The Red Bistro

Servings of food & lifestyle from the Mediterranean

  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • About Bistro
    • The Chef
  • Contact

Green bean dip

March 12, 2012 by lizayling 2 Comments

Broad bean dip

Beans means spring. And this little seedling signals the dawning of a new green age.

Broad bean from seedling to plant

It defied slug and snail to sprout almost overnight. The weather has been so bleak this year that Malta’s spring has started late. But now that we’ve had five days of almost non-stop sun and warmth, the hastily sown bean poked it head out growing inches in a day!

I found the dried bean in the back of my car among the kiddy debris. A spare bean, my son said, from the class science project on seed germination. I stuck it in a stone trough keen to follow up the school work with some home experimentation. That was a month ago and I’d forgotten all about it til now. The one that duly sprouted in the classroom and came home potted was also left forgotten in the car. Tipped out and dried out, it was a gonner. We’d salvaged this one though.

Broad beans by another name

In praise of this second seedling’s perseverance and as a foodie ode to spring, I decided to make a simple, unadulterated dip that takes full advantage of the full flavour of the first crop of broad beans. The early broad beans are perfect. No need to double shell them as I have to painstakingly later on when they’re big broads.

Broad bean dip

broad bean dip
Of course, my seedling will provide only enough beans to eat from the pod. But the fields around my village are a fine blooming sight of more mature broad beans waving in the wind. I stock up on panier full from the farmers’ market and dragoon J into helping me shell them. Ideal as a healthy lunch pack filling, I say. He’s not looking too keen. Never mind, it’s a great dip to quash adult hunger pangs while supper cooks. Now…all I need is garlic, olive oil, lots of parsley, a hint of mint and something to blitz them up.
Recipe below photos.

beans in pan

Spring Green Bean Dip

Ingredients:
300g fresh broad beans, podded (shelled again if larger beans)
2 garlic cloves, chopped (or more if you like dips garlicky)
extra virgin olive oil – a glug to cook, more to blend
Sea salt & ground black pepper
juice of a lemon
pinch of dried chili (or fresh, if desired)
handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
sprigs of mint, ripped up
cold water

Method:
Gently heat a glug or two of the olive oil in thick-based pan, ideally a cast-iron skillet. Add the chopped garlic and fry gently for a minute but don’t let it burn. It just needs to infuse into the oil. Add the podded beans and toss them around in the oil for a minute.

Then, add a pinch of ground sea salt and black pepper, some chopped parsley, lemon juice, pinch of dried chopped or fresh chili (if using) and a large serving ladle of water. Heat gently, but don’t boil. Cover and let the beans steam over a gentle heat for around 5-10 minutes until tender, but not to a mush. Check to ensure the beans don’t stick and add a little more water if you find they’re drying out. You need some liquid left at the end of cooking.

When tender, let the bean mixture cool a little before putting in a food processor. Retain a few of the smaller beans as garnish. Add the ripped up mint and pulse to coarse chop. Then with the processor on medium speed, drizzle in some olive oil until it loosens into a spreadable paste texture. There should be some grain left so don’t puree’ it! You can also add some water to loosen the dip to balance out the olive oil. Mash by hand with potato masher or fork if you don’t have a processor.

Serving
Place in serving dish, cool and keep in fridge (up to 3 days) until required. Best to let it warm up a bit to room temperature before seving. Garnish with remaining beans and chopped parsley and some mint leaves. Plain water crackers strong enough to dig in with. And if you’re in Malta, Galletti biscuits are perfect to scoop it out!

All images © Liz Ayling 2012

Filed Under: Light lunches & suppers, Vegetarian Tagged With: beans, broad, dips, starter, vegetables

Friday night is pizza night »

Comments

  1. Mia says

    October 21, 2013 at 12:43 am

    So very glad to find your beautiful site, I spent a summer in my student days working at an English school in Malta. My love of seeking out locally grown foods started there, I will never forget the taste of those sun-drenched tomato’s!!! Thanks for sharing your recipes.

    Reply
    • Red Bistro says

      October 24, 2013 at 9:01 am

      Mia, so glad my site rekindles your memories of Malta. I am going to be putting more background shots of the islands (food-related of course) into the recipe post write-ups so I hope to give you more to remember of your time here. The landscape, cafes, bakeries, markets and so on are so photogenic. Do stay with Red B!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

About Red Bistro

I am Liz, a food & lifestyle blogger and photographer based in Malta, an archipelago at the centre of the Mediterranean. The Red Bistro is my creative space: a photo diary of cultural and culinary Mediterranean life. Read More…

Recent Posts

The Brasserie, Portomaso Casino, Malta
Italian Christmas Cake, Certosino
Salt beef & pulled pork stall, Borough Market, London

Categories

  • Bits & Bobs
  • Breakfast & brunch
  • Cakes & sweet pastries
  • Chilled desserts & ices
  • Christmas & New Year
  • Drinks
  • Fish
  • Fruit
  • Herbs
  • Hot desserts
  • Italian
  • Jams & Preserves
  • Latest on the menu
  • Light lunches & suppers
  • Main courses
  • Maltese dishes
  • Markets & Shops
  • Our specials
  • Restaurants
  • Salads
  • Soups
  • Travels
  • Vegetarian

Recipe Archive

Follow on Bloglovin
Instagram
Featured on BlogHer.com
 
Red Bistro foodgawker gallery
Top Food Blogs

© Copyright 2016-22The Red Bistro · All Rights Reserved ·

Privacy, Data & Cookie Policy · Disclaimer· Terms & Conditions