British Fava Beans (Broad Beans) - Organic

What Are Fava Beans?

Fava beans are broad green legumes that grow in long pods. Fava beans are popular in many Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines and are frequently braised and used in stews, sautéed, or marinated and served in salads.

This crop is the Maris Bead variety. It was bred over 50 years ago near Cambridge. Maris Bead are lauded for their petite size and tender texture. 

Cooking Dry Fava Beans

Soak overnight, drain and rinse. Place in a pan with plenty of water, bring to boil, cover and simmer for 45-60 minutes until tender.

Refreshing the water during cooking will remove more of the natural tannins from the bean skins and give a more subtle flavour.

Once cooked, use them straight away, pop in the fridge for up to 2 days, or freeze them to use later.

Fava Bean Recipes

There are many ways to use cooked fava beans. You could sauté them with bacon or pancetta until tender and then serve topped with melted butter, shaved pecorino cheese and freshly ground black pepper.

You could add them to farfalle, conchiglie or rigatoni pasta – just boil some water, add a pinch of salt and blanch the beans for three to five minutes. Then sauté some bacon, add the beans, and cook until tender. You can stir in some cream, maybe some ricotta, then add the cooked pasta and mix until it is thoroughly coated with sauce. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy.

Fava beans are also a great addition to salads. Serve up with fresh, cooked asparagus on a nest of fresh greens and some feta. You could also roast the cooked broad beans in the oven for 20 minutes or so. For the last 5 minutes, top them with shredded Parmesan, or even soy sauce. Once cooled, the favas can be eaten by the handful, just as they are.