Dinner With Hugh

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Hugh has been dining with us regularly over the last week. I am really enjoying trying out some of these new recipes from his book ‘River Cottage- Veg Everyday’. On Tuesday night we had Broad Beans with Herb goats cheese (Page 316). I grow a lot of broad beans in the garden particularly over the colder months of late autumn and winter. They are a great winter staple. They are easy to grow. I just plant the large seeds directly where I want them. Plant them close together so as they grow they will support each other. If you are one of those Virgo gardeners you can go to great lengths to elaborately state them. Quinn  loves to forage on them as they grow, eating the beans inside the pods. I grow a variety called ‘ Janet’s’. I know, why can’t I have my name on something more exotic like mango or passion fruit! By the way this variety has nothing to do with me, so no claim to fame here. Obviously some broad bean breeders wife shared the same name.

Broad beans are called Fava Beans in the States. They are eaten in different ways pretty much all over the world. This plant is a legume and is a great fixer of nitrogen. This helps to feed your soil. Small helpful bacteria live in the root system and they harvest nitrogen from the air and store it in the root. When the plant dies this nitrogen is released into the soil making it available to other plants. Plants need nitrogen to grow healthy green leaves. After harvesting my broad beans I cut up the stem and leaves and let them rot on top of the garden.

Bees and bumblebees pollinate the flowers

Quinn foraging

It is not just the beans which are edible. As the plant is growing you can snip of the top tips and use these tender leaves in stir-fries, sandwiches or salads. The black and white pea shaped flower is also nice in salads or to tart up a cocktail. The goats have developed a taste for the pods.

When I mention broad beans to some of my friends they often screw up their noises in disgust. These legumes often bring back scary memories of Sunday lunch at Nana’s. A time when you had to sit up straight, eat with a knife and fork, not put your elbows on the table and eat Nana’s broad beans. These broad beans had normally been boiled to within an inch of their life and were served with the wrinkly grey, bitter tasting skin still on. What was Nanna thinking serving up something that looked like a tiny grey wrinkly testicle! Don’t be a Nanna, spend the time to steam the beans quickly then submerge in cold water. Sit down with a glass of wine and nick the outer skin with the point of a knife and squeeze out the lovely fresh green bean. Served with butter, pepper and salt they taste like giant peas, even better.

Luckily I am a girl so can multi-task!