Orecchiette with Broad Beans and Tomatoes [Vegetarian]

Although in summer I prepare a lot of salads for us, it is nice to have something just slightly heavier from time to time, like pasta. Since hot weather doesn’t really go that well (at least in my opinion) with heavy and creamy sauces, one day I came up with this tasty pasta recipe below.

The great advantage of this dish is that the majority of ingredients I used are probably available in lots of kitchens on daily basis with broad beans being the only exception. I usually buy, cook and shell 1 kilo at a time and that way the preparation of this pasta dish takes me 20 minutes - the time I need to cook the orecchiette. If you don’t already have cooked broad beans, the preparation will take you a bit longer. But it is worth it as you will end up with a perfect, summer dish: pretty light but filling enough so that you will not look for a snack just an hour after your lunch.

INGREDIENTS (for 2 portions):

150g orecchiette,

3 tbsp olive oil,

1 shallot, finely chopped,

1 garlic clove, finely sliced,

200g cherry tomatoes, cut in halves,

3 anchovies, chopped,

150g cooked broad beans, shelled (or 300g, if you are cooking them fresh and still have to shell them)

salt and pepper,

grated Parmesan cheese to serve.

METHOD:

1. Boil the pasta in the salted water as per packet instruction.
2. On a medium heat warm up the olive oil, add the shallot, fry for a minute, add the garlic and fry for 2 minutes.
3. Stir in the anchovies and tomatoes, cook for 5 minutes until the tomatoes soften; add the broad beans and warm up.
4. Drain the pasta but keep half a cup of the cooking liquid.
5. Add the pasta to the sauce, stir and if it is too dry add a few tablespoons of pasta water, check the taste and season.
6. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

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Broad Bean, Egg and Radish Salad [vegetarian]

I remember having broad beans as a snack when I was a child. During the summer, when we visited my paternal grandparents, there would always be a big bowl of broad beans cooked simply with salt waiting for us at the table. We would all help ourselves, pop the beans out from their skins, and eat them while we were talking. Such a simple, yet delicious and healthy snack!

A few years ago my mother started using broad beans in a salad with dill and thin strips of ham. I loved (and still love) that salad a lot but I have a vegetarian at home, so I had to change it slightly. Instead of ham, I use boiled eggs; and because eggs go well with radishes, I also add them to the salad.

INGREDIENTS (for 6 portions):

1 kg podded broad beans,

4 eggs,

10 radishes,

A few dill sprigs,

1 tbsp plain yoghurt,

2 tbsp mayonnaise,

salt and pepper.

METHOD:

1. Rinse the broad beans, put them to a pan and cook in salted water for 4 minutes.
2. Cook the eggs for 8 minutes.
3. When the broad beans are cooked, drain the hot water and immediately cover them with cold water. Leave for 2-3 minutes, drain again and squeeze them from their skins.
4. When the eggs are cool enough to handle, peel them and chop; then add to a bowl with broad beans.
5. Slice the washed radishes and thinly chop the dill; add to the bowl together with yoghurt, mayonnaise and seasoning, mix everything and preferably leave for 30 minutes to cool down.

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