Broad beans are in season in Victoria in spring to early summer, they are one of my favourite vegetables, so I’m so excited that they are back. They have a good balance of carbohydrates & protein as well as being high in folate, zinc, magnesium, copper & manganese. Broad beans belong to the legume family. Regular legume intake is associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality. In particular, legumes are associated with lower risk of most cancers & diabetes.
I’ve added the smashed broad beans to a green brunch bowl as it is a favourite way of mine to eat, it’s satisfying, satiating & covers the nutritional basics. You could easily multiply the recipe for the smashed broad beans & stir them through hot pasta with extra garlic & olive oil & top it with pecorino cheese. Or of pile high them high on bruschetta, topped with fior di burrata or marinated goats cheese & rocket. Broad beads can essentially be podded twice, firstly podded from their outer casing, then then you can remove the pale outer skin after blanching, to leave you with bright green broad beans. Later on in the season they get a bit bigger & it’s essential to do that but when they are young like they are now you can get away with leaving them off. So if you want to get cheffy peel the skin off, I left it on for the extra fibre.
Spring green brunch bowl with smashed broad beans, grilled zucchini & soft boiled eggs.
By Angel Munro
Serves 1
Ingredients
1 zucchini, sliced lengthways
¼ avocado, sliced
1-2 eggs
Large handful of baby spinach
Half a marinated Meredith goats cheese cube, crumbled.
Salt & pepper to taste
Edible flowers optional
For the smashed broad beans
Approx. 300g of broad beans
1 small garlic clove, minced
Juice of half a lemon
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 tbsp of fresh soft herbs, finely chopped such as parsley, mint, basil or dill, I used dill.
Pinch of salt
For the quick pickled red onion.
¼ red onion, thinly sliced into rounds
A pinch of salt
1 tbsp of maple syrup
1 tbsp of red or white wine vinegar
Method
For the quick pickled onion, cover sliced red onion with maple syrup, vinegar & salt & set aside for ten minutes, drain well before serving.
Grill or pan fry zucchini until golden. I dry grilled mine without oil, alternatively use a bit of olive oil.
To make the soft boiled eggs. Bring a small pot of water to a rolling boil, using a spoon, gently place egg in boiling water & cook for 7 minutes. Run under cold water & gently crack & peel off the shell, slice in half. This method gives you a well set egg with a slightly runny yolk.
To make the smashed broad beans, bring a small pot of water to boil. Pod the broad beans & boil for 3 minutes, drain & rinse. If you want to remove the outer skin of the broad beans, do that now. Roughly chop broad beans then place in a bowl add the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, garlic, & herbs mix well & mash with a fork. You could blitz with a hand held blender to make more of a puree.
Arrange all ingredients in a bowl. Top with quick pickled onions, goats cheese & edible flowers if using.