Loathe broad beans? Blame your mother’s cooking. Then try this and discover the joy of these luscious legumes By Liane Arno
I DON'T know if you ever watch those cooking competition programs where home cooks are pitted against each other. I rarely watch them but I still remember a My Kitchen Rules episode when Pete Evans (before we knew him more for his statements that he could cure COVID than for his cooking and wonderful blue eyes) and Manu Feidel (who doesn’t love a French accent?) were being served broad beans. The other contestants were exchanging horrified glances and whispering to each other, “They didn’t peel the beans!” Pete and Manu bravely tucked into their meal but were then seen to be discretely removing from their mouths the masticated outer fibrous membrane of the broad beans.
I DON'T know if you ever watch those cooking competition programs where home cooks are pitted against each other. I rarely watch them but I still remember a My Kitchen Rules episode when Pete Evans (before we knew him more for his statements that he could cure COVID than for his cooking and wonderful blue eyes) and Manu Feidel (who doesn’t love a French accent?) were being served broad beans. The other contestants were exchanging horrified glances and whispering to each other, “They didn’t peel the beans!” Pete and Manu bravely tucked into their meal but were then seen to be discretely removing from their mouths the masticated outer fibrous membrane of the broad beans.
Matt tells me he was just about put off broad beans for life as his family of four strapping lads were served up enormous (podded but unpeeled) beans picked at their largest to ensure the best value from the family garden. “Not even a dob of butter to make them half palatable,” complained Matt.
So it was with some surprise that I found Matt growing broad beans in the garden this year. I think we must have been given some seeds at our local garden swap meet because when you have a look around what is growing in our local gardens at the moment you will find a whole bunch of broad beans.
The trick to enjoying these wonderful legumes is to not only pod them but to peel them as well.
It is quite easy – grab the bean pod and retrieve the beans. They look lovely but before you can taste their lusciousness you need to prise out the bean. If you pop the podded beans into boiling water for two minutes and then rinse in cold water you will find a bean ready for peeling. Scrape off the top of it and then squeeze out the most vibrant green bean you have ever seen. It is so lustrous it is hard to describe.
Then grab a few stalks of mint and pull just the leaves off and cut them finely. Then add the juice of one or two lemons (or preferably limes) and a splash of olive oil.
In the meantime, make some flat bread which is so simple.
Mix equal quantities of Greek yoghurt with self-raising flour. 250 grams of each will make around 8 flat breads. Mix together in a large bowl and then let rest for about half an hour. Divide into balls of about 80 grams each and grab your rolling pin and roll out into a 15cm circle of dough. Heat a tablespoon of oil in the pan and cook for a couple of minutes on each side. Drizzle with some oil – cover with the beans – and think you are in heaven.
So it was with some surprise that I found Matt growing broad beans in the garden this year. I think we must have been given some seeds at our local garden swap meet because when you have a look around what is growing in our local gardens at the moment you will find a whole bunch of broad beans.
The trick to enjoying these wonderful legumes is to not only pod them but to peel them as well.
It is quite easy – grab the bean pod and retrieve the beans. They look lovely but before you can taste their lusciousness you need to prise out the bean. If you pop the podded beans into boiling water for two minutes and then rinse in cold water you will find a bean ready for peeling. Scrape off the top of it and then squeeze out the most vibrant green bean you have ever seen. It is so lustrous it is hard to describe.
Then grab a few stalks of mint and pull just the leaves off and cut them finely. Then add the juice of one or two lemons (or preferably limes) and a splash of olive oil.
In the meantime, make some flat bread which is so simple.
Mix equal quantities of Greek yoghurt with self-raising flour. 250 grams of each will make around 8 flat breads. Mix together in a large bowl and then let rest for about half an hour. Divide into balls of about 80 grams each and grab your rolling pin and roll out into a 15cm circle of dough. Heat a tablespoon of oil in the pan and cook for a couple of minutes on each side. Drizzle with some oil – cover with the beans – and think you are in heaven.