Broad Beans or Fave Beans

Broad beans pass through four distinct stages of development: (1) The downy pods, having attained some 6 or 7 inches in length, remain firmly cylindrical and regular in form and the tiny, newly formed beans, the flesh not yet firm beneath its bright, clear, green skin, are most often eaten raw, shelled at the table. The skins have a slightly bitter, pleasant, and refreshing flavor, and it is only at this early stage that broad beans may be cooked, each in its skin; (2) the pod has lengthened and flattened, swelling irregularly around each bean, the skin of each remains a clear green color but has thickened and toughened, the light bitterness turning acrid, and it should be removed. The bean measures from ½ to ¾ inch in length and the flesh, bright green, is absolutely tender, requiring but a couple of minutes’ boiling if the beans are to be served simply drained and tossed in butter. At this stage and prepared in this way, a sprig of savory boiled with them and a pinch of chopped tender young savory leaves tossed with them, they have a unique and subtle beauty; (3) the beans are nearly mature in size, measuring about 1 inch in length, the tough individual skins are paler but retain still a greenish color. The flesh beneath the skin is still a clear green but less intense than in the preceding stage, is hard to the touch but tender enough to offer little resistance to a piercing fingernail. Boiled, they will require from 8 to 12 minutes and, as such, are still a good vegetable, but pureed, reheated over a high flame, vigorously stirred, and beaten with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking or burning, a generous amount of butter stirred in away from the heat, they provide one of the most heavenly of all vegetable purées; (4) the skins have turned a dull yellowish white, the flesh is hard and has turned from a light green to a dull yellow-buff; delicacy no longer numbers among the broad bean’s virtues at this point. Dried, the beans must be soaked overnight and the skins removed before being cooked.