Broad Bean Pasta

This is very simple recipe with a few ingredients.  I love recipes like this as they allow each ingredient to be tasted.  We have found that children like this as well.  If you want to be extra decadent, you can double pod the broad beans.  The broad beans we are harvesting are very fresh and young and we have not needed to do this extra step. Ingredients 500grams Broad Beans, podded zest from a lemon juice from 1/2 a lemon 2 green garlic cloves diced finely small bunch of mint or parsley, finely sliced Feta to crumble salt and pepper to taste olive oil 500 grams fettuccine

Method 1. Heat water and follow instructions for cooking the pasta. 2. Lightly steam podded broad beans for 3-5 minutes. Run under cool water and set aside. 3. Make a dressing with the lemon zest, lemon juice, green garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. 4. Drain pasta.  Mix with broad beans, dressing and herbs.  Adjust seasoning. Crumble feta over the top and serve.

Broad Bean and Quinoa Salad

I love quinoa salads.  Quinoa is a high protein seed, more closely related to the spinach and beet root family then other grains.  It contains contain essential amino acids like lysine and good quantities of calcium, phosphorus, and iron. It is also delicious, light and easy to accessorize.

Ingredients 1 cup quinoa 1 lemon 800 grams broad beans, podded 200 grams feta 1/2 cup parsley finely chopped 1 Spring garlic clove finely diced (This is an immature garlic clove with its greens still green) 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsps white balsamic vinegar salt and pepper

Method 1. Rinse quinoa in a fine strainer until water runs clear.  Place in medium saucepan with 2 cups of water.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer until almost all of the water has been absorbed.  Remove from heat. 2. Break feta into 1cm*1cm pieces.  Zest the lemon over it and add olive oil, vinegar, juice from 1/2 the lemon, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper.  Allow to marinate. 3. Steam podded broad beans for about two minutes - until the beans are just tender.  Transfer to a bowl of iced water. Pop the beans from their inner pods. 4.  Add the cooled quinoa to the feta and broad beans.  Adjust seasonings to taste. Add extra olive oil if necessary.

Pea and broad bean salad with nasturtium leaves and bagna cauda

Peter's mother found this recipe in the good food section of The Age on Tuesday 17 September. While not essential, the nasturtium leaves add a delicious accent to this Spring salad with their distinctive peppery notes. 

Ingredients 1kg broad beans (to yield 150g double podded beans, plus a handful to garnish) 3 handfuls fresh peas 200g sugar snap peas 1 large clove garlic, finely chopped Salt flakes Freshly ground pepper Extra virgin olive oil 150g frozen peas, refreshes in boiling water 1/2 bunch mint, picked and roughly chopped 5 small radishes 100g soft goats cheese 2 handfuls nasturtium leaves lemon, to serve

Method 1. Blanch the broad beans for three minutes in simmering water.  Lift out and immediately refresh in a bowl of ice water.  Follow by blanching peas then sugar snaps, refreshing in iced water each time - this stops the cooking and helps to keep them bright green. 2. Split the sugar snap peas. Double pod the broad beans, leaving a handful or so of the smaller ones whole to garnish. 3. In a mortar, add garlic, some salt and pepper and a splash of oil and grind to a paste.  Add the podded broad beans, the refreshed frozen peas and mint and pound to a rough paste - you can add a little oil if necessary but it should be a quite stiff. Check and adjust seasoning. 4. Put the remainder handful of broad beans, fresh peas, whole radishes and split sugar snap peas in a bowl, season, drizzle with oil and toss through. 5. Spread the bean paste across a large platter and arrange the pea and broad bean mix on top.  Finish with the goat's cheese, nasturtium leaves and a squeeze of lemon.  Spoon over some bagna couda and serve.

note - I had to google bagna couda and found several recipes. I tried this one.  Jamie Oliver also has a recipe which includes many of the vegetables you are receiving in the box over the next few weeks.

We are happy to include some nasturtium leaves into your box if you request them.

Chlorophyll Paste

Thank you to Ceila Lairba, one of our CSA members and a Thermomix consultant for sending through this recipe Taken from "in the mix - Great Thermomix Recipes" by Dani Valent

 Chlorophyll Paste

Time: 25minutes, plus overnight draining. Makes about 1/2cup.

 Ingredients

500g ice cubes

250g baby spinach leaves (any green leaves - kale, bok choy, braising greens, perpetual gator etc)

80-150g soft herbs (parsley, coriander, mint, dill or chives) leaves only, amount depends on how much flavour you want

Method 1. Weigh the ice into the TM Bowl. Set to Closed Lid position, press Turbo serval times. Tip the crushed ice into a large mixing bowl. 2. Weigh 750g of water and heat for 6mins/70 degrees/speed 1, bringing it to exactly 70 degrees. While that's happening, prepare a large sieve or colander lined with muslin or a clean kitchen cloth. 3. Add the baby spinach (or any other greens as above) and herbs into TM Bowl. Blitz for 6 mins/70 degrees/speed 10, then immediately pour the green mush into the bowl of crushed ice. NOTE if the lid is leaking STOP. You need a new seal. Otherwise you will make a huge mess. Be careful opening the lid - allow a 2-3 second delay before opening to allow for the green mixture to settle. I learnt the hard way and immediately opened the lid and had green everywhere on white walls and me. 4. Pour the contents of the bowl into the lined sieve. Leave to drain for 4 hours, ideally overnight. 5. The resulting paste left in the muslin is the chlorophyll. Scrape it into a container. It will keep in the fridge for a couple of days. Discard the remaining green juice into a smoothie, on the garden - don't let it go to waste.

