I have never before cooked fresh broad (fava) beans as I have not seen them
in the shops. Now I have a vege garden with a block of beans ready to pick
and I am not too sure what to do with them. I found recipes googling but
most are for the dried variety and the ones for fresh beans were mainly
along the lines of 'steam them for a while and then serve in a salad'. I
did this the other day and they were rather nice cooked about 5 minutes and
served in oil, lemonjuice and S & P. So my questions a

(1) When do you pick them for the best result, this seems to be a trade off
between size of bean (yield) and tenderness. Is there any way to determine
when they are at maximum size but still tender other than trial and error?

(2) Other than the salad approach what kind of recipe makes the best use of
this resource?

(3) Would any of the recipes for the dried variety be suitable and (other
than not soaking to re-hydrate the beans) how would I adapt them?

David

Oh pshaw, on Wed 06 Sep 2006 07:18:26p, David Hare-Scott meant to say...

> I have never before cooked fresh broad (fava) beans as I have not seen
> them in the shops. Now I have a vege garden with a block of beans ready
> to pick and I am not too sure what to do with them. I found recipes
> googling but most are for the dried variety and the ones for fresh beans
> were mainly along the lines of 'steam them for a while and then serve in
> a salad'. I did this the other day and they were rather nice cooked
> about 5 minutes and served in oil, lemonjuice and S & P. So my
> questions a
>
> (1) When do you pick them for the best result, this seems to be a trade
> off between size of bean (yield) and tenderness. Is there any way to
> determine when they are at maximum size but still tender other than
> trial and error?
>
> (2) Other than the salad approach what kind of recipe makes the best use
> of this resource?
>
> (3) Would any of the recipes for the dried variety be suitable and
> (other than not soaking to re-hydrate the beans) how would I adapt them?

Sorry, David, but I have no idea. However, there have been discussions
about broad beans on uk.food+drink.misc. You might pose the question
there.

--
Wayne Boatwright
__________________________________________________

Artificial Intelligence is no match for natural
stupidity.

On Thu, 07 Sep 2006 02:18:26 GMT, "David Hare-Scott"
> wrote:

>(2) Other than the salad approach what kind of recipe makes the best use of
>this resource?

Try them in recipes that would call for peas. Go to various
restaurant menu sites and look for "Shelling Bean"... that's their way
of saying fava. Try fava with gnocchi, fava ragout - or
http://www.seasonalchef.com/recipe0506b.htm
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci...36_175,00.html

David Hare-Scott wrote:
> I have never before cooked fresh broad (fava) beans as I have not seen them
> in the shops. Now I have a vege garden with a block of beans ready to pick
> and I am not too sure what to do with them. I found recipes googling but
> most are for the dried variety and the ones for fresh beans were mainly
> along the lines of 'steam them for a while and then serve in a salad'. I
> did this the other day and they were rather nice cooked about 5 minutes and
> served in oil, lemonjuice and S & P. So my questions a
>
> (1) When do you pick them for the best result, this seems to be a trade off
> between size of bean (yield) and tenderness. Is there any way to determine
> when they are at maximum size but still tender other than trial and error?

err on the side of caution, pick them while still tender. If they dry,
they are good for a stew.

>
> (2) Other than the salad approach what kind of recipe makes the best use of
> this resource?

Cook them like peas if fresh. Cook them with oxtail if they are dry. If
fresh, saute' a little chopped garlic in oil, add the beans, the
parsley, salt and stock, turn off when ready (about 30 mins)

My Mum LOVES broad beans - used to cook them at least three times a
week when I was a kid.... consequently I detest them.
However, I do know that for best results, and a more succulent and
tender bean, you should double peel them. Fiddly business, but well
worth the effort.
Double peeled beans are an altogether different bean from just the
shucked beans.
Gently simmer the beans once shucked from shell and allow to cook until
tender. Drain and then 'peel' the bean, or for smaller beans, just
squeeze gently to remove bean from outer skin.
Broad beans taste great when accompanied by bacon, proscuito, or ham,
as well as liberal dash of extra virgin olive oil & parmegiano!

LadyJane
--
"Never trust a skinny cook!"

LadyJane wrote:
> My Mum LOVES broad beans - used to cook them at least three times a
> week when I was a kid.... consequently I detest them.
> However, I do know that for best results, and a more succulent and
> tender bean, you should double peel them. Fiddly business, but well
> worth the effort.
> Double peeled beans are an altogether different bean from just the
> shucked beans.
> Gently simmer the beans once shucked from shell and allow to cook until
> tender. Drain and then 'peel' the bean, or for smaller beans, just
> squeeze gently to remove bean from outer skin.
> Broad beans taste great when accompanied by bacon, proscuito, or ham,
> as well as liberal dash of extra virgin olive oil & parmegiano!
>

I'm interested in the double/triple peeled thing.... what is that all
about? Is it reserved for "old" beans? I can understand shelling a
bean, but peeling.... and more than once? Please explain the process!
Inquiring minds want to know.

"LadyJane" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> My Mum LOVES broad beans - used to cook them at least three times a
> week when I was a kid.... consequently I detest them.
> However, I do know that for best results, and a more succulent and
> tender bean, you should double peel them. Fiddly business, but well
> worth the effort.
> Double peeled beans are an altogether different bean from just the
> shucked beans.

I don't see this. The beans I have are very tender after a few minutes of
cooking. There is no hard case around them the whole bean is tender, I
doubt that could actually separate the skin without turning them to mush

> Gently simmer the beans once shucked from shell and allow to cook until
> tender. Drain and then 'peel' the bean, or for smaller beans, just
> squeeze gently to remove bean from outer skin.
> Broad beans taste great when accompanied by bacon, proscuito, or ham,
> as well as liberal dash of extra virgin olive oil & parmegiano!
>

Those sound like good combinations.

David

"simy1" > wrote in message
ps.com...
>
> Cook them like peas if fresh.

Good idea, I tried that and they were good.

David

In article .com>,
"sf" > wrote:


>
> I'm interested in the double/triple peeled thing.... what is that all
> about? Is it reserved for "old" beans? I can understand shelling a
> bean, but peeling.... and more than once? Please explain the process!
> Inquiring minds want to know.
>
>

Depends on the age of the bean. The older beans (fresh and green; not
dry) can be as much as an inch or more across. These older beans have a
tougher skin than the smaller younger beans. This is after the beans
have been shelled of course. Some people find this skin too tough and
will blanch the beans and then peel them individually. This is a good
idea if you wish to puree them. Being a lifelong fava eater, I don't
mind the tough skin. I like to saute the larger beans in olive oil and
garlic to the point where the skin begins to split. At this point they
have a nice crunchy character. Give them a try-

D.M.