Friday, August 13, 2010

yummy avocados

What could be better than devouring the succulent, buttery flesh of an avocado with the knowledge that you are fighting bad cholesterol and working to rejuvenate your skin.

Every bite is not only delicious, but it is good for you as well.

For me, that makes avocado taste even better. It is almost a complete food and contains significant amounts of vitamins E and B, potassium, fibre and minerals, as well as monounsaturated fatty acids, which are good for us.

Avocados are freely available in New Zealand and are grown mostly in the far north and the East Cape region. They are from the flowering plant family Lauraceae, related to cinnamon, camphor and bay laurel. They are highly frost-sensitive so don't grow well here except in places that are frost-free.

Luckily, we have Bay Subtropical to supply us. Located just outside Takaka in Golden Bay, it has its own special microclimate. It grows lots of avocados and provides us with a regular supply of the fruit.

Avocados are native to Mexico, so the Mexican people know how to prepare them extremely well. They have a sense about them and the fruit is central to their diet.

Although avocados have been adapted into the cuisine of many other countries around the world, you experience them in a unique way when eating an avocado dish cooked in Mexico or by a Mexican person. I am lucky enough to know Brisa, from Mexico, and eating her guacamole or avocado and shrimp is a total delight.

She shared her salsa recipe in the chilli story written some time ago and she has agreed to provide several of her avocado recipes. She even uses avocado mixed with olive oil to condition her hair! Soon she is starting a Mexican food cart in Nelson-Tasman called Las Brisas, so watch out for her and try her authentic, tasty food.

Hass is the variety most commonly available here, with its black, alligator-like skin. There are also other, bright green varieties such as fuerte. When you are buying avocado, make sure that the skin is firm but not too hard. The skin should be free of cracks and spots, with no sunken bits.

If the avocado is not quite ripe, it may be several days before it is ready to use. You know it is ripe when the fruit can be squeezed ever so slightly. If the skin yields too easily, it is over-ripe.
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A tip: If you have bought an avocado that is hard, putting it in a bag with a banana will speed up the ripening process.

Keep avocados at room temperature until they are fully ripe. You can refrigerate them at that point but not before, as it slows down the ripening process too much.

Once you have opened an avocado, the flesh will oxidise rapidly. The Mexican people leave the pit in an opened avocado to slow down the process. Also, cover the surface with a generous amount of lime juice. Preferably, use the whole avocado as quickly as possible, and remember if you prepare a dish too far in advance, it will start to brown.

GUACAMOLE A LA BRISA

Makes about 2 cups

4 ripe avocados
1 tomato
1/2 red onion
1 serrano chilli (or another hot chilli of your choice)
1 clove of garlic
Juice of 2 limes
Sea salt
A handful of chopped coriander

Finely slice the onion and squeeze the juice of one lime over the onion. Let the onion marinate while you prepare the rest of the dish.

Cut the tomato into small dice and season with plenty of sea salt. Let it combine while you slice and mash the flesh of the avocado.

Add to it the finely chopped chilli with the seeds, the finely minced garlic, the coriander and then the tomato and onion. Squeeze in the juice of the second lime and season to taste.

Serve this with meat, fish and bean dishes with freshly made tortillas.

AVOCADO WITH SHRIMP

Serves 3 – makes a great lunch dish or entree

1 tsp mustard
1 egg
1 cup vegetable oil
Juice of 1 lime or lemon
2 Tbsp sour cream
1 large gherkin
3 Tbsp capers
1 large celery stalk
2 spring onions
1/2 cup parsley and coriander combined
2 cups cooked shrimp
3 avocados

Make a mayonnaise in a food processor, by first blending the mustard, egg and 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil. Then, with the processor running, add the rest of the oil in a slow, steady stream, during which the mixture should combine and emulsify. Finally, add the juice of a lime or lemon and season to taste.

Add sour cream to about three-quarters of a cup of the mayonnaise and mix well.

