Broad beans and artichokes

Our broad beans may have been late this year but now they’ve started we can hardly keep up with them – which is a nice problem to have!

I picked a large bag full this morning and used about half of them to make an old favourite of mine, adding them to artichoke hearts cooked in olive oil and white wine with fresh oregano.  Sadly, the artichokes had to be bought in the market this morning.  Our plants suffered so badly in the cold weather in February that, although some of them are recovering now, I don’t think we’ll get much of a crop – if any – this year.

I quartered the artichoke hearts, rubbing the cut sides with lemon and removing the choke. Put them in a pan with a deep layer of olive oil, a glass of white wine, some salt and some chopped garlic and fresh oregano leaves and simmered for 35 minutes.  Then I added the podded (but not peeled – I never peel the individual broad beans!) beans and simmered for another five minutes.  Allow to cool and serve at room temperature with crusty bread as a first course or tapa.

As I was about to post this I noticed that Chica Andaluza, who also has a good crop of broad beans at the moment, had posted a delicious-sounding recipe for asparagus with broad beans and mushrooms – so that’s another dish I’m going to try as our glut continues.