St James - Hockwold-cum-Wilton

RECIPE—Broad Bean Hummus
Well the garden is starting to look lovely, if not a little parched
at times, and the beans are starting to blossom, and so now is the time
for the first glut of produce, the broad beans.
Simply lightly boiled, smothered in butter and sitting beside
roast beef is one of my favourite incarnations of the broad bean, but
recently I have been attracted to using them in salads, mixed with potatoes
and a big dollop of mayonnaise, and as a type of hummus. This
last one is so simple and so tasty, try it,
you’ll love it!
Ingredients
200g shelled broad beans
50ml olive oil (extra virgin)
Zest and juice of one lemon
Half teaspoon sweet paprika
3 cloves of garlic
Sea salt and black pepper
1 Ciabatta bread
Method
Tip the beans into a large pan of boiling water, do not salt the
water as this can make the skins tough. Cook for 3 minutes.
Drain the beans, then plunge them into cold water to stop them
cooking.
Squeeze the juice out of the lemon and grate the zest.
Put 4 teaspoons of the olive oil in a pan and heat gently, then
add the chopped garlic, cook very gently for 4 minutes until the garlic
has infused into the oil and the garlic has softened.
Place the beans in a food processor and whiz up to a paste, then
trickle in the garlic oil, the lemon juice, the zest and a further 15ml of
the olive oil, plus the half teaspoon of sweet paprika, sea salt and black
pepper. Whiz again, then spoon out into a serving bowl, and garnish
with a little of the olive oil.
Toast the sliced ciabatta, then use as a marvellous carriage for
the delicious broad bean hummus.
Enjoy!
Tim Fothergill