Finely dice the gherkin, capers, celery, spring onions and herbs. Add these to the mayonnaise mixture. Combine well and then add the cooked shrimp. Mix well and refrigerate for an hour.

Slice the avocados in half and place two halves on each plate. Season and squeeze over lime juice, spoon the shrimp mixture over the avocado and serve.

AVOCADO SOUP

Serves 4

2 avocados
1 cup of plain unsweetened yoghurt
1 stick of celery
3 fat slices of peeled and seeded cucumber
2 spring onions
1 banana chilli or 1 anaheim chilli
1 green capsicum
1 cup of water
4 Tbsp of fresh herbs – coriander and mint are excellent

Peel and stone the avocados and chop into dice. Chop the vegetables and herbs and place everything in the food processor and process until smooth.

Chill and serve in tall glasses with freshly fried tortilla chips.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Garlic


It is hard to imagine cooking without garlic, it is so central to the flavour of so many dishes, even though in some parts of the world it is avoided because of its potent qualities.

In some religions it is not favoured because it warms and stimulates the body and is said to increase desires. For others this might be a benefit.

Garlic is an allium plant, like onions, shallots, leeks and chives; allium sativum to be exact. It has been used throughout recorded history by people in many different parts of the world. It is produced everywhere and has a history as a culinary and medicinal plant that includes such claims to fame as being able to ward off demons and vampires, probably arising from its antibacterial and antiparasitic properties and its alleged powers as a preventative medicine.

Crushed raw garlic yields allicin, an antibiotic and antifungal compound. It also has antiviral properties and there are many claims of a range of health benefits particularly in fighting throat infections as well as cardiovascular benefits. It contains B and C vitamins, calcium iron and a range of minerals: a veritable trove of potent pluses.

Sulphur compounds in garlic metabolise and form allyl methyl sulphide that passes into the blood and is carried to the lungs and skin and then excreted. Hence, garlic gets the name "stinking rose" – stinking for the smell and rose for all the positives garlic brings to us.

Plant garlic on the shortest day and harvest on the longest is the golden rule. For those of us who have planned our planting and harvest well enough, there should now be a store of succulent bulbs of garlic drying slowly, ready to be plaited and displayed with pride, used throughout the months to come in a myriad of dishes.

Garlic should be stored warm and dry, around 18-20 degrees Celsius. It will keep for months. You do not need to refrigerate it.

My recommendation is that you avoid prepared garlic that has been pre-peeled and stored in oil, as garlic stored in oil, if not treated, can harbour botulism. Why bother with this when you can simply peel and use a fresh clove at a time without any concerns about safety?

It is a pivotal ingredient in in many of the world's cuisines, and the taste softens hugely in the cooking process. When using raw garlic in recipes don't overdo it. Two or three cloves of garlic are ample in dishes requiring raw garlic, such as pesto or aioli, and one clove is all you need in a salad dressing. You can dramatically increase the number of cloves when you are cooking them, and using a whole head of garlic in some dishes is not too much.
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Try the following method for peeling garlic. Remove the garlic cloves from the bulb. Cut off the base of the clove with a sharp knife. Lie the clove on a chopping board and with the broad side of a large knife gently squash the clove. Don't squash to hard or you will obliterate the clove. The skin falls away to be easily pulled away. It can then be sliced and cooked in the dish of your choice.

If you don't have one, buy a garlic press for making salad dressings. It squeezes the garlic and spreads the flavour and juices into the dressings.

The recipes that include garlic are endless. Here are some that use garlic in different ways, to increase your repertoire for using this fabulous vegetable.

WHITE BEANS WITH THYME AND GARLIC

This will serve 4-6 people. It is a great accompaniment to lamb dishes or chicken and can be served hot or cool.

200g dried haricot beans
A bulb of garlic
Large bunch of fresh thyme

Soak the beans overnight in plenty of cold water.

Drain them, place in a large pot and cover with fresh water – two to three times as much water as beans in the pot. Bring to the boil and then turn down to simmer. Add the whole head of garlic, removing any excess loose skin first. Add a large bunch of fresh thyme.

