We’ve gone a bit bonkers with the bean planting on the allotment this year. I have some runner beans of the firestorm variety which yield the vibrant red edible flowers which I am looking forward to almost more than the beans. I have various varieties of dwarf beans because I’ve discovered they grow quite happily in my windowbox with a few blunt pencils as support poles. The girls are competing as to which will appear first. And finally some broad beans.
Broad Beans in Bloom
A little late to the planting party
My beans have only just gone in. If I had been more organised I would have popped them in last October and then I’d have a lovely crop about now to munch on while weeding. My late crop will get eaten as close to raw as possible because these beans are high in protein and also vitamin C. We will pick them early and eat the whole pod as leaving them longer is not an option for we have terrible blackfly.
Dried is just as delicious
A staple in our cupboard is the dried broad bean – or fava bean. If you buy the split variety, there is no need for soaking and in some simple stock or even just salted water, the beans will boil up in about 30 minutes. Some quick ideas:
- Drain the water away, whizz them up into a purée and season with salt, pepper and garlic and use as a dip or a base for grilled fish.
- Blend together with the cooking stock, season with salt and roasted cumin then top with a drizzle of olive oil and chilli flakes for a hearty soup. You could throw some mussels and parsley into this for something a bit more substantial.
- Mash the beans coarsely together, mix in some finely chopped spinach, seasoning, a beaten egg and then shape into little patties for frying. Perfect with some tzatziki and strips of cucumber in a flatbread wrap.
For some reason raw or lightly cooked broad beans work really well with creamy cheese like ricotta, feta, mozzarella and burrata. I have pinned much inspiration on my Pinterest board but this one is my current favourite.
Bessara with Feta and Fresh Broad Beans
Bessara is a classic Moroccan dish I first ate in Fez. We were wandering around the medina and I could smell this beany broth. Our guide showed us into a tiny wardrobe of a stall and we ate til we were full for about £1. Bessara can be served as a dip or a soup. I’ve kept it as a dip and topped with some creamy feta and fresh broad beans.
Bessara with Fresh Broad Beans and Feta – recipe below
You’ll need
- 250g dried split broad beans/fava beans
- 2 large cloves of garlic
- salt to your taste
- 2-3 tsp ground cumin
- 4-5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 100g feta cheese
- 200g broad beans
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh herbs – mint or Greek basil work nicely
To make it
- Boil the dried beans until they are just cooked. Depending on how old your beans are this will take between 30-45 minutes. Do not salt the water as it will make the beans tough. They should mash easily when cooked.
- Purée the beans with the garlic until there are no lumps. Adjust the thickness of the purée to your liking using a little warm water.
- Add the ground cumin and season with salt as you wish.
- Spoon the mixture into your serving bowl and then drizzle over the olive oil, crumble over the feta and broad beans and then finally sprinkle the herbs over the top.
How does that sound? If you fancy something a little more substantial, add a fillet of grilled fish on top – cumin roasted mackerel or cod work well.
Are you a fan of the broad bean? How do you eat them?
Related articles
- Moroccan Memories and Bessara Soup (jennychandlerblog.com)
- Broad Bean and Lemon Risotto (greedygourmet.com)
- Broad Bean Crostini and Cocktails (cooksister.com)
thekalechronicles says
21st May 2014 at 10:29 pmI don’t like broad beans at all any way I have had them, Urvashi, but I am very fond of cumin and feta both, so if some fall into my lap I’ll try your recipe.
Urvashi Roe says
21st May 2014 at 10:38 pmI would be honoured if you did and liked them!
The Rural Gardener says
21st May 2014 at 10:33 pmLooking at your post I’ve realised I haven’t planted any broad beans this year! Yikes … I’d better get on with it. Hopefully it’s not too late?
Urvashi Roe says
21st May 2014 at 10:38 pmNo never too late. If you are UK based get them in now as it’s warm. That’s what my allotment guru told me anyway!
The Rural Gardener says
22nd May 2014 at 7:26 amCool! Thanks.
Katie Bryson (@cookingkt) says
22nd May 2014 at 10:02 amWhat stunning flowers!!!! Loving the recipe too – such lovely fresh flavours. We grew broad beans when we had our allotment and I made a lovely dip with them along similar lines. You’ve inspired me to make this as a BBQ side dish when the sunshine makes a reappearance…
Urvashi Roe says
22nd May 2014 at 10:07 amOh yes! That would be amazing. It’s a great batch cooking recipe to have in the freezer and plonk roasted veg or grilled fish on top
Food Ren (@RenBehan) says
22nd May 2014 at 2:14 pmAaaah my grandmother used to have a whole garden full of beans – both broad beans and runner beans – always with plenty of fresh beetroot and dill. Must try and plant some myself x
Urvashi Roe says
22nd May 2014 at 10:49 pmOoh I haven’t planted dill. Makes complete sense as that combo works so well.
lizard100 says
22nd May 2014 at 10:46 pmThis all looks and sounds delicious!
Urvashi Roe says
22nd May 2014 at 10:48 pmThank you 🙂 very easy – almost better than cheese on toast. Almost
lizard100 says
22nd May 2014 at 10:51 pmCould be. I just posted about cheese on toast recently. Not quite the usual.
Jac -Tinned Tomatoes (@tinnedtoms) says
23rd May 2014 at 1:24 pmI didn’t realise that broad beans flowered so beautifully. I’ve never gone beyond planting herbs and chillies. I do like broad beans though. Yummy!
Urvashi Roe says
23rd May 2014 at 1:25 pmThey are so pretty aren’t they. Wait til you see pics of the blossom on the firestorm runner beans. Vibrant red. Gorgeous! and edible too!
kellie@foodtoglow says
24th May 2014 at 4:30 pmI’m not so keen on broad beans but they are quite nice if very young. And the recipe does look like it could convert a few of us. 🙂 Feta and herbs are terrific with all beans. And your plant looks so beautiful that I would even just grow it for the flowers!
Urvashi Roe says
24th May 2014 at 5:47 pmYes the flowers are indeed lovely aren’t they. I so hope mine don’t get infested with the blackfly!
Sally says
26th May 2014 at 7:33 amI double pod broad beans – I love their sweet insides (love meatball recipes with them in Jerusalem). Beautiful pics.
Urvashi Roe says
27th May 2014 at 10:42 amThank you re the pics! Can’t wait to get kitchen sorted and my table ready made by the window for photography. It’s a juggle for the light at the mo.
Nazima says
26th May 2014 at 9:33 pmahh love this combination – in fact served a dip version similar to this at our recent supperclub with some salisfy chips. Delicious.
Urvashi Roe says
27th May 2014 at 10:41 amOh yes a dip sounds fabulous. I want to come to one of your supperclubs
Jenny Chandler says
9th June 2014 at 11:01 pmThanks for the link Urvashi. You can see that I’m trying to catch up and make amends for all my days as a rather negligent blogger.
Urvashi Roe says
9th June 2014 at 11:02 pmBaby steps turn to big steps :-). Thanks for stopping by. Look forward to catching up again soon x