Broad Beans with Green Garlic

A couple of weeks ago Veggiegobbler posted about a lovely broad bean dish she had shared with friends for lunch.  Inspired by her culinary endeavours and by the green garlic I had impatiently pulled from my garden I came up with this broad bean dish.  Green garlic for anyone unfamiliar with it, is garlic that has not quite finished bulb development and still has a green stem.  The flavour is softer than older garlic and you can eat the whole thing stem and all without peeling it (except perhaps removing a couple of outer leaves).  Green garlic is one of the joys of growing your own garlic and is one of my favourite November things.  You can use green garlic in pretty much any dish you would normally add garlic to and is delicious both raw and cooked.  I particularly enjoy it in simple dishes like this one where you can really taste each ingredient.

Broad Beans with Green Garlic

  • 300g broad beans (shelled and cooked weight)
  • half a bulb of green garlic (from a 3cm diameter bulb) finely chopped
  • a small bunch of mint finely chopped
  • a tblspn extra virgin olive oil
  • 50g feta
  • Pepper

Shell the broad beans and boil until cooked.  Rinse with cold water.  Peel again to reveal the lovely green inner bean.  Mix the oil and the garlic.  Add the double peeled beans while they are still warm.  Mix.  Add the mint.  Crumble on the feta and gently mix through.  Season and serve.

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10 Responses to Broad Beans with Green Garlic

  1. Robin says:

    What a lovely dish! Hopefully my broad beans will do much better next year. This year they were attacked by ants and production was basically nothing!

    • Liz says:

      That is so frustrating when that happens – I have had what I think is a mouse having the occasional nibble at the pods but thats the only problem I’ve had with mine this year which is lovely.

  2. Mark Willis says:

    Sounds like a brilliant combination. Perhaps I’ll have to have another try at growing my own garlic, because you just can’t buy green garlic in the shops – ever.

    • Liz says:

      You can occasionally get green garlic in the farmers markets here but thats about it. I’d definitely give garlic another try – I’m presuming you have tried and failed?

  3. Hazel says:

    Oooo! I am so going to try that…for lunch today, with nice crusty bread!

  4. Johanna GGG says:

    that looks beautiful – I’ve never had green garlic but as I love garlic it sounds delicious – though I just can’t imagine ever having the sort of garden where I would grow garlic but who knows!

    • Liz says:

      I think you can grow garlic in pretty much any garden – I grow some in those polystrene fruit boxes – they fit about 8 cloves giving you 8 heads of garlic from a relatively small space. Alternatively you could just plant one clove in a fairly small pot and get one head if you are really struggling for space. I think its worth it for green garlic but then I am a bit of a devotee.

  5. Hi Liz,
    Your recipe looks scrumptious! One to try when they come into season here.
    I love your blog and have to agree green garlic is such a treat. I’m a bit of a philistine and just roast a whole bulb of them and then pop the creamy cloves onto some griddled buttered Ciabatta and top with chunks of canned plum tomatoes for an early summer gourmet delight! Roasted green garlic and plum tomatoes are a match made in heaven as far as I’m concerned and another of my favourites are broad beans so thank you indeed for this alternative delicious concoction…

    • Liz says:

      Thankyou! I’m not sure that roast whole bulbs is the behaviour of a philistine – if it is then philistines have impeccible taste…..I hope you get a chance to make this recipe.

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