Broad Bean Recipes
Preparing broad beans is a labour of love. I’m not going to pretend they’re easy, but as the old saying goes – they’re worth it. Unlike other vegies which are available year-round, broad beans are one of those vegies that has a distinct season. They’re in the shops from winter into spring, and then they’re gone until next year. They come as big, puffy pods, much bigger than other beans. When these pods are small you can eat them whole, and they’re sensational. But once they’re bigger – from six to 10 inches long on average, you’ll need to peel the pods to get to the beans. But what I like to do, and this is the labour of love bit, is peel the beans again, a second time.
To peel away the tougher outer bean, blanch the beans in boiling water for 30 seconds (ie, bring a pan of water to the boil, toss in the beans, and let the water come to the boil again, which usually takes about 30 seconds). This loosens the outer skin on the broad beans, which peels off. It’s one of those jobs you should do in the kitchen with the radio on. To prepare enough beans for a side dish for 4, it might take you about 15-20 minutes to do the job. It’s like shelling peas.What you end up with is smallish, green, glossy broad beans that will cook in just a few minutes. These are so much nicer than the tough, outer beans.
Yummy broad beans, potatoes & carrots
1 small onion, chopped
1 rasher bacon, cut into dice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 carrot, cut into 5mm rounds
1 medium-large potato, cut into 2cm chunks
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves
500g whole broad beans, shelled, then peeled again (see peeling method, above)
1. In a saucepan, heat the olive oil then add the onion and bacon and fry until the onion softens (about 5 minutes) stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.
2. To the saucepan, add the carrot and potato and stir-fry them for 2 minutes, combining with the onion and bacon. Add the chicken stock and thyme leaves, cover the saucepan with a lid and let the vegies cook for at least 10 minutes in the saucepan until the potatoes feel almost done (test them with a skewer)
3. Toss in the prepared broad beans and cook, with the lid off, for about 5 minutes more. Serve immediately as a side dish.
Note: this dish can be served as an almost-vego meal on its own. Just increase the quantities for more people. This dish serves 2 people.
