photographs
CHELSEA BLOXSOME & HANNAH TAYLOR-EDDINGTON
Broad beans
Homegrown broad beans are one of the first crops of the year. They’re easy to grow from seed, yielding green or white beans that can be used in salads, stews, soups and fritters. They don’t take up too much space and can be grown in the ground, in raised beds and in large pots.
Broad bean, herb & ricotta fritters
SERVES 2 PREP 30 mins COOK 15 mins EASY V ❄
600g broad beans in pods, or
200g podded weight (or use frozen)
250g ricotta
4 eggs
3 tbsp plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp chilli flakes, plus a pinch to serve (optional)
few springs each of mint, dill and parsley, chopped, plus a few leaves to serve
1 lemon, zested drizzle of olive oil, for frying drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, to serve
1 Pop the broad beans out of their pods into a bowl. Boil the kettle, tip the beans into a saucepan, cover with boiling water and cook for 6 mins, then drain and leave until cool enough to handle. If using frozen beans, simply place in a bowl, cover with boiling water and leave to stand for 2 mins, then drain.
2 Use your nail or a knife to pierce the opaque skins surrounding each bean, and pop them back into the bowl. (You can use the skins to make vegetable stock.)