I had never cooked broad beans before. Bet you weren’t thinking that from the title?

But seriously, I have seen them in the market and always wondered about them. Because I am trying to eat what is local, fresh and therefore in season, I had to give these a try. The only way to describe them is delicious. They taste like no other bean or pea, but maybe a lovely creamy mixture of them all.

I lightly steamed the pods, plunged into an ice bath. Then peeled the long shell and the outer pale skin covering each bean. What was left was a nice bright green bean. These were added to a lovely Spring salad.

Included in the salad is local butter lettuce, local onions (caramelized), green and yellow runner beans (blanched), chopped basil, feta cheese and lemon olive oil. And of course, the broad beans.

Along with some spiced almonds, makes a great dinner.