BROAD BEANS

Rosie Birkett shows us how to use these robust beans while they’re in season

I once spent an entire day podding broad beans during one of my stages in a restaurant kitchen where I had gone to observe and learn. Even though the task was monotonous and repetitive, there was satisfaction to be taken in the job, which was clearly going to lead to all sorts of glorious things on the restaurant’s menu. I remember a tangible sense of collective excitement among the brigade at the sight of crates of the bulbous green pods (and perhaps also a collective sigh of relief that I was there to pod them all). But, it wasn’t until one of the chefs took me aside and showed me a trick for podding the beans more efficiently that I really got into my stride with it. The trick is to feel for where the bean is in the pod and pinch either side of it, in the space between, then twist the bean out. It then pops out easily from the foamy confines of the pod – it’s a game-changing tip.

If you’re lucky enough to be able to grow your own broad beans at home, you have the luxury of harvesting them while they’re still small and tender, and at their very best. This is when I love them most. The bigger, more mature beans still have good flavour, but are starchier and really should be peeled – another laborious but totally worthwhile job. If you’re faced with more broad beans than you can use quickly, it’s worth freezing them to preserve their freshness. To do so, just pod them, blanch them for a couple of minutes in boiling water, then portion into freezer-proof food bags to be whipped out any time of year, and bring a slice of early summer to any number of dishes. Shop-bought frozen broad beans are the next best thing – it’s worth picking up a bag at the moment, if you can.