Tom Norrington Davies is a friend, fellow chef and one of the best yoga teachers I know, so you can probably imagine my pleasure on recently coming across his recipe for broad bean and mint risotto, which he wrote for The Eagle Cookbook in 2009. Like many restaurants, this legendary gastropub pods their broad beans to reveal the beautiful green bean inside; this is my zero-waste interpretation.
Broad bean pod risotto
My version of this dish is much more rustic than Tom’s, not least because it uses the whole ingredient, including the empty pods, which are a real flavour bomb. Not only do they create a magnificent but very simple stock, blending them into a sauce broadens the flavour of the dish even more. By using the whole pod, husk, beans and all, you need only half the amount of broad beans used in Tom’s original recipe. Yes, the end result will be a less vibrant green, but on the flipside it’s more grown up: nutritious, fibrous, economical and, dare I say it, delicious.
I don’t always have wine to hand, so I often use white-wine vinegar instead: it adds a similar flavour profile and acidity without the cost. As for the garnish, in the spirit of the Eagle’s more refined original, I’ve used a few beans, skinned, to reveal their beautiful bright-green insides.
Serves 2, generously
500g broad beans in their pods
30g butter
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 small white onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
20g piece parmesan rind
150g arborio rice
25ml white-wine vinegar, or cider vinegar, or 75ml white wine
1 sprig fresh herbs (mint, marjoram or basil, say), chopped
Grated parmesan, to taste
Pod the beans and put them to one side. Cook the empty pods in a litre of salted boiling water for seven minutes, then lift out the spent pods with a slotted spoon and put them in a food processor; leave the remaining bean stock on a low heat. Blitz the pods to a smooth paste, then push this through a sieve into a bowl; compost any fibres.
In a second pan, melt half the butter with the olive oil over a low heat. Saute the onion, garlic and parmesan rind for five minutes, until the alliums are translucent. Stir in the rice, cook, stirring for two minutes, then stir in the wine or vinegar, bring to a boil, stirring, and cook for a minute, until almost evaporated. Stir in the broad bean puree and enough bean stock to cover the rice, then cook, still stirring occasionally, until the stock is absorbed. Add the podded beans, cover again with more stock and repeat, stirring regularly, until the rice is al dente and a loose but creamy consistency.
Take off the heat, season to taste, stir in the remaining 15g butter and leave to rest for a few minutes. To finish, stir in the chopped herbs and a handful of grated parmesan to taste, and serve.
