I’m making this broad bean, asparagus & rocket hummus because I was lucky enough to be given some stunning broad beans. I’ve often talked about how lucky we are living in this little hamlet of Belleau and how generous our neighbours are. Every season that something new is ready to be shared we will often be fortunate enough to be the recipient of lovely fresh produce. I’ve often arrived home to a little box of fresh hens eggs or a basket of plums. Yesterday I arrived home from a long walk to a giant bag of broad beans. I love broad beans but this was a LOT!
Our neighbours June and Geoff have a very enviable veg patch to the side of their house with the sweetest looking scarecrow family I’ve ever seen. They couldn’t possibly scare the birds but whatever the trick Geoff grows some epic vegetables and is very generous with the bounty.
…on Toast
I’d seen so many posts on instagram lately showing stuff on toast. From the simple ‘just melted butter’ to the ridiculous ‘smoked salmon and caviar’. Why is it that things on toast look and taste so good? I swear I could live on toast (and cheese) alone. Well, I wanted to join the ‘on toast’ revolution so I could think of nothing better than a fresh brand bean hummus.
stuff I love
It’s not really hummus in the traditional sense but it’s got all the stuff I love in there and it’s smooshed to a rough paste so I’m calling it hummus. Add what you love and let me know how it turns out!
- 300g broad beans – if you’re using fresh double-pod them. I explain below.
- 3 cloves of garlic – peeled
- 5 stalks of asparagus – chopped
- a handful of rocket
- 2 tablespoons greek yoghurt
- 70g cream cheese
- the juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon
- a few glugs of extra-virgo olive oil
- a dash of chilli oil or a pinch of chilli flakes
- salt and pepper
- fresh rosemary, oregano and chives
If you’ve cooked with broad beans before you’ll know they come in large pods. De-pod the beans and set aside. You’ll notice a pale green-blue outer skin to the beans. This can be eaten but can be a little tough and I like to remove it. It takes a little time but is worth it.
Simply boil the beans in some water for about 3 mins, then remove from the water and place in a bowl of ice cold water. After a minute, use a sharp knife to make a little knick in the beans and squeeze the bright green bean out from the outer layer and discard.
Boil the chopped asparagus and garlic cloves for about 5 mins. Drain well and set aside.
Now place all the ingredients, along with 3/4 of the shelled beans, all asparagus and garlic, into a bowl and whizz to a rough paste. Mix in the remaining whole beans for added texture.
Serve on toast, or with crunchy vegetables. I’ve served mine with some fabulous olive-oiled fried St Ewe eggs.
For more broad bean recipes check them out here on Dom in the Kitchen
Eat and of course, enjoy!