Leave the lid of the pot off slightly to allow steam to escape and to prevent it from boiling over. Simmer until the beans are tender. If the water evaporates to the level of the beans before they are tender, add some vegetable stock to increase the level of liquid. You want to have a little juice left over when the cooking is complete. This process should take about an hour.

Before serving, squash the head of garlic against the side of the pot with a large wooden spoon to extract all the soft garlic from the cloves. Remove the squashed garlic head and the stalks of the thyme.

Season to taste with salt and pepper and add 3-4 Tbsps of extra virgin olive oil.

ROASTED GARLIC

Take one whole head of garlic and remove any loose excess skins. Wrap it in a piece of tinfoil so it is completely enclosed. Drizzle over extra virgin olive oil – enough to lightly coat the garlic. Wrap up in the tinfoil. Bake in a moderate oven, around 150C, for about 45 minutes.

When the garlic is cool enough to handle, hold the bulb upside down and squeeze the garlic out of each clove into a small bowl. Use the garlic to make garlic mashed potatoes, or mix with a little olive oil and spread on some fresh ciabatta bread.

GARLIC MASHED POTATOES

Photo:Marion van Dijk
For four people, cook six medium agria potatoes in well salted water until they are tender.

Drain and mash well with a hand-held potato masher. Then using an electric beater beat the potatoes while slowly adding warm milk to make a light and fluffy mash. Add the squeezed roasted garlic, salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Serve with whatever you desire.

MINA'S TRUE ITALIAN SAUCE

This recipe has been passed down from my children's New York Italian great grandmother, Mina. It is the perfect accompaniment to any fresh or dried pasta. Serve with lots of freshly grated parmesan cheese. It is simple and perfectly delicious.

8-10 cloves of garlic peeled and thinly sliced across the clove
3 Tbsps of extra virgin olive oil
4 cans of best quality Italian tomatoes or 1.5kg of fresh Italian tomatoes
A big bunch of fresh basil and oregano or 1 Tbsps each of dried oregano and basil
Salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsps of raw sugar

Saute the garlic in the olive oil until golden. Quickly add the tomatoes to make sure you don't overcook the garlic. Add the herbs and seasoning and simmer gently for about 45 minutes.

AIOLI

This is garlic mayonnaise. It can be served with cold vegetables, cold meat or fish, spread on bread instead of butter to make sandwiches, or to make the best potato salad.

2 egg yolks
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tsp of mustard
2 Tbsps of lemon or lime juice
200mls of oil – use half of olive oil and half vegetable oil
Salt and pepper

Place the egg yolks, garlic, mustard and 1 Tbsp of oil in a food processor and pulse until well integrated. Slowly add the rest of the oil with the motor running until the mixture is thick and creamy. Add the salt and pepper and lemon/lime juice.

Boysenberries



Boysenberries give the words plump, luscious and healthy new meaning; they are the ultimate berry.

Coming into season now makes them perfect Christmas fruit.

Nelson is the New Zealand home of boysenberries. Very picky about where they grow, they flourish here, and the only other countries in the world that produce them are North America and Chile. They like cool winters and a temperate spring and autumn.

Boysenberries were discovered in the United States in the 1920s – a cross between a loganberry, a blackberry and a raspberry. They arrived in New Zealand in the 1960s, and production has increased over the decades.

Nelson is the home of Berryfruit New Zealand, a co-operative of boysenberry growers from throughout the region who export their fruit collectively as well as selling it nationally. New Zealand now produces in the range of 3000 tonnes a year.

What we can claim about boysenberries is that those grown here have the highest levels of antioxidants in the world.

Mostly we rail against the hole in the ozone layer and our high levels of ultraviolet light, but these factors mean that boysenberries here are said to have been found to have the highest levels of antioxidants found in the fruit anywhere. The plant builds up a defence to combat the intense UV rays in this part of the world, and this concentrates antioxidants in the fruit.