Ways to use it

• Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of paste to scrambled eggs to create bright green eggs
• Mix it into pasta dough for green noodles
• Add a tablespoon to a fresh juice or smoothie

Herby, Peanutty Noodly Salad

A bright and zingy dressing, handfuls of herbs and crunchy peanuts pack loads of flavour into simple, easy-to-cook noodles. Taken from the River Cottage Veg Every Day! cook book and featured in the TV series. Check out the River Cottage website for more recipes. Prep Time 10-15min Cook Time 10-15 min

Ingredients 150g Thai rice noodles 150g French beans 2 Large handfuls of peanuts 2 tbs Rice wine vinegar 1 tsp Soy sauce 1 tsp Sesame oil 1 Lime, juice and zest 1 clove garlic, grated ½ Red chilli, finely chopped 1 small cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced 4 Spring onions, sliced 1 ½ tbs each of Mint, coriander and basil

Method 1.  Cook the noodles and beans in boiling water for about three minutes or until noodles are cooked and beans still have some crunch. 2.  Drain in a colander and refresh under cold running water. 3.  Roast the peanuts in the oven for 8 minutes or until golden. 4.  Put the rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, lime juice and zest, garlic and chilli in a large bowl and give everything a good whisk. 5.  Add the drained noodles and beans to the bowl and give everything a good stir to ensure everything is evenly coated. 6.  Add the cucumber and spring onions to noodles and toss. 7.  Add the chopped herbs and give another good stir. 8.  Crush the peanuts with the back of a spoon. 9.  Plate the noodle salad and sprinkle with the toasted nuts.

Zucchini Salad with Mint, Garlic, Red Chilli, Lemon and Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Here is a Jamie Oliver recipe that we have enjoyed...perfect for the new zucchini. This is quite an unusual salad and terribly simple to make. It's great because it's a nice little side dish that will go with things like mozzarella, goat's cheese, cured meats, grilled or barbecued white fish like cod or haddock, even things like chicken or pork. Use courgettes [zucchinis] when at their best (nice and firm and not too big).

Ingredients 4 zucchini 1 chilli 1/2 clove garlic juice from one lemon handful of fresh mint leaves extra virgin olive oil salt and pepper to taste

Method 1. Slice 4 zucchini lengthways as thin as you can (use a mandolin if you have one). Grill on a red-hot griddle pan, or on the barbecue, until lightly charred on each side. Scatter the slices over a large plate, making sure you don't sit them on top of each other otherwise they'll steam and go a bit limp, and there's nothing worse than limp zucchini, I can tell you. While they're still warmish, sprinkle them with a little sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. 2. Deseed a red chilli and chop finely. Finely chop ½ a clove of garlic and sprinkle the chilli and garlic evenly from a height over the zucchinis. (Add to your own taste, but just remember that when the chilli and garlic mix with the olive oil and lemon juice the heat and flavours are lessened.) 3. Tear over a handful of fresh mint and drizzle with good extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. I've even been known to throw in some blanched broad beans or raw peas if I can get any. This salad is always a real treat.

Mojito

Here is a wonderfully refreshing drink for a hot summer evening  made with or without alcohol. Ingredients 10 fresh mint leaves 1/2 lime, cut into 4 wedges 2 tablespoons caster sugar 1 cup ice cubes 45ml white rum 125ml soda water

Method 1. Place mint leaves and 1 lime wedge into a glass. Use a muddler to crush the mint and lime to release the mint oils and lime juice. Add 2 more lime wedges and the sugar, and muddle again to release the lime juice. Do not strain the mixture. 2. Fill the glass almost to the top with ice. Pour the rum over the ice and fill the glass with soda water. Garnish with the remaining lime wedge.

Tabouli

I have included two recipes for tabouli.  One is the traditional recipe using cracked wheat (bulgar) as the grain.  The other is my quinoa adaptation which my children love served alone (for a beach picnic) or as a side salad. Quinoa Tabouli Ingredients 3 cups water 1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed juice of one lemon 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/2 cup chopped parsley 20 cherry tomatoes halved 2 cucumbers, quartered and cut into 1/2 cm pieces 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional) 20 pitted kalamata olives sliced 1 small garlic clove pressed Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Method 1. Place water in a sauce pan and bring to boil.  Add quinoa, bring to a boil again and then reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes or until most of the water has been absorbed. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork and let stand 5 minutes to absorb remaining water. Fluff again with fork 2. In another bowl add oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper, parsley, tomatoes and cucumbers.  Mix thoroughly.  Add quinoa. 3. Just before serving add feta and olives.

Traditional Tabouli Ingredients ½ cup cracked wheat (bulgar) 3/4 cup boiling water 3 tomatoes 1 long cucumber 2 spring onions (scallions) 1 clove garlic 10 stalks parsley 15 mint leaves (optional) 1 lemon 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil salt freshly ground black pepper

Method 1. Place the cracked wheat and salt in a medium bowl and cover with boiling water.  Cover and let stand 15 - 20 minutes, or until chewable. 2. Add lemon juice, garlic, oil, parsley, mint and black pepper, and mix thoroughly.  Refrigerate for 2-3 hours. 3. Just before serving add vegetables, mix gently and correct seasonings. 4. Garnish with feta cheese and kalamata olives.