Cooking Broad Beans

Photo: rodtuk – CC BY-SA 2.0 | cropped to square

BEFORE COOKING:

Young broad beans can be cooked either in the pod or shelled. If cooking in the pod, wash them, trim the tips and optionally cut into pieces. For shelled broad beans, rinse them (they can be rinsed after 5 minutes of cooking) and separate the inferior beans.

COOKING:

Place the broad beans in a large amount of cold water (at least twice as much water as beans). Cook young broad beans for 15 minutes on high heat. Older beans – up to 30 minutes. Start timing from the moment the water boils again. Immediately after boiling, add 1 teaspoon of sugar (per 1 kg) and 2 teaspoons of salt. It is also advisable to add a few cloves of garlic and dill. Cook covered – this shortens the cooking time and reduces vitamin loss. To check if the broad beans are cooked, simply remove a few beans of various sizes, let them cool and taste.

AFTER COOKING:

After cooking, drain the broad beans. The cooking water, rich in nutrients, can be used for sauces, soups etc.

SERVING SUGGESTION:

Serve drizzled with melted butter and sprinkled with grated bread.

Enjoy your meal!