Fried lima beans with feta, sorrel and sumac recipe

Ingredients

• 1 lb dried lima beans
• 2 tbsp baking soda
• 1½ tbsp butter
• 4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to finish
• 8 green onions, sliced lengthways into long strips
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2 fresh red chiles, thinly sliced (optional)
• 5 cups sorrel, cut into ¾-inch strips, plus extra very thinly sliced to finish
• ½ tsp salt
• 1½ tbsp lemon juice
• 5 oz feta, crumbled
• 2 tsp sumac
• handful of chopped soft herbs such as dill or chervil

1. Place the lima beans in a large bowl and add twice their volume of cold water and the baking soda. Leave to soak overnight.
2. The following day, drain the beans, place in a large pan and cover with plenty of fresh water. Bring to the boil and boil for at least 30 minutes, or until soft to the bite but not disintegrating. They could take over an hour to cook, depending on size and freshness. Add more water during cooking if necessary. When ready, drain the beans.
3. Next, you want to lightly fry them. You may need to do this in three or four batches, depending on the size of your pan. Take some of the butter and oil and heat up well. Add enough beans to cover the bottom of the pan and fry on medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until the skin is golden brown and blistered. Remove to a large bowl and continue with another batch of butter, oil and beans.
4. When cooking the final batch, as soon as the beans are almost done, add the green onions, garlic, chiles, if using, and sorrel and sauté for about a minute. Then add the rest of the beans to the pan, remove from the heat and season with the salt. Allow the beans to cool down completely or until just warmish.
5. Taste the beans for seasoning, drizzle some lemon juice on top, then scatter with feta, a sprinkling of sumac, chopped herbs and some thinly sliced sorrel. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil.