BROAD BEANS WITH HONEY & TAMARI DRESSING

These make a quick and easy entrée or side dish. It’s best to serve on individual plates and use fingers for eating. This allows one to coat both sides of the bean and double dip. Slurping and sucking the whole pod is essential to enjoy to the fullest, just like eating edamame.

You have two cooking methods to choose from for the broad beans. Both methods are great and worthwhile trying, even if you don’t use the dressing. Basically the beans steam within the pod, so there is no need to pod beforehand. When cool enough to handle you can simply press along length of pod and the beans slide out. Double pod if you so desire by slipping off the outer skin of each bean, but when beans are this fresh, why bother?

for 4 serves

1kg fresh young broad beans

sea salt

black pepper

dressing:

2 tablespoons honey, warmed

2 teaspoons tamari (or use soy)

2 tablespoons verjuice (or Japanese brown rice vinegar)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

To make dressing: Place all the ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake to mix well. Pour into a jug, ready to serve.

The boiling method: Bring a large saucepan (large enough to hold all the beans) of salted water to the boil over a high heat. Add the broad beans, cover with lid and quickly bring back to the boil. Cook for 2 minutes. Drain.

Working quickly, transfer the hot broad beans to four plates and pour over the dressing. Season with a sprinkling of sea salt and grinding of pepper and serve straight away with a napkin. Coat each pod in the dressing, then slide the pod between the teeth, popping the beans into the mouth and slurping the dressing coating at the same time, before placing empty pods to the side. Repeat.

The grilling method: Preheat a cast-iron grill plate or barbeque grill over medium-high heat.  Place the broad beans in a single layer across the grill plate and cook for 3 minutes each side or until lightly charred on the outside and tender beans inside. The exact timing will depend on size of broad beans. 

Working quickly, transfer the hot broad beans to four plates and pour over the dressing. Season with a sprinkling of sea salt and grinding of pepper and serve straight away with a napkin. Coat each pod in the dressing, then slide the pod between the teeth, popping the beans into the mouth and slurping dressing coating at the same time, before placing empty pods to the side. Repeat.

Recipe by Fiona Hammond, October 2021