Now what?

Brad starts with ...
Thought I'd share the happy moment viewing these broad beans I harvested today (about half of what's growing). some will go in a curry - tips on what to do with them all welcome :)

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Karen & Paul says...
Brad they look delicious :-) Congratulations!
My 19 month old loves his beans ever so slightly steamed and used for dipping into hommus or other yummy home made dips like beet or carrot. Perfect as the days warm up.

Speedy says...
TokyoJ, thats a yummy recipe, I some times do simmilar to that.
The Bacon goes well with such a 'meaty' bean.
A meal in itself.

Here's another one to try.
A fairly trad. Italian springtime dish.

Stuffed Artichokes with Broad beans

1.Shell some large Broad beans.
2.Peel the skins off the beans (a bit tedious but worth it for this one).
3.fry of a bit of chopped onion and garlic in Olive oil.
you could also use bacon here if you want or disintegrate some anchovy fillets in the hot oil.
4. Add peeled beans add water and herbs
(oregano, bay leaf, thyme, rosmary , or whatever you like or have handy)
and cook til very soft, almost puree then salt to taste.
.
5. Trim the bases off some artichokes so they stand upright.
The tall vase-shaped vaieties are better suited than the rounder ones for this recipe. See close-up pic of Round and Tall type Artichokes.
6. Trimm the tops if they're too tall for your pot and gently prise the scales outwards opening up the artichokes, being careful not to break them.
7. Scoup out the very centre of the choke with a spoon or knife.
Then fill the centre and in between the all of the opened scales with a stuffing made of the following ingredients all mixed together:-
Breadcrumbs
fresh chopped herbs
fresh chopped parsley (lots)
minced garlic
grated Parmesan cheese
salt & pepper
Olive oil
I like to add fine chopped lemon zest.
8.Place stuffed artichokes upright into beans, drizzle olive oil and lemon juice,
cover pot with lid and cook on low heat til chokes are tender- 10-20 min
9. Serve hot or cold with fresh bread.
or toast if bread is from yesterday.
Buono appetitto

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Speedy says...
Yeah, easy to grow, perennial, very productive and look great.

A spring vege, along with Broad beans and asparagus.

Artichokes have a compound in them called cynarin , and it's kind of like a flavour enhancer or sweetener or something.
It kind of makes other things you eat with them taste even better.
....I think it might be addictive...
:-P

Eve says...
I use broad beans (Double peeled) in a fettucine dish with roasted pumpkin cubes, bacon/ham, onion and garlic with a cream or sour cream sauce (You can use skinny tinny Carnation Milk if you don't want to use cream). It is good to have a bit of green among the oranges and reds.

There was a good recipe in this edition of Organic Gardening Australia for a broad bean salad. Double-peeled broad beans, lettuce and feta cheese with dressing from memory. Looked good.