The antioxidant values for blackcurrants, boysenberries and blueberries far outweigh those of others.

They are also high in vitamin C, fibre and ellagic acid, a compound that is an anti-carcinogen, anti-viral and anti-bacterial. What more could you ask for? Forget the apple a day and go for a plate of boysenberries instead.

There is no excuse for not eating them year-round, either. Nelson has a producer called Sujon that individually quick-freezes the fruit. Bags of Sujon frozen boysenberries and other berries, such as blackberries, blueberries and blackcurrants, can be found in the freezer section of New World, Pak 'n Save and Fresh Choice, retailing for about $9 a kilogram.

Sue and John Gibb were boysenberry growers in the 1980s, and an oversupply of fresh fruit led them to freeze the berries and to start looking for outlets for their products. Retailers and restaurants soon took advantage.

Sujon now distributes throughout New Zealand and, more recently, overseas, where demand is high, particularly among Asian consumers, who understand better than Kiwis the extraordinary high health benefits of berryfruit.
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Boysenberries are a staple in icecream, yoghurts, smoothies and parfaits. They are delicious plain and fresh with a little icing sugar and cream. They are so good served this way that it isn't really necessary to do more. Gorge yourselves for the next month, and drive out to one of the various berry growers still operating close to Nelson.

Berryfields in McShane Rd, Appleby is the biggest supplier of boysenberries in the country, and its shop starts boysenberry sales this week. Don't delay, as the season is a short one, from mid-December to mid-January – so it is just as well that frozen berries taste so good as well.

Recipes

Boysenberries are an essential ingredient in the best breakfast yet: Swiss bircher muesli with boysenberries, yoghurt and maple syrup. Use Biofarm Organic Bush Honey Yoghurt and try the Woolworths brand of bircher muesli.

Soak the amount of muesli you desire in milk, to ensure that all the grains are moistened, for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Place the muesli in a serving bowl and add thawed frozen boysenberries (fresh ones if you have them) to taste. Top the mixture with yoghurt and drizzle with maple syrup.

Photo: Marion van Dijk
BOYSENBERRY TRIFLE

This is a delicious Christmas Day dessert. Feeds 4-6.

Sponge cake:

4 eggs
125g caster sugar
125g flour

50g unsalted melted butter Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease a medium springform pan with butter and then dust with flour.

Whisk the eggs and sugar until the mixture is light and airy (about 10 minutes).

Sift in the flour and add the melted butter. Pour into the pan and cook for about 30 minutes until done. Cool.

Store the cake for a couple of days in an airtight container. When you are ready to make the trifle, cut the cake into pieces about 2cm-3cm square and put in a large flat bowl. Sprinkle with sherry or brandy to taste.

Custard:

3 cups of milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp flour
5 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla

Heat the milk in the top of a double boiler.

Mix the sugar and the flour. Add to the egg yolks and beat together well.

Add the milk and stir with a wire whisk.

Return to the double boiler and cook over simmering water, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add the vanilla. Cool quickly.

Fruit and cream:

500g of fresh boysenberries, washed and cleaned
2 tbsp cassis liqueur
3-4 tbsp caster sugar
300ml cream
2 Tbsp icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence

Mash a few of the berries to create some liquid. Add the cassis and caster sugar and mix through all the berries. Let them soak together for at least a couple of hours.

Whip the cream and add the icing sugar and vanilla.

Assemble the trifle in a glass bowl so you can appreciate the layers.

First, layer the cake, followed by fruit and then custard. Repeat until you have used up all of the ingredients. Top with cream and refrigerate.

BOYSENBERRIES AND PEARS WITH MASCARPONE

For 4 people – adapted from a Cuisine magazine recipe. Vanilla sugar is made by blending 3-4 vanilla beans with 1 cup of caster sugar in a food processor until the vanilla is reduced to black dots.

2 pears, cored and halved
250g boysenberries
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vanilla sugar
150g mascarpone

Bring the wine, water and vanilla sugar to a simmer and add the pears, simmering until tender (about 15-20 minutes).

