Wednesday 5 June 2019

Broad Beans.



I've always heard that Broad (Fava) Beans were edible whole, when young, but I'd never thought to actually try them.

My Broad Beans are at the perfect size to experiment with (they need to be no longer than your index finger), so I fried just a few in Olive oil, butter, and garlic; as one would.


We found them quite DULL, with a DARKISH slightly BITTER flavour, and I certainly won't bother doing them like this again. I only have a few plants, so I need to make the most of them, we'll have the rest as pukka 'beans'.

My Mangetout Peas are now in flower, so I shall soon be following exactly the same process with them too. I believe that they'll be a lot tastier. More classic. I'll let you know.

Some you win; some you lose.


34 comments:

  1. I love broad beans but don't fancy them whole however small they are. Enjoy the rest of your beans.

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    1. I was really looking forward to them too. The recipe I followed said they were delicious; they weren't.

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  2. Here we cook them in boiling water with salt for a few minutes and then prepare some sauce that accompanies them.

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    1. And do they still have that 'dark' flavour?

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    2. We do not eat the shell, the shell has a strange taste, we eat only what is inside, and the cooking is not short, I was wrong, cook until they soften.

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  3. We eat them the same way Yael does, with a strong garlic/bread sauce. Not my favourite but K loves them that way. They definitely have a 'dark' flavour.
    One of things you need to have been brought up on to enjoy.

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    1. We Cook it with artichokes, combine in salads, with rice or hummus.

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    2. I won't be cooking them again like this.

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  4. I prefer peas but have a lot of respect for any vegetable that can grow in winter. I think Broad Beans originate from Asia. Can't think of any English vegetables other than Peas.

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    1. I'm sure the mangetout peas will be good. I believe they retain much of their crispness too when cooked.

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  5. The furry lining would put me off. I had heard this too on weaver's blog. I am glad that you tried them because now I know my instinct was right without having to try them myself. I even prefer the beans inside skinned when they get beyond tiny.

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    1. The whole eating experience was 'odd'. Not at all what I was expecting. A bit like eating just the skins from the beans, with an unpleasant texture.

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  6. I like broad beans ( just the beans ... definitely just the beans after your experiment ) When they are young they are lovely as they are but when they get a bit older, it’s good to pop them out of their skins which get a bit tough. I quite like the young ones raw but then I’m funny like that ..... I think that I eat more raw fresh peas than cooked ones and I do like s bit of raw potato when I’m preparing them as does my sister. Our mum ate raw potato when she was pregnant with us so that’s probably why !!!! XXXX

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    1. I was brought up eating raw beef, but I've never tried a raw potato.

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    2. I don’t eat much ..... just a quarter of a raw potato with a bit of salt on ..... I love it !!!!! XXXX

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    3. I shall have to give it a go!

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    4. Toxic. I don't recommend it Cro.

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  7. They will grow here in Melbourne but I personally don't know anyone who grows them.

    As a child they always had a thick gluggy taste/feeling in the mouth. Don't think I've had them as an adult - I'm sure I'd remember if I did lol

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    1. I love the beans themselves. I usually buy them frozen, and use them in place of (or combined with) Chickpeas in Moroccan tagines.

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  8. I remember my father growing broad beans. They were very prolific producers.

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    1. It's been pouring all day here, so I'm expecting mine to be very prolific too.

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  9. I like the beans inside but the pod is bad tasting and tough.

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  10. Our broad beans are coming along nicely in deepest darkest Lincolnshire. Trying to gauge the right time to pick them, before the beans get tough and bitter.

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    1. That's what I shall be doing now too. It was much easier picking them to eat whole, but the taste was awful.

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  11. “I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti.” always comes to mind... I actually like Fava Beans but have never tried to eat the whole Pod.

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    1. DON'T. Much better to extract the beans and eat just those; as most of us always did.

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  12. I'll stick with my beans as beans. As I haven't had success growing them they are far too tough from the supermarkets anyway.

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