Doing a double this month, my second recipe involves freshly podded broad beans, my favourite beans of all times – every year I am looking forward to the season. They have such a unique buttery flavour and firm texture and go super well with fresh green summer herbs ! Look, aren’t they just too gorgeous ?  I have to admit that I took their ‘pale coat’ off to reveal the vibrant green, but it was super quick and easy and well worth the extra work. I added the skin to a stew giving it an extra broad bean flavoured crunch.

Inspired by a Russell Norman summer classic I dressed the beans with lemon zest, garlic, olive oil, mint and a hint of rosemary. Seasoned with a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper, this mix works rather well  served on freshly baked multi seed bread with a fine coating of herbed organic goats cheese .

This lovely summer dish provides great levels of proteins from the beans and cheese, as well as antioxidants, minerals and vitamins from all the members of this creation. And your taste buds will be rewarded with a variety of textures and flavour sensations- a must try and perfect starter for a late summer ‘s BBQ ! But enough about all the goodness and flavours you can expect, here is what you need to  do to experience it yourself:

Broad bean, mint and herbed goats cheese

Ingredients : per person
2 slices of multi seed bread ( or any freshly baked soda bread works a treat as well)
1 handful of podded broad beans
2 tbsp of cold pressed organic extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to garnish
Zest and juice of half a lemon (ideally organic unwaxed)
1 handful of roughly chopped fresh mint leaves and rosemary
1/2 clove garlic roughly chopped
Himalayan salt and black pepper to season
2 tbsp of fresh organic goats cheese
2 tsp of finely chopped fresh rosemary- add to cheese with a dash of rice milk and mix with a fork until smooth- best to make more and store in a glass jar in the fridge

Method:
Bring water to a boil in a medium sized pan, add the podded broad beans to the boiling water and simmer for 5 minutes. Prepare a bowl with cold water, drain the beans after 5 minutes and plunge into the cold water, drain again and peel or leave them as is, they are equally delicious with their ‘coat’ on. Though, peeling them can easily be done just using your fingers, just careful as they are quite delicate, it gets easier after the first 10 beans 🙂 . In a medium sized bowl dress the beans with olive oil, lemon juice, a tsp lemon zest, mint, rosemary and season to taste with salt and pepper. I always tend to make a big batch and keep it in a glass jar in the fridge.

Prepare 2 slices of multi seed bread per person, either freshly baked or toasted, spread with goats cheese and top with the broad bean & mint mix. Garnish with lemon zest, some more fresh mint and rosemary, a little salt & pepper and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

Bon Appetit !!