Remove the pears to a serving dish and quickly add the boysenberries to the syrup for a minute or two. Remove and add to the pears.

Reduce the liquid to about half.

Mix together the mascarpone and 3-4 Tbsp of vanilla sugar (to taste).

Place a pear half and boysenberries on individual plates. Pour over some of the liquid and add a dollop of the mascarpone.

Free range corn fed chooks


We have a lot to thank chickens for. They supply us with an excellent source of meat as well as eggs, which for most us are an indispensible part of our diet.

Chicken contains protein, Vitamin B, zinc and iron and for those who care: no carbs!

For some of us, raising chickens is a real delight. The satisfaction of plucking a warm egg from a nest of straw provides a real sense of things being right in the world.

But raising chickens for commercial meat consumption has become fraught with controversy. As images of battery hens forced into confined spaces appear in the media, we question and discuss humane practices of raising animals. Just in the last couple of weeks there has been a fuss over one of our big chicken producers, Inghams, and whether it has been using genetically modified corn in its chicken feed.

Battery hens are by definition confined either in cages for eggs, or on barn floors for meat, with high density being a key feature of production.

For those of you unfamiliar with the terms free range, corn fed or organic, some definitions might be useful.

Free-range birds are able to roam freely. The area where they roam is likely to be fenced and birds do go inside to roost at night and to lay eggs in nests. This method can reduce the cost of feeding the birds, providing they have access to dirt and grasses, and in allowing them to roam, the birds are likely to be livelier and happier.

Birds that are called free range must have access to the outside, although there is no legal definition in New Zealand of how much space they must have and what they must have access to. There are a number of boutique producers of free-range birds, even though they make up only 0.5 per cent of all chicken meat production in New Zealand.

There are no commercial free-range producers in the top of the south. Ingham chickens are available fresh and local in New World – an Australian company producing free-range chickens in Waikato under the Waitoa brand. They retail for $10 a kilogram.

Corn-fed chickens are fed a higher level of corn or maize than other food, which colours the flesh. In fact, they must have at least 50 per cent maize in their diet while they are being fattened.

Probably the most accessible and reasonably priced corn-fed free-range chicken is the Rangitikei brand, produced by Tegel. These birds have free access to the outside and are fed large quantities of maize. They can be bought fresh or frozen whole and increasingly in supermarkets you can buy thigh or breast portions as well. A size 16 Rangitikei chicken costs $21 in Collingwood St Fresh Choice.

Turks Chickens from Horowhenua is another producer of corn-fed free-range chicken.

Organic free-range chicken, such as from Heuvels in Gisborne, cost a whopping $32 for a size 14. The Westwood brand, produced in Canterbury, can be bought frozen from stores such as Collingwood St Fresh Choice. Westwood chooks are slightly cheaper than Heuvels at $29.99 for a 14.
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They are so expensive because of the cost of raising them. They are truly free range and only fed on certified organic feed (very expensive to buy). Heuvels produce around 2600 chickens a week and are distributed throughout the country. The chicken is delicious.

The debate about the pros and cons of the choices available to us rages, but let's not forget that over 55 per cent of the market is still regular Tegel chicken.

Fuel is added to the fire with TV chefs doing blind tastings of battery chickens versus free range versus corn fed versus organic.

The jury is out on which tastes the best. Like all things to do with food, it is a personal matter and what you are used to experiencing. However, if you haven't tried corn-fed or free-range chicken, I highly recommend you do. For at least some of us, the extra cost is justified knowing how the animal has been raised, and the added taste and texture is well worth it.

Regardless of the method of raising the birds, chicken is a staple in our diet and commonplace. It is hard to go past the Kiwi classic of a stuffed roast chicken as a truly wonderful meal. I shared my recipe for herb stuffing when I wrote about herbs back in March – it is repeated here for those who didn't cut it to keep back then. Chicken stuffed with herb stuffing is fabulous. The key is to use fresh herbs and lots of them to make this stuffing the most memorable.

