The broad beans are typical of the summer season. Raw or cooked, here are some fanciful ideas to propose them at the table, with unusual and tasty combinations
Desire of spring, even on the table! And what's more spring-like than Fava beans? Real first-season food, they are one of the oldest legumes in history, already on the table of the ancient Greeks and Romans.
excellent fresh – you will find them in large quantities on fruit and vegetable stands in this season – they can also be consumed shallows: in this case, if they have the skin, they should be soaked for about 18 hours before cooking, otherwise for 8 hours.
Little known or used on the tables of Northern Italy, they are instead one of the main ingredients in the recipes of the southern cuisine. Rich in fiber, they are a natural source of vitamin C and folic acid, a precious element to be taken especially during pregnancy.
In the kitchen, they are a truly versatile food, good both cooked and raw: here are some easy matches that you can experiment to offer tasty and unusual dishes.
How to cook beans
Broad beans in the dough
To honor the Apulian cuisine, why not propose them fresh orecchiette, but with a bean puree? Puree 100 grams of fresh broad beans with almonds, ricotta and pepper: season the pasta with this cream and add the remaining whole beans. A simple dish, but with a genuine taste. You are lovers of spaghetti? Choose them with brown rice, boil them, and then add them to the previously cooked salmon, chopped walnuts and broad beans. Low-calorie, but rich in taste.
Broad beans and fish
The delicate flavor of the beans is perfectly combined with the strong flavor of the fish. For example, with the pulp of fisherwoman, cut into small pieces and then blended, you can make quenelles, to put on a broad bean cream, flavored with garlic and bay leaves. A truly spectacular dish, but simple to cook. For a quick and delicious second course, get some fillets from mullet: after having browned them in a pan with onions, add the beans. They will be ready in a couple of minutes.
Broad beans in salad
The beans are very good also from raw, for example in salad, the light and fast dish par excellence, perfect during picnics, but also during lunch breaks in the office. For a greedy green salad, get fresh broad beans, asparagus and peas. Steam these last two, but leave the beans raw, to give the dish that crunchy touch. Do you want to give an extra touch of taste? In a salad of misticanza, add raw broad beans, radishes and crispy pancetta: mouth-watering.
Broad bean pesto
In addition to the classic Genoese pesto, you can also cook pesto of beans, to season pasta or bruschetta. A fancy idea for an aperitif on the fly with friends? Blend fresh broad beans, along with mint and feta. After obtaining a cream, spread it over the toasted bread: you will conquer everyone on the first taste.
