broad bean snack

spring is broad bean season, and reputable fresh food purveyors have mounds of them. at the farmers market last saturday i was stuffing handfuls of fresh broad beans into a bag, when not one but two people came up to me and asked what i did with them.

were they kidding? fresh broad beans are delicious! you don’t have to do much at all. try it for yourself.

choose beans with firm, bright green skin and smaller beans where possible – they are more tender. if you’re motivated, broad beans are easy to grow, even in a small garden plot.

this recipe is a very simple way to enjoy their flavour. the key is speed – if you boil or fry the beans for too long, they grow floury or the skins become tough.

the recipe also conforms to my mantra, “bacon makes everything taste better”. I mean, just about every civilised culture on earth has their own version of bacon, right?

to feed: 2 people, as a snack or entree.

1/2 kg broad beans, unshelled
approx 200g piece of speck or kaiserflesch)
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
sea salt
pepper

shell the broad beans; chop the speck (or kaiserflesch, or other bacon variety) into small chunks.

boil water in a saucepan; heat some olive oil in a non-stick pan.

fry the speck until half cooked; as it continues to cook, boil the beans until soft (about 30-90 seconds – the smaller or fresher the beans, the less time they need).

drain the beans in a colander and run under cold water to refresh.

drop the beans into the pan with the now cooked speck; toss for 30 seconds. as you do this, drizzle in a little good-quality olive oil, a good dash of balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.

serve up immediately! yumyumyuuuummmmm.

variations: try a chorizo sausage per person instead of the speck.

warm chorizo & bean salad

dear Miss K, I’m glad you still use this one – thanks for reminding me about it. iit’s a bastardised version of a recipe i read in a magazine in a cafe about a hundred years ago; i scribbled the recipe onto a napkin but of course lost it long since. it used to be a fave because it’s embarrassingly easy to make but tasty and good. tips: always keep a can or two of canellini beans in the cupboard. don’t forget the tomatoes.

(and if you like this, when winter comes try out the soup version…)

the following quantity is for 1 person; multiply quantities by number of hungry guests.

1 chorizo sausage, diced

1 can canellini beans, drained

1 large ripe tomato, diced

good sized bunch of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

tbsp good quality extra-virgin olive oil

1-2 tbsp red balsamic vinegar

coarse-ground pepper, to taste

fry the chorizo in a dab of oil in a non-stick pan until browned. add the tomato and beans, and gently cook until warm. stir the parsley through, then add the oil, vinegar and pepper. serve immediately.

try these variations:

use leg ham instead of chorizo (a good option after christmas when you’ve got to do something with all that leftover ham!), or indeed any other kind of preserved sausage or smoked meat

try another kind of white bean, eg. butter beans

substitute the parsley with fresh basil for a completely different flavour

chili con carne

I’ve never been to the Americas and so freely admit this may not resemble the real thing. It is, however, a good and easy comfort dish that sticks to the ribs. It can be made by the least kitchen-savvy and freezes well.

 

chili con carne will never win any beauty prizes - but it will please the stomach and warm the heart. Close your eyes, and eat up.

Miss K, you rang me from the supermarket last night because you’ve lost track of the version we wrote down once a few years ago. I thought I’d have to make it again to accurately recall the specifics – until I remembered the recipe was borrowed by the Inverell Community Health staff for their Winter Warmers Cookbook. And I just happen to have a copy. How odd is that?

 

 

500 grams lean beef mince

1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, grated
1 large zuccini, grated
1 – 1 1/2 cups beefstock
2-3 cloved garlic
salt and chilli to taste (suggest 3 dried chillis)
1-3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 heaped teaspoons each of cumin and garam masala
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
2 x 375g tins kidney beans

brown rice for 4 people
optional for serving: grated cheese and/or sour cream

heat a generous amount of oil in a large saucepan

when the oil is warm, add spices and fry for 30 seconds. add the onions and garlic, then the mince. fry until mince is brown.

stir through the tomato paste, then add beef stock and grated vegetables. bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cover.

simmer for about 45 minutes. in the meantime, cook the rice.

drain the kidney beans and add; bring back to a medium simmer and cover. simmer for 10-15 minutes.

serve chili on a bed of rice. feeling fancy? add a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle with grated cheese.

chorizo and bean soup

believe it or not, this is based on a recipe for a salad i saw in a Vogue Entertainment magazine while sitting in a cafe about 6 years ago.  you admired it over lunch, so here it is.

1 can roma tomatoes
1 can canellini beans
2 chorizo sausages
1 onion
garlic to taste
6 mushrooms
an extra vegetable: choose from 1/2 zuccini, a couple of cauliflower florets, a handful of green beans
good handful of flatleaf (continental) parsley, chopped
olive oil
white wine
water

chop the onion and garlic finely.

cut the chorizo into small chunks (suggest you quarter each sausage lengthwise, and then chop).

crush or chop the tinned tomatoes.

drain the beans and cut the mushrooms and your random extra vegetable into rustic chunks.

fry the onion and garlic on medium heat in a dash of olive oil until clear, and then add the chorizo and fry until it browns a little. Throw in a dash of white wine to deglaze.

add the mushrooms and random extra veg and allow to soften briefly.

add the tomatos, and enough water to create the soupy consistency you like best.

bring to the boil, cover and simmer for about 20 mins.

add the drained beans, and more water if needed, cover again and simmer for another 10 minutes.

add chopped flatleaf parsley and stir through, and remove soup from heat. Serve.

Feeds: at least 2 hungry folk

Notes: You can add salt if you like, but it doesn’t really need it. Ditto for bread. Sorry there’s no picture. Next time I make it, I’ll add one.