Do you like broad beans? I think they’re a little bit like Marmite, you either love them or hate them. And I also firmly believe that those leathery little jackets surrounding each green bean is responsible for so many people not liking them, including to some extent, myself. They’re currently in season (from the end of June to the middle of September) so why not pick up a bag.
Many people will peel each bean out of its leathery jacket, revealing a bright green bean inside. I, however, do not do this because it’s time-consuming, wastes food, but also impacts the nutritional content. Those papery jackets actually contribute to the phenolic compounds as well as the fibre content.
However, the good news is that I have a delicious recipe with doesn’t remove the skins which both saves time and also keeps the maximum nutrition of the beans in the dish. It’s delicious, I promise that if you’re a fan of hummus this is going to be right up your street.
Serves 10
Ingredients
- 750g broad beans in their pods, or around 300g depodded
- 45g tahini
- 1 garlic clove
- 15g chives, chopped
- 3 sprigs of mint, leaves removed
- juice of 2 large lemons (around 90ml)
- 50ml extra virgin olive oil
To serve
- Toasted sourdough
- A few reserved cooked broad beans
- Mint leaves
- Olive oil
Method
- Bring a large pan of water to a boil. Cook the broad beans for 2 minutes before draining and plunging them into iced water. Drain once cool, reserving a few for decoration if desired.
- In a food processor, add the cooked broad beans with all of the remaining ingredients.
- Blitz till the desired consistency, adding a little extra water if needed. I like mine a little chunky.
- Serve on toast dressed with extra broad beans, mint and olive oil, or with crudites.
- Any remaining hummus can be stored in an airtight container for 3 days in the fridge.
Per 50g serving: 97kcal/ 8.0g fat/ 1.1g saturated fat/ 3.2g carbohydrates/ 1.9g fibre/ 2.8g protein
Dr Pippa 