How to prepare broad beans

A recipe from cooking-ez.com

For 400 g, you will need:

• 1 800 g broad beans
• Total weight: 800 grams

Times:

Preparation	Cooking	Start to finish
30 min.	5 min.	35 min.

Step by step recipe

1	Open each bean pod and collect the seeds they contain...
2	... before placing them in a bowl.
3	Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, and pour in the seeds. Leave to cook for 3 to 5 minutes from the time they come back to the boil.
4	You'll notice that some seeds split on their own, a sign that they've cooked long enough.
5	Drain and refresh quickly under cold water.
6	Press each seed to release the bean.
7	If the seed is not yet split, split the end with your fingernail...
8	... and press to release the bean.
9	Do this for all the seeds, and your beans are ready to use in your recipe.
10	And the germ? Every bean has a small white germ (indicated by the arrow), which is reputed to make the bean less digestible.
11	As in fine restaurants, you can remove it with a small knife...
12	... to obtain a perfect bean. Admittedly, it's not essential, and it's a lot of work, so it's up to you.

Remarks

You'll notice that the weight loss is significant, and from the pods onwards you end up with fairly few beans, which you'll need to take into account for your future recipe.

---