What to eat in July

Chicken with wine, tarragon and green beans
30 minutes
EASY

Tarragon and chicken is a classic match and tarragon is just coming into season now.

olive oil
chicken breasts 4, skin on
shallots 2, finely sliced
white wine 300ml
butter 100g cold, diced
tarragon a small bunch, leaves picked
green beans 300g, blanched for 2 minutes and drained

• Heat a little oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Season the chicken breasts then cook skin-side down until the skin is crisp and golden brown. Turn over and continue to cook until the chicken is just done, about 8 minutes, remove and keep warm in a low oven.
• Add the shallots to the chicken pan and cook until softened. Add the wine then bubble until reduced by half. Whisk in the butter then stir through the tarragon and beans and season. Serve the chicken with the beans. Serves 4

Runner beans with tomato, garlic and chilli
40 minutes
EASY

Runner beans can be cooked briefly so they still have a little bite or slowly stewed in a sauce until really tender.

runner beans 300g
olive oil 3 tbsp
garlic 2 cloves, finely sliced
chilli flakes a large pinch
cloves 2
plum tomatoes 2 x 400g tins, drained of juice
basil a small bunch, leaves torn

• Run a potato peeler down either side of the beans to remove any stringy bits. Cut on the diagonal into 2cm pieces. Heat the olive oil in a large wide frying pan and add the garlic. Cook for 2 minutes then add the beans, chilli and cloves.
• Cook for 2 minutes then tip in the drained tomatoes. Cover and cook for 20-30 minutes until the beans are tender and the sauce is thick and rich. Stir through the basil just before serving. Serves 4 as a side dish