First, make breadcrumbs from a day-old loaf of ciabatta or good-quality white bread, to make 2 cups.

Finely dice a medium red or yellow onion and saute gently in about half a cup of olive oil and butter (or just butter) until soft. Chop lots of Italian parsley to make at least 3/4 cup. Add 10 sprigs of thyme, 10 leaves of sage, a handful of basil and marjoram. Finely chop it all and add to the breadcrumbs and onion. Season to taste. The mixture should hold together without being sticky. It should be a bright green colour.

There are thousands of other chicken recipes. Here are a few that I highly recommend. They never fail to impress.

Photo: Marion van Dijk
CHICKEN MARBELLA

Serves 4 people

1kg of boneless corn-fed chicken thighs
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
3 Tbsp of oregano
3 Tbsp of capers
8 prunes, chopped
1/4 cup of green olives
4 Tbsp of olive oil
3 Tbsp of brown sugar
1/4 cup of white wine
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar

Arrange the chicken thighs in a baking dish and cover with the garlic, oregano, capers, prunes, olives and olive oil. Marinate overnight.

Before cooking add the sugar, wine and vinegar. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Sprinkle with coriander and serve with rice.

CHICKEN WITH LEMON, GARLIC AND PAPRIKA

Serves 4 people

Cut a whole corn fed free range chicken into portions. Place in a baking dish.

Make a paste with 2 cloves of crushed garlic, 2 tsp of paprika, juice of a lemon and enough olive oil to make it smooth. Add 3 Tbsp of grated parmesan, with salt, pepper to taste.

Smear the paste over the chicken pieces and bake at 190 degrees Celsius for about 35-40 minutes – until the chicken is cooked. Serve with a green salad and new potatoes.

BONED, STUFFED WHOLE CHICKEN

Ask your butcher to bone a corn-fed free-range chicken for you, or do it yourself. This makes a great summer lunch.

Stuffing:

1 onion finely sliced
1 cup of fresh breadcrumbs from a ciabatta loaf or similar
200g of ricotta cheese
1 Tbsp of fresh chervil and tarragon chopped finely
Zest of a lime
3 rashers of streaky bacon
Salt and pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil and 25g butter

Melt the butter and oil and saute the onion until it is soft. Add to the breadcrumbs and ricotta cheese.

Add the herbs and lime zest and salt and pepper. Mix well.

Lay the chicken skin side down and place the stuffing inside.

Roll in the sides of the chicken carefully and place the bacon rashers around the chicken to hold it in place.

Bake in a hot oven for about 45min. Let it rest and when slightly cool slice into thick slices or serve cold.

Broad beans


Photo: Marion van Dijk
The broad bean is an ancient bean, and apparently has been eaten since the Bronze Age, archaeological findings tell us.

The plain pod belies the velvet interior, which is home to a cluster of beans. When very young and tender, the whole pod can be eaten raw, but as the bean matures it becomes necessary to discard the pod and shell the beans.

Shelling broad beans is a meditative and tactile affair and should not be regarded as a chore. The furry inside of the pod is pleasant to handle, and shelling is simplified by blanching the beans. Drop them in boiling water for about half a minute. Remove and plunge into cold water. This results in the shell slipping off easily to reveal the bright green bean inside.

Once the podding and shelling occurs, the volume decreases significantly, so remember when buying beans to allow about one kilogram of pods to produce two cups of broad beans.

Photo: Marion van Dijk

Now that we are in the flush of spring, hopefully you have a broad bean patch or a good friend who will allow you to raid theirs.

It is a real pleasure to eat the fresh young beans at their prime. They should also be appearing in supermarkets any day now.

The soft texture and buttery, nutty taste of broad beans can be enjoyed raw, or just lightly steamed or boiled and tossed in butter or olive oil with salt and pepper. They also work extremely well in risottos and pasta dishes, and combined with cheeses such as pecorino, soft goat's cheese, feta, mozzarella, parmesan and even haloumi.

