This isn’t a recipe that calls for exact measurements. Use however many broad beans that you may have, blanch them for two minutes in a pan of boiling water, drain and rinse with cold water. Then put them into a food processor, or a food mill, with as much garlic as you fancy, add a couple of small sprigs of mint and a glug or two of olive oil and whizz or mill into a purée. Taste and add salt and pepper and more oil if you think you need it. It’s delicious on toasted bread; bruschetta style, lovely as a dip for other veg; hummus style, or added to pasta. For the latter I added a splash of cream to loosen it up a bit and I added some slow-fried courgettes into the mix.
I had some left over yesterday and added it as a layer to a moussaka, spreading it over the aubergines. Now I admit this didn’t make for the best colour combination – a sort of murky greeny-brown, but the taste was amazing, lifting the moussaka and giving it a summery zing.
We have been having it a lot, as you can probably tell.
Ooh, yes, I love this too. Broad beans are long over here, I’m afraid. I wonder, would it work with dried broad beans? It would lose its zing I think. (Whisper it softly: there are alwys frozen beans……)
Ah yes, thank heaven for the frozen bean. I have taken the last harvest today before they become too mealy and now have 2 kilos in the freezer.
My husband picked up some broad beans last week from a greengrocers, but they got overlooked as we had guests from Brittany and ended up being lobbed in the compost bin (such a waste), this puree would have been a good way to use them up.
That’s a shame Shaheen but sometimes life gets in the way of the best laid plans. You would enjoy this puree because it is so adaptable. PLease try it next time.
Ooh what a lovely vibrant green Kath. I take it you are pureeing them raw? I’ve only done it with cooked ones before. Sadly this year, we left it too late to plant any and so have had precisely NONE. I’m not envious, really I’m not ……
Oh Choc, that’s a very good point, I do blanch them first and forgot to mention that bit. I will make the amendment now. What would I do without you? I bet you have lots of chillies though even if you don’t have broad beans, and there is always next year.
Ha, we were so late getting our chillies in this year, not sure we will have any of those either. Never mind, the courgettes have finally arrived……
I expect recipes for all things courgette and chocolate in that case.
Lovely! And I’ve done it with peas too. Both a really nice change from hummus.
Ooh yes to peas. Lovely.