Broad beans again! Help!

[Malk]

I unfroze some of my beans recently and boiled them. Are the outsides always tough or have I done something wrong? Nugget always gets his peeled, but I had to peel mine as well as the outsides were so inedible.

Please help as I have the final lot to freeze.

[Sue]

Hi Malk.

I don't think you have done anything wrong in the freezing\unfreezing process to cause this. The toughness of the outer skin usually depends on the size of the beans - the more mature they get, the more formed the seed coat is. I don't like the skins much either, so if I grow broad beans, I plunder them as soon as the baby beans are formed.

You may have just left the crop a bit too long for your taste, so pick earlier next year and resign yourself to a bit of extra peeling this year.

Sue

[Tigger]

Or process thenm early as puree with a little bit of butter and lots of black pepper.

[Johnboy]

Hi Malk,
Many years ago my children were put off Broad Beans because of the very same thing. I have always steamed them and when cooked I used to put them out warmed plate. Simply pinch them and when they are cooked the green centre pops out very easily. If they have cooled too much pop them back into the steamer for a few moments and hey presto they are there for you to enjoy.
Some people carry out that process and then puree them with either butter or a little cream.
Bon Appetite,
JB.

[Malk]

I hadn't thought of that, ta. they peel easy enough once they're cooked, but might try that with the cream, Johnboy, sounds yummy.