Broad bean, smoked trout and feta.
Broad beans. Pythagoras, as well as coming up with his famous theorem – the thought of which drags me right back to high school maths, or alternately forces an unbidden Simpsonian recollection ‘That’s a right triangle, you idiot!’, – called them “beans of the dead”. Happily Favism free, the first sight of broad beans at the fruit shop elicits a gasp of happiness, for the nutty fresh flavour as well as the promise of longer warmer days.
The long pods house only a few plump beans each, and at $10/kg a meal with broad beans can quickly become a very expensive, and time consuming, exercise. But all is not lost. From memory I believe that you can make a stock with the pods to transfer much of the flavour, a great option if you’re making soup or risotto or a broad bean sauce. But these warm sunny winter days are preparing me for a lovely summer (which I am likely to miss, wholesale), so my beans are destined for salad, and the discarded pods end up in the bin.
Clockwise from left: broad bean pods (1); post boiling, single peeled state (3); double peeled broad beans ready to eat (4) ; broad beans freshly peeled from their pod (2).
Unless your beans are super fresh and young, you will need to double peel them. Here comes the time consuming part. First peeling sees the beans released from their pod (above picture, middle bottom). Now, pop in to boiling salted water for 2 or 3 minutes until the shell releases from the bright green bean inside (above, middle top). Refresh immediately in iced water. Drain and then peel the outer shell off. You will be left with a slightly slimy, bright green bean shaped like a squashed brain whose two hemispheres are held together tenuously (above right). Now you can warm them gently in butter (browned would be delightful), season and serve alongside a seared fish, or a hearty steak.
Or you can mix them with crumbly, creamy danish feta, flakes of smoked trout (given to me by Fouad before his holiday, thanks! it was delicious) a squeeze of lemon, a crack of pepper and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Or, pair tender, young double peeled broad beans with polygons of crisp pan-fried haloumi, Both dishes are heaven on a plate, with the first hint of summer in the air, the scent of jasmine just around the corner.
I love broad beans, could you tell? They are hearty yet fresh, green yet nutty. The flavour isn’t overpowering, so they happily share the spotlight in a dish, but this only succeeds at the height of the season, before their texture turns grainy and the beans become too large.
Broad beans are now,Spring is coming, and lunch is served. Enjoy!
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11 Comments
hee the first bean is so cute! i want to pinch his nonexistant cheeks
.-= chocolatesuze´s last blog ..blog chicks meetup at parramatta park cafe [4] =-.
Hee hee at Homer
and wow that first bean is so a kidney! It even has a adrenal gland!
Yay I love broad beans
Funny you mention them, I was just searching for some the other day but wasn’t as lucky as you. Oh and I really want to eat that.
.-= Steph´s last blog ..Phu Quoc, Cabramatta (and other yummies) =-.
You must be really South of me.
That dish with the smoked trout looks and sounds absolutely amazing. Excellent combination of 1st class ingredients and served simply. Well done.
Looking forward to your Daring Cooks challenge.
.-= Robert´s last blog ..Rice with Squid (August Daring Cooks) =-.
Thank goodness the link finally worked. To celebrate, I am making this for dinner tonight. Thankyou!
Now, to get my hands on broad beans at short notice during a lunchbreak in Chatswood…
.-= miss_om´s last blog ..Playing favourites with pretty words =-.
Beans of the dead? Geez, harsh. I especially like the crispy fried version seasoned with chilli & garlic mmm.
.-= Forager´s last blog ..Oscillate Wildly with me =-.
Such a lovely salad. Truly a flavour of summer to come. 33C here today, so absolutely salad weather. I love broad beans, too. The shape in particular!
.-= Julia @ Mélanger´s last blog ..{ Chocolate Éclairs } =-.
I’m such a sucker for broad beans,probably because of the Middle Eastern background..my broad bean salad, is mint, lemon rind, fetta, with a drizzl of good oil and a squeeze of the lemon juice..could eat it for days!
.-= Reemski´s last blog ..Bootleg Bar + Italian Food, Potts Point =-.
I’m such a broad bean lover but (alas!) I’m also a horribly lazy cook. If only they came all ready to go (but still fresh and not frozen from a box).
.-= shez´s last blog ..angus beef burgers =-.
chocolatesuze: Haha, you’re right, it looks like it needs to be swaddled in a blanky!
FFichiban: Science type guy!
Steph: Yay! They are still selling them in Marrickville, $10 a kilo though.
Robert: Perhaps, Sydney. Thank you!
miss_om: I’m glad the link worked too, not sure what was wrong with it. Hope you found some broad beans!
Forager: Oh, I’ve never had that, sound delicious though.
Julia @ Mélanger: Yeah, what happened to winter? Not that I’m complaining too much.
Reemski: Sounds so good, will have to remember that one
shez: Hah you just need a minion to peel them for you
I love the work you’ve put into this site, Clean and inspiring. More power to you. And I will hurt the broad beans with a little fried pancetta. Mmmmmmmmmm.