Broad Beans

Harbingers of summer, broad beans are among the earliest crops to be harvested in Britain and Ireland, and all the more welcome for that. Also known by different names in other cultures (notably fava bean and field bean), Vicia faba has been cultivated since the ancient civilisations and is still a staple crop in many countries today.

It is a great garden crop as it is so hardy that the seeds can be sown in autumn and safely over-wintered (even in our recent hard winters), allowing growth to begins without delay in early spring. The plants grow quite tall, giving good returns for a small space; the stems are sturdy and, although they crop best if given support, that is easily done (eg growing through large gauge netting) and dwarf varieties are also available.

The edible seeds are encased in a leathery green velvet-lined pod, and are best eaten when young and tender. They look more attractive if skinned to reveal the bright green inner bean (parboil briefly to loosen the skins); this is usual practice in restaurant dishes, but not necessary at home unless the beans are large and the skin has toughened.

Like most of the pea and bean family, broad beans are very nutritious – they are high in protein, carbohydrate and dietary fibre along with calcium, iron and numerous trace elements - and versatile. Widely used in Mediterranean cooking (see the recipe for hummus in Michael Kelly’s GIY column), they are also an important food in many other regions, including Africa, some parts of India, Iran and China; they are used both fresh and dried.

Here, favourite uses include enjoying them as an early season side dish with spring lamb, for example, and raw or cooked in salads. Their mild flavour means that broad beans combine well with many other ingredients and they have special affinity with some of the fresh herbs which are in season at the same time, notably parsley, mint, chervil and coriander.

RECIPE:

Newforge House Spring Green Vegetable & Garden Herb Salad with Gabriel Shavings

This recipe comes from Newforge House, John and Louise Mathers’ delightful Georgian country house at Magherlin, Co Armagh, which is in a peaceful rural setting a short distance south-west of Belfast. It features in Irish Country House Cooking, a collection of recipes from the lovely properties in Ireland’s Blue Book.

John is the chef and he says “In May our small vegetable patch springs to life again with the arrival of asparagus. The combination of all the wonderful fresh herbs and green vegetables with salty Gabriel (Ireland’s equivalent of Parmesan) is fantastic.”

The asparagus season continues until late June (midsummer day traditionally marks the time when cutting should end) and, although it is currently only grown in private gardens, it grows well in Ireland and there is potential for its commercial development.

Alternative local ingredients to consider for this refreshing salad are natural cider vinegar (from craft producers such as Llewellyn’s Co Dublin; The Apple Farm, Co Tipperary; or Armagh Cider Company) to replace the wine vinegar; and rapeseed oil (Derrycamma, Co Louth; Happy Heart/Second Nature, Co Kilkenny; or Donegal Rapeseed Oil for example).

Also, Glebe Brethan is a newer unpasteurised thermophilic cheese, made in a similar way to the longstanding West Cork favourite, Gabriel.

Serves 4

4 shallots, peeled & finely sliced
white wine vinegar (enough to cover the sliced shallots)
12 asparagus spears, trimmed
4oz/100g fine beans, topped & tailed
4oz/100g fresh or frozen peas
4oz/100g broad beans
4 small handfuls of washed and dried garden herbs, e.g. mint, chervil, chives, dill, basil, tarragon & rocket
15ml/1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
salt & freshly ground pepper
9 tablespoons /135ml extra virgin olive oil
1½ oz/ 40g Gabriel cheese, or Parmesan

Cover the shallots with white wine vinegar and leave aside to soak for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, blanch each of the vegetables in salted boiling water until each is just al dente.

Drain immediately and plunge into iced water to refresh the vegetables and retain their bright green colour. Drain the vegetables well when cooled, and skin the broad beans (if you wish).

Remove the shallots from the vinegar and place in a large bowl with the vegetables.

In a separate bowl mix 3 tablespoons of the shallot-infused vinegar with the mustard. Season with a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper. Then whisk in the extra virgin olive oil until the dressing emulsifies. Taste and adjust the seasoning as required.

Dress the vegetable and shallot mixture with 6 tablespoons of the vinaigrette, season and toss. Then divide the dressed vegetables between four plates and scatter with Gabriel Cheese shavings.

In a bowl dress the herb salad with 1 tablespoon of vinaigrette and season with a pinch of salt. Place a small handful of the dressed herbs on top of each plate of vegetables.

Finally drizzle each plate with any remaining vinaigrette and serve immediately.