Serve this dish of Broad Beans and Peas with Mint as a side dish that will go with any meal. Use fresh beans and peas if you can, but frozen will be fine. It's easy to grow mint in a pot on the windowsill, by the kitchen door or in the garden, but keep it in check as it can grow wild and spread throughout the garden.
Serve with other sides such as these Crispy Hasselback Potatoes with Rosemary and Sea Salt or Oven Roasted Potato Wedges.
If you are thinking of having a small vegetable patch in your garden, broad beans are some of the easiest vegetables to grow and you only need the pods from a few plants to make this recipe and feed a couple of people.
What are Broad Beans?
Fava Beans is another name for Bread Beans. The outer skins can be removed after blanching, by gently squeezing each pod after draining and adding them to cold water to stop the cooking process. This is ideal if the beans are very large and not so young and tender when picked.
How to Make This Broad Bean Side Dish.
Remove the beans from the thick outer protective velvety pod. If you wish to remove the outer skins, you could blanch the beans first, as mentioned above. Personally, I like them with their skins intact.
If using frozen peas, place them in a jug of hot water for a couple of minutes to defrost, drain and leave to one side. This will help reduce the cooking time when you add them to the beans later.
Heat the butter in a pan over medium heat, add the beans and water, bring to a boil. Cover the pan with a lid, then turn the heat down and simmer for 5-6 mins or until the Beans begin to feel slightly tender to the touch.
Add the drained peas and seasoning, cook for a further 5 mins until the beans are tender. While this is cooking chop the mint leaves. Leave to one side until you are ready to serve.
Serve the Beans and Peas in a large dish, along with any buttery juices. Stir in the chopped mint leaves, check for seasoning and add a little more butter if you wish.
Broad Beans and Peas with Mint
Ingredients
- 200 g podded broad beans
- 100 g peas fresh or frozen
- 30 g unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons water
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- If your beans are picked straight from the garden remove the beans from the thick outer protective velvety pod. If you wish to remove the outer skins, you could blanch the beans first. Personally, I like them with their skins on.
- If using frozen peas, place them in a jug of hot water for a couple of minutes to defrost, drain and leave to one side. This will help reduce the cooking time when you add them to the beans later.
- Heat the butter in a pan over medium heat, add the beans and water, bring to a boil. Cover the pan with a lid, then turn the heat down and simmer for 5-6 mins or until the Beans begin to feel slightly tender to the touch.
- Add the drained peas and seasoning, cook for a further 5 mins until the beans are tender. While this is cooking chop the mint leaves. Leave to one side until you are ready to serve.
- Serve the Beans and Peas in a large dish, along with any buttery juices. Stir in the chopped mint leaves, check for seasoning and add a little more butter if you wish.
- Serve the Beans and Peas in a large dish, along with any buttery juices. Stir in the chopped mint leaves, check for seasoning and add a little more butter if you wish.
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