Broad beans tend to be regarded as somehow not quite as good as the borlotti and french beans of high Summer perhaps its because they are easy to grow but for me this simple dip transforms them into a great quick hummus in under 10 Minutes
Ingredients
160g broad beans podded
juice 1/2 small lemon
15 mint leaves
4 tb extra virgin olive oil, plus extra
zest of small lemon
sea salt, to taste
Method
Boil or steam the beans for 3-5 minutes, until tender. Older beans may need longer cooking.
Rinse under cold water with ice cubes, drain in a colander.
Remove outer skins especially with older beans, best way slice one end and gently squeeze bean out
Blitz beans, salt, lemon juice and mint until smooth in a processor or with a hand held stick blender, adding olive oil in a stream until you achieve the consistency you desire.
If you like a coarse texture you can break up the beans with a fork
chop Lemon zest into fine pieces
A good quality, mild tasting oil makes all the difference to the taste
Once smooth, add zest and taste seasoning.cover with little more oil to keep in fridge for a couple of days if you can resist it
Great with seeded crackers and cool beer