As the pods mature and get larger, the beans also grow in size and also become more floury, so the preparation methods need to change as well. Mature beans are excellent in purees or added to slow-cooked dishes.

Broad beans freeze well and can therefore be available year-round. They can also be dried.

They are a great source of protein, to the extent they have been called the "poor man's steak", (or a rich man's steak for vegetable-loving people). They contain vitamins A and C, potassium and iron. They are a source of L-dopa – a precursor to dopamine, used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. They also contain tyramine, a naturally occurring amino acid that can affect blood pressure. It is present in various other foods such as avocados, bananas, aged cheeses, sausages and red wine.

Broad beans, or fava beans as they are called in many countries, grow in temperate areas of the world. They appear as a staple in Asia, the Middle East, South America and Europe.
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In Egypt, they take centre stage with the national dish of ful medames. This is a delicious combination of cooked mashed beans with the addition of oil, garlic, lemon, salt and cumin, served with pita bread and eaten at breakfast time.

Mashed or pureed broad beans are delicious with a range of herbs and spices added to vary the flavour and to match other dishes.

Another variation is grilled broad beans. If you have never tried this, you must. Toss the beans in their pods in oil and salt and pepper (you can use chilli flakes or add lemon zest at the end of the cooking). Place under a grill in the oven or on top of a grill on the stove top or a barbecue. The beans need to steam in their pods, so don't have the grill too hot. It should take about 3-4 minutes on each side. The pods should be charred but not burnt. Charred means the skins are fully blackened while the inside is smoky but not burnt through. Split the pods open and pop out the beans from the skins.

Here are some other ideas for the new season's broad beans.

BROAD BEAN PUREE

2 cups shelled broad beans
3 Tbsp olive oil
6 sprigs chopped fresh lemon thyme
2 cloves crushed garlic
Juice of a lemon
Salt and pepper

Cook the broad beans, drain and cool slightly. Puree in a food processor or mash with a potato masher. Add the other ingredients.

You can change the seasoning – substitute cumin for the lemon thyme and add some coriander as well, with chilli instead of the black pepper. Play around with the flavours.

Serve with meat or fish, or on top of the bread of your choice.

PENNE PASTA WITH PRAWNS AND BROAD BEANS

250g penne pasta
250g of fresh prawns, cleaned and shelled
100g ricotta
1 lemon
3 cloves of garlic
1 cup broad beans – steamed until just tender
1 chilli pepper, finely sliced
Large bunch of fresh basil (chopped roughly)
Freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup of olive oil
Sea salt

Cook the pasta until al dente, drain and toss through half the extra virgin olive oil. Keep warm while you make the sauce.

Saute the garlic and chilli in the remaining olive oil until the garlic starts to turn golden.

Quickly toss in the prawns and cook until they turn pink. Add the zest and juice of the lemon and the broad beans. Cook to heat through.

Place the pasta in a big bowl and toss through the ricotta and basil, and add the prawns and broad beans. Season with sea salt and grated parmesan cheese.

Serve immediately.

BROAD BEAN AND BACON RISOTTO

350g fresh broad beans, shelled and lightly steamed (they should be mostly cooked before you add to the risotto)
150g good-quality lean bacon
300g risotto rice
2 shallots
1 small fennel bulb
3 Tbsp olive oil
1.5 to 2 litres of good-quality chicken or vegetable stock
3-4 Tbsp vermouth
3 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Saute the shallot and fennel in the olive oil until translucent. Add the bacon. Cook for a minute or two. Add the rice and stir until it is well coated with oil. Add the vermouth and cook for a couple of minutes. Slowly add the stock a few ladles at a time until each amount is incorporated into the rice. Add the broad beans just before the rice is fully cooked. You want the beans to just be cooked and bright green at serving time. Add the stock until the rice is al dente. The risotto should still be moist with a little liquid at the end – not completely dry. You may have some stock left over. Fold through the cheese, season and serve.