how to cook broad beans .

[Dalrimple]

how long do I need to cook broad beans for? do I need to season the cooking water ?
how do I get the shells that suround the beans soft and not feeling like they have plastic covering? (I don't mean the pods)
Or have I left the beans to long and have they gone past there best and if this is the case can I dry them and use them for seed to use in october ?
it's the first time iv'e grown BB and im a litle bit disapointed with the first tasting !my dad used to grow them and mum cooked them and they were tender !
all help will be much apreciated . atb Dal

[roitelet]

Boil or steam for about 10 mins and serve with a knob of butter. From the sound of it you have left yours a bit too long. Seed for next year?

[Jay-ell]

I always remove the shells off the beans, a bit fiddly but it gets rid of any bitterness and the kernel left is great. Used to have arguments with my mother about this, she used to leave them on because her mum left them on. Then she tasted them without and now removes them.

[Mr Bones]

It's probably incorrect but we dip them in boiling water until emerald green (couple of minutes max) then drain and straight under cold water, slip them out of their skins and serve with a sprinkle of sea salt.

[Dalrimple]

Boil or steam for about 10 mins and serve with a knob of butter. From the sound of it you have left yours a bit too long. Seed for next year?

thats what I was thinking ,do I dry then on the plant by hanging them up in the shed or just dry them in the pods pods ?there's loads of them so i'll use some as green manure aswell as a food crop .thanks .Dal

[Jay-ell]

If you want to save seed for next year you should select the strongest, healthiest plants to save from. Let the beans dry on the plant, although if the weather turns bad you can pull the plants up and hang them in the greenhouse.

[Dalrimple]

Jay mr B do you eat them cold?

atb Dal

[Jay-ell]

It's probably incorrect but we dip them in boiling water until emerald green (couple of minutes max) then drain and straight under cold water, slip them out of their skins and serve with a sprinkle of sea salt.

How can it be wrong it it tastes soooo good

[Mr Bones]

Jay mr B do you eat them cold?l

Sometimes cold, sometimes just thrown on top of a warm meal (eg risotto). Lovely with a bit of melted butter.

[Jay-ell]

I like to blend them with garlic and olive oil to make hummus - it does need a lot of beans. 1lb of pods makes about two tablespoons of hummus after they've been shelled, cooked and skinned. I definitely need to grow more (I've just planted out an 8x4 foot patch of the autumn harvest Luz de Ortono which are sprouting as I type)

[Finley]

Mr Bones that does sound good! I pod and shell them then have either raw with mint, mozzarella and olive oil or add them to hot new potatoes, thinly sliced red onion and vinaigrette then let them cool, they sort of cook a bit in the residual heat of the spuds. Sheep cheese, salami and raw beans is an excellent combination too

[happyhumph]

I found an amazing yotam ottolenghi recipe which involved steaming and peeling bb, & pureeing with olive oil which had been warmed up and let to cool again with lemon rind in it, plus the lemon rind and juice of the lemon on a bed of marscapone mixed with roasted garlic, black pepper and salt all with fresh herbs on top.

Possibly one of the best things I've ever made but really fiddly and time consuming so I've only made it once!

[Bren In Pots]

I boil them for 4 to 5 mins but I do pick mine when they're fairly small.

[Dalrimple]

If you want to save seed for next year you should select the strongest, healthiest plants to save from. Let the beans dry on the plant, although if the weather turns bad you can pull the plants up and hang them in the greenhouse.

Jay I missed this and iv'e pulled the plants up this morning and have laid the pods out on racks to dry in the greenhouse ! well it's in the lap of the gods now. atb Dal