Posted by kathryn in Vegetables

Next on Q & A Thursday Lindsey from Oh Sunday School has asked about broad beans:

You mentioned broad beans are in season and I’ve seen then on special at my grocer’s. Do you have some suggestions on how to prepare them? I’ve never bought fresh broad beans and I’m a bit intimidated – I’m under the impression that they are a bit of a hassle to peel, etc. what do you think?

Fresh broad beans, or fava beans, are in season at the moment and they’re gorgeous. At this time of year you can buy them, still in their pods, from your greengrocer. If you’ve only tried the frozen variety, then get yourself some fresh ones – the taste is totally different.

Preparing broad beans

When you buy fresh broad beans, you’re buying a whole pod. As you can see from the photo on the right, the beans are cushioned inside a hairy pod.

The size of the beans inside the pod varies, depending on age:

• Very young broad beans, are about the size of a fingernail and these are delicious raw – no cooking or preparation required.
• Medium-sized broad beans need to be skinned, before you cook them.
• Older, larger broad beans are podded and dried for later use. These have to be soaked and cooked, as you would any other dried legume.

Most of the broad beans you buy from the greengrocer will be medium sized. These beans have a thick, outer skin, which is slightly bitter. It’s best to remove this skin before cooking, otherwise your final meal will also taste slightly bitter. This is often referred to as double-peeling or twice peeled beans. It isn’t difficult, but it is time consuming and a little fiddly – however very worth it.

How to double-peel bread beans

• Remove the beans from the bean pod
• Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and add the beans
• Cook for about 2 minutes and then drain
• Put the beans into a bowl of cold water
• You can then peel the greeny-grey thick skin off the bean by slicing it open with your nail and then squeezing the bean out.

Your beans are then ready to be used in salads, dips and all sorts of other recipes.

How to cook broad beans

I think broad beans are delicious and for me they’re one of those signs that summer is on it’s way. Fresh broad beans are only available for a short season, so take advantage of them now. Here are some of the wonderful ways you can cook them:

• Lucy of Nourish Me has made a spring vegetable ragout.
• Jules over at the Stonesoup has been cooking grilled asparagus with broad bean puree and her archives include a baby leek and broad bean salad and a Claudia Roden-inspired recipe wilted beetroot greens with preserved lemon and broad beans.
• Oswego Tea’s recipe is for a fava, green bean and and new potato salad.
• Gluten-free Girl has made a tomato and fava bean salad.
• Sophie from Mostly Eating has a recipe for taglietelle with chicken, broad beans and mustard.

Don’t let the fiddly-ness of preparing broad beans put you off. It’s a shame to miss out on this short-lived spring vegetable. I wouldn’t cook fresh broad beans every day, but it’s a good weekend dish. I find podding, blanching and shelling the beans kind of therapeutic. You get into a routine and your mind can switch off. Alternatively, it’s also a good in-front-of-TV chore.

Do you use broad beans and if so, what’s your favourite recipe?

What is Q & A Thursday?

This post is part of Q & A Thursday – a weekly burst of blogging, where you get to dictate the subject matter. Q & A Thursday is all about simple, practical and sensible answers to food, diet and health dilemmas sent in by readers. If you have a question you’d like answered, then either leave a comment or send me an email. For more information you can take a look at the Q & A Thursday archives.

Broad bean photo by Janerc under the terms of a creative commons license

04 October, 2007