Broad Beans: my new favourite vegetable


Dan, digging a trench for the cucumbers & globe artichoke

What a gorgeous day.  Spent all morning at the plot and weeded weeded weeded.  So satisfying.  Really went to work on the flower cutting bed, the broad bean bed and the runners.... 3 hours squirrelling around, pulling out the usual suspects; bindweed, couch grass, thistles and mint (yes mint, it's is taking over our plot).

Dan set to work digging a long trench against the only fence on the plot for the cucumbers to scramble up.  I hope they do well there, please don't let the rabbits munch them!

The lottie is looking gorgeous at the moment.  We are so lucky with some established shrubs and plants that border our plot, so we get to enjoy them.  A gorgeous pink rose is just nudging over into my flower bed and is so welcome!


Smells as gorgeous as it looks



It's all getting exciting on the harvesting front too. We have so far picked:
Oh my Broadbeans!  I am so very much in love with you!

For supper this evening I made:

 
Broadbean, Spinach & Bacon Risotto.

Ingredients:

1 onion
1 clove of garlic
knob of butter
200g Arborio Rice
2 rashers of smoky bacon
8 to 10 Broadbeans (finger size eaten whole in the pods)
6 spinach leaves
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 oxo vegetable stock cube
Boiling water
salt to taste

1. Melt the butter in a large pan, sweat the chopped onion and garlic.  Add the bacon (cut into small pieces) and fry til cooked and has a little colour.

2. Add the rice and fry til you can hear it crackle.  In the meantime put the stock cube and boiling water into a separate pan and keep on a rolling boil.

3. Ladle some the stock into the rice mix and stir continuously.  Continue to add the stock once the rice has absorbed, keep stirring.  You will see the rice slowly plump up and take on a creamy texture.

4.  Meanwhile wash the broadbeans and spinach.  Chop the broad beans whole into small half an inch size, and shred the spinach.

5.  The rice should have been cooking for about 20 minutes now.  Add the parmesan and beans, cook for a further 5 minutes.  Take off the heat and stir through the spinach, so that it just wilts.  Season to taste.

Enjoy!

 

Oh and I picked this gorgeous bunch of wild flowers from the neighbouring plot which has been left to become a meadow.

Please share your allotment recipes... cant' wait to try more!

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