GIANT BEANS WITH VINE LEAF PESTO

Vine leaf pesto, another moorish recipe that I defiantly ate too much of after we served this at Jess and my vegan dinner at East Elevation. It's super simple, you can find grape molasses at any Middle Eastern grocery or anywhere that sells Greek ingredients. Very different to pomegranate molasses though - it's not tart at all. Pic by Cathy Marshall.

6 cups cooked Greek giant beans(about 2 cups raw)

1 cup chopped fresh parsley

4 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped

For the pesto

12 brined grape leaves, drained, blanched and trimmed

1 cup parsley

2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

2/3 cup toasted pine nuts or toasted blanched almonds

Salt and pepper to taste

3 tbs grape molasses

2/3 cup extra virgin Greek olive oil or more, as needed

Lemon juice to taste

To cook the beans, soak them overnight then boil. I keep my beans in the liquid they're cooked in, in the fridge. It tends to stop them from getting chalky.

Roughly chop the grape leaves and place in a food processor with blade attachment. Place the parsley garlic and nuts in the bowl of the processor, too. Pulse until the mixture is a dense paste. Gradually add olive oil and grape molasses, until the resulting sauce is thick but liquid. Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon.

Combine the beans, parsley, spring onions and gently stir through pesto. Serve immediately.