Battered green beans – "little fish from the garden" (Peixinhos da horta)

1. Trim the green beans and blanch them in boiling salted water for 3-4 minutes, then cool in iced water and pat thoroughly dry with a tea towel.

2. In a bowl mix the flour with the salt and pepper, break in the eggs and gradually whisk in the cold water to a smooth batter slightly thicker than pancake batter; rest for 10 minutes.

3. Heat the oil to 175 °C in a deep frying pan.

4. Gather the beans in bundles of 3-4, dip in the batter, let the excess drip off and lower into the oil.

5. Fry for 1-2 minutes per side until golden and crisp; drain on kitchen paper (the amount given is the oil absorbed by the food).

6. Serve immediately, sprinkled with salt, with lemon wedges, as a starter or alongside fish dishes.

Tip: Legend has it that Portuguese missionaries took this dish to Japan, where it became the ancestor of tempura – the batter is lightest when the water is ice-cold.