalk, roughly chopped (dried works if you can't find fresh)
• A small knob of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• A splash of soy sauce
• A glug of rice wine vinegar (white wine or cider vinegar works too)
• Juice of ½ lemon
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt to taste

For the salad:

• 150g Pardina lentils (or small brown lentils)
• 2 courgettes, sliced into rounds
• A large handful of broad beans, podded
• A small handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• A small handful of fresh mint leaves

Method

The day before, pack the feta into a jar with the fennel seeds, juniper berries and basil. Cover with olive oil, seal and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to eat, cook the lentils according to packet instructions until just tender. Drain and set aside.

Make the dressing by blitzing the sun-dried tomatoes, lemongrass, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar and lemon juice together. With the blender running, slowly add the olive oil. Pass through a fine sieve, pressing as much liquid as possible from the pulp. Season with salt.

Blanch the broad beans briefly in boiling water, then drain. Griddle the courgette slices until tender with good char lines on both sides.

Combine the lentils, broad beans, courgette, parsley and mint. Lift the feta from its oil and scatter over. Layer everything onto a platter and finish with a generous slosh of dressing.

If you fancy broad beans treated more simply, my Mozzarella Broad Bean Salad keeps things bright and fresh — just peas, mint, lemon and torn mozzarella.

This broad bean, courgette and lentil salad is part of my Veg, Fruit & Pulses collection. Wonky photos, proper produce, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef