Broad Beans, Horse Beans, Windsor Beans.or Fava, by any name they’re beautiful beans. These beans grow quite well in my garden, they’re winter vegetables here in South Eastern Australia and the perfect time to cook good and wholesome meals for the family.
I like to double peel my broad beans. It takes a little longer but the end result is well worth it.
Double Peel the Beans – 3 Simple Steps
- Peel the pods to get the beans out
- Bring a pot of water to the boil, toss in the beans. Let the water come to the boil again – about 30 seconds
- Now that the tough outer skin has been loosened, you can peel it off (gently!) with your hands.
Broadbean Recipes
Broad Beans with cumin and coriander
A Bean Story from Sicily
According to tradition, Sicily once experienced a severe drought. No rain fell for an extended period of time, there was a failure of all crops other than broad beans and countless people died of famine. The beans kept the population from total starvation while people prayed to St Joseph (San Giuseppe) to intercede with God on their behalf.
They promised that if God caused it to rain, they would have a special feast honouring God and St. Joseph.
The rains came and the crops were bountiful. With the harvest, the people prepared a feast of foods which has become known as St Joseph’s Table (Tavola di San Giuseppe). This ancient celebration is on March 19 and the tables bear, in pride of place, dishes of broad beans.
