Broad bean bruschetta w/ mint & peas
Accepting that I can't pronounce bruschetta, but I *can* cook it
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Broad bean bruschetta w/ mint & peas
Serves 2
It is looking increasingly likely that I will never know how to pronounce Bruschetta correctly. And, much as I love her, I blame my Mum entirely for this personal failing.
I know technically it’s not her fault if I can’t remember how to say the word. In fact, a reasonable person might even argue that, as she continues to do her best to help me learn the correct pronunciation, this is really all on me. But you see, at some point in the last five years she informed me that I was getting it wrong then explained how to say it properly, and for the life of me the only information I managed to retain from that encounter was that I can’t say the word. I now find myself wedged - eternally - between the equally uncertain pronunciations of ‘bru-sket-ah’ and ‘bru-shet-ah’ and all I’m sure of is that I’m getting it wrong at least 50% of the time.
Despite my seeming inability to pronounce it reliably, I’m pleased to say I do cook it rather well. So here’s a novel take on an old favourite. This is my Broad Bean Bruhjskghetttaa with Mint and Peas.
Ingredients
1 cup of broad beans, double shelled
½ cup peas (fresh or frozen is fine)
Juice of half a lemon
Finely grated rind of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp capers, finely chopped
¼ tsp caster sugar
¼ cup of fresh mint, finely diced
2-3 slices of rye bread
2 garlic cloves
2-4 Tbsp crème fraîche
¼ cup strong parmesan, finely grated
Method
Put the broad beans, peas, lemon juice and rind, olive oil, capers, caster sugar and mint in a medium sized bowl and toss gently until everything is very well combined.
Toast the rye bread. As soon as it’s done toasting, take the garlic cloves and rub them on both sides of the toast (the cloves will seem to almost dissolve into the bread, infusing it with their flavour).
To serve, spread a generous dollop of the crème fraîche over each slice of toast, then top with spoonfuls of the bean mixture and scatter the parmesan cheese on top. Add a generous pinch of salt and some freshly ground pepper. Eat at once.
Notes
To double shell broad beans first, remove them from the pod, then pour boiling water over the beans and let sit for a few minutes. The beans can then be popped out of their second shell (this shell is more of a grey colour, while the bean inside is a beautiful bright green). It’s a bit of a fiddly process removing the second shell, but it is absolutely worth it; double shelled beans are much more delicate and tasty!
If you can’t get a hold of any crème fraîche, cream cheese will work in a pinch. But do go for crème fraîche if you can - its light, delicate flavour works really well with the other springtime ingredients.
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