Still Green
November 29, 2012
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I know most of you think warm and comforting food at this time of year. While you are slipping towards winter, down here days are getting noticeably longer and warmer. Yet there are the coming festivities that in a certain way will reunite us all. But before the crazy rush towards Christmas and the often rich food that is consumed at this period, I propose you something simple and tasty reflecting the late spring mood. This broad bean and garlic spear dip tastes as it looks. Fresh and creamy, directly inspired by the Greek skordalia. The garlic spears were initially spotted by Paprika. He knows me by now and was happy to show me his find.
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Not familiar with the garlic spears, an internet search was required and helped me gather information on this allium as well as cooking ideas. We first sampled it raw. It was surprisingly spicy with a bold taste of garlic. Once cooked it's much milder and nicely aromatic. So for now we put it in every dish in replacement of garlic. And visually speaking, the bulb shaped green bud, delicately wrapped in a paper like case is very appealing and inspiring. This dip is versatile, generously spread on a slice of bread -as we ate it- or would go well with a main dish. The choice is yours.
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Broad Bean and Garlic Spear Dip
125g fresh broad bean, shelled (about 1 cup) 1 garlic spear, peeled and stem cut out 2 tbsp lemon juice 2 tbsp olive oil Salt and pepper
Blanch for 5 minutes broad beans in boiling water. Drain and place in a mixer with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pulse to get a thick purée. Add olive oil and pulse further until the paste is homogenous. Adjust seasoning to your liking. Let it cool before serving. </em>
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Je sais que la majorité d'entre vous pense aux plats chauds et réconfortants en cette période l'année. Alors que vous glissez doucement vers l'hiver, ici bas les jours se font de plus en plus longs et doux. Néanmoins, les festivités qui approchent nous réuniront d'une certaine façon. Mais avant le rush un peu fou de Noël et la nourriture souvent riche que l'on consomme à cette période, je vous propose quelque chose de simple et goûteux, reflétant l'esprit de cette fin de printemps. Cette sauce / dip à la fève et à la fleur d'ail est aussi bon à l'oeil qu'au palet. Frais et crémeux, il s'inspire directement du skordalia grec. Les fleurs d'ail sont une trouvaille de Paprika. Il me connait bien à présent et était tout fier de me montrer son bouquet.
N'étant pas familière avec les fleurs d'ail, une recherche internet a été nécessaire pour m'aider à glaner des informations sur cet allium et des idées pour le cuisiner. Nous l'avons tout d'abord gouté cru. Surprenant le côté épicé avec un goût prononcé d'ail. Une fois cuit, il s'adoucit et a un délicieux arôme. Donc pour l'instant nous le mettons un peu partout en substitution de l'ail. Et visuellement parlant, ce bouton vert en forme de bulbe, délicatement enveloppé dans cette fine pellicule est intéressante et source d'inspiration. Ce dip est très versatile et accompagnerait bien un plat principal ou peut se consommer généreusement tartiné sur une tranche de pain comme nous l'avons fait. A vous de choisir.
Comments
Like the greens! Gettin hungry :-) walter
*nice recipe, nice pics Benoit * www.macuisineetvous.com
Lovely green colour. Thanks for giving me another way to use garlic spear. tomorrowswisdom
A beautiful recipe and gorgeous photos as always. These garlic spears are quite common in Asian cooking. They’re often eaten in steamed dumplings and they are even stir fried with sesame oil as a side dish. They flavour and perfume is quite aromatic so it lends itself well to a variety of Asian food, enjoy :) girlinafoodfrenzy
Your photos are stunning! It is funny to see pictures of summer as I prepare for snow! Thanks for sharing. bitebymichelle
its so natural and healty Abdul Manaf
Mmmhh, I love broad beans. This spread looks so good. Cheers, Rosa Rosa Mayland
MAGNIFIQUE! My French Heaven
Oh lovely! I haven’t seen garlic spears before, I wonder if I can find some. I hope so! They look so whimsical and fun and I love broad bean dips. I bet yours is especially lovely with the garlic ‘bite’ to it. bron
Gorgeous photos. thyme (sarah)
I was enjoying seeing how far I got with my schoolgirl French - not too bad but glad it was in English. Having said that, the photos say it all - clean, fresh, crisp and green. Looks delicious. Love the plate in the first photo and love the second photo the best. Lesley
The garlic spear is so beautiful! How have you been Vanille? I have been away from blogs for too long. Lovely to find fresh springtime flavours here :) Shaz
Looks good! mycookinghut
I’ve just read the last three recipes on your blog. The first would be too much of a test of my baking abilities, i’m sure. My partner loathes cucumber, so the second one is out. This broad bean and garlic dip looks divine. I hope i can find myself some spears. thefoodsage
Abdul Manaf, it is as much as it looks really. Rosa, merci ;) My French Heaven, thank you. Walter, that’s a good thing ! Benoit, merci. Tomorrow Wisdom, I would be interested to know how you cook them usually. Bron, with your green thumb you’d be able to plant and harvest fresh ones from your vegetable garden. Sarah, thank you. Lesley, didn’t know you learned French at school. Thank you for your kind words. Bitebymichelle, thank you. Snow, so you’re all ready for white Christmas ! Girlinafoodfrenzy, thank you for the tip, I’ll definitely try it in stir fry ! Shaz, welcome back ! Need to go and see what you have been up to ! MyCookingHut, merci Leemei ! Mairi, yes kind of easy snack for the days you want to enjoy more the outdoors than spending hours cooking. Vanille
It’s my first visit on your blog and I’m already in love with it. This recipe suits my taste perfectly - simple and healthy. I will search through archives of your beautiful site for other delicacies. smiliblog
I love posts and magazines from Australia and New Zealand during our winter months. Your photographs are stunning! therightrecipe
mjam,mjamm, mmmjjjaaammm . . . mataicooking
I love broad beans, but it is so rare that I can find them fresh! Garlic spