Broad Beans

Leftover	Idea & ingredients	recipe
Broad beans	Broad beans add lovely colour (when peeled) and texture.  Popping the beans out of their skins is an excellent job for any teenager in the house as it is a fairly mindless task (can be accomplished whilst watching television or listening to music) and can be done sat down or in a semi-reclining (slumped) position. When your crop is just starting or ending, or there are a few left over after cooking, broad beans can be used to add interest to many a dish.
Broad beans	Add to salads. Mix with your favourite salad dressing and spoon over salad.
Broad beans	Hot salad It’s always good to have a bit of chorizo around – it last for ages and can be used in loads of dishes.  And this one is so simple. INGREDIENTS Cooked broad beans, peeled unless very young and tender. Bacon or chorizo Salad White wine or cider vinegar Fry some bacon or chorizo, add the beans and seasonings, splash in some vinegar and spoon over a mixed salad.  Tip Scatter with some home made croutons or pumpkin seed for a bit of crunch.
Broad beans	A garnish for meat dishes Add leftover cooked, peeled broad beans to sauces and gravies or scatter around plate as garnish.
Broad beans	Broad bean spread Lovely on toast with a bit of cheese, great on a little croute as a canapé topped with Serrano or Parma ham. INGREDIENTS Cooked, peeled broad beans Olive oil Salt and pepper Blitz broad beans with a little olive oil and water - start with just a teaspoonful of both the water and oil until you have the desired consistency.  Season.
Broad beans	Habas con jamon (broad beans with ham) A Spanish classic, the texture and flavour of broad beans is completely perfect with the ham. INGREDIENTS 500g cooked broad beans (the younger the better) 100ml Spanish olive oil 150g Serrano ham, diced 2 cloves garlic, crushed or grated Chopped fresh parsley to serve Pop the beans out of their skins (unless they’re really young and small). Heat the oil and briefly fry the beans, ham and garlic to colour the ham. Reduce the heat and cook for 5 minutes. Season to taste and add a good sprinkle of the parsley. Tips This is a wonderful little starter served with good, crusty bread or as a side for fish and meat. Substitute the Serrano ham with pancetta if this is easier to find.
Broad beans	Puré de Habas (broad bean purée) Surprisingly versatile!  Being starchy the broad beans make a good base for other mashed or puréed vegetables.  Try with mashed cauli, peas, aubergine…. INGREDIENTS Cooked, peeled broad beans Cream or stock Blitz cooked beans in the food processor to the desired consistency. Heat a little cream in a saucepan, add the bean puree and warm through, stirring all the time. Season to taste and serve as a side dish drizzled with a little olive oil or melted butter. Tips  Also great for resting a cooked fish fillet on, or nice slices of lamb. If you’re watching the calories or cutting out dairy replace the cream with a little chicken or vegetable stock (or a bit of cooking liquid from the beans or other vegetables). For a slightly different flavour, soften some garlic and/or onion in butter or olive oil and blitz with the beans. Stew a few mint leaves in olive oil and blitz for a beautiful mint drizzle for the purée.
Broad beans	Valencian broad beans Lots of lovely fresh flavours make this really something special.  This recipe is for ½ kg (about 1lb) of podded broad beans. INGREDIENTS ½ onion, chopped 1 clove of garlic, crushed or grated ¼ teaspoon turmeric Pinch of cumin 50ml dry white wine 1 bayleaf Sprig of fresh thyme Fresh parsley, chopped Salt and pepper Heat the oil in a pan and add the onion, garlic, turmeric and cumin.  Cook gently until the onion is soft and sweet smelling. Add the broad beans, herbs, white wine and seasoning, and simmer until the peas are cooked adding a little water if the peas get too dry.. Lovely with meat and fish dishes but especially good with ham.
Broad beans	Broad bean and peanut hummus This is a cheats’ version but is also excellent made in the more traditional way with tahini. INGREDIENTS 200g cooked, peeled broad beans or mixture of beans and chickpeas (if tinned, drain and rinse) 1 tablespoon peanut butter 25ml olive oil 1 clove garlic crushed or grated Squeeze of lemon juice Salt & pepper Blitz everything together until smooth adding a little water if too thick. Season to taste. Tip Serve drizzled with olive oil. Also good with a pinch of cumin added to the hummus. Blend for as long or short a time as you like depending on the texture you like – it’s all good!
Broad beans	Samosas Great picnic food. – and no need for frying as these are baked in the oven. INGREDIENTS Cooked broad beans Cooked potato roughly crushed Curry powder (or own selection of mixed spices) Filo pastry Vegetable oil Heat oil in a pan and cook curry powder/spices for a minute.  If using lamb mince add at this point and fry until lamb cooked. Add a splash of water, the beans and potato.  Season to taste.  If using prawns, add at this point. Brush a piece of filo with oil, fold long side in by 1/3 then fold the other long side over to create a triple layer of filo. Put a teaspoon of the mixture at one end of the pastry, fold adjacent corner diagonally across then keep folding to seal the filling inside the triangular pastry parcel. Brush samosas with oil, put on baking sheet and bake in pre-heated hot oven (200c/400F) for about ½ hour until pastry is crisp and gold in colour. Tip  Keep filo and made samosas covered with clingfilm as you work as this pastry dries out REALLY quickly. These samosas are particularly nice with the addition of fried lamb mince or cooked prawns. Unless cooking the samosas immediately don’t add the prawns to the bean mixture whilst it is still hot as you don’t want to be warming the prawns up unnecessarily.
Broad beans	Panna cotta Whether served in a ramekin or cut into little cubes to garnish a salad this is an interesting way to use pulses. INGREDIENTS Cooked broad beans, peeled Cream Salt and pepper Leaf gelatine
Broad beans	Puré de Habas (broad bean purée) Surprisingly versatile!  Being starchy the broad beans make a good base for other mashed or puréed vegetables.  Try with mashed cauli, peas, aubergine…. INGREDIENTS Cooked, peeled broad beans Cream or stock Blitz cooked beans in the food processor to the desired consistency. Heat a little cream in a saucepan, add the bean puree and warm through, stirring all the time. Season to taste and serve as a side dish drizzled with a little olive oil or melted butter. Tips  Also great for resting a cooked fish fillet on, or nice slices of lamb. If you’re watching the calories or cutting out dairy replace the cream with a little chicken or vegetable stock (or a bit of cooking liquid from the beans or other vegetables). For a slightly different flavour, soften some garlic and/or onion in butter or olive oil and blitz with the beans. Stew a few mint leaves in olive oil and blitz for a beautiful mint drizzle for the purée.