Charred Leeks, Butter Beans & Pickled Chilli Sauce

Preheat your oven to 200°C.

Drain and rinse half of the beans. Remove the dark green tops of the leeks, keeping the root on. Cut the leeks in half lengthwise, then rinse each leek half under cold, running water, gently fanning layers open while being careful to keep leek halves intact to wash away any sand or grit. Peel and thinly slice the garlic cloves. Drain and pat the capers dry.

Pour the vegetable stock into an ovenproof dish and place the leeks cut-side down into the dish. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and bake for 20 mins. Halfway through, turn the leeks so that they are cut-side up.

Meanwhile, trim and finely mince the chilli – use a food processor if you have one to make this easier. Add the chilli, apple cider vinegar, hot water, sugar, 2 tbsp olive oil and ½ tsp salt into a heatproof bowl. Stir together until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Leave to pickle.

Zest the lemon. Roughly chop the parsley and smoked almonds.

Add 3 tbsp of olive oil into a large saucepan, add the sliced garlic and place on medium heat. Cook until it starts to go golden, add the fennel seeds and cook until fragrant, 1 min. Pour the white wine in and let reduce by half. Add all the beans with ½ a jar of bean liquid to the pan, stir together until piping hot and creamy and then remove from the heat. If you want your beans to be creamier, add a spoonful of beans with a few tablespoons of water into a blender and blend until a smooth paste forms, it should be the texture of thick double cream. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Add a splash of water or more bean liquid if it needs to loosen, and stir the parsley through.

In a small pan, on medium-high heat, add 1 tbsp of olive oil. Once hot, add the capers and let cook until crispy, 2-3 mins.

Once the leeks are soft, turn your grill on to high, drizzle the leeks with some olive oil and grill them until brown and starting to char, 6-12 mins.

Serve the leeks on the beans. Garnish with lemon zest. Pour over the crispy capers and their oil and as much pickled chilli sauce as you want. Finish with the smoked almonds and a drizzle of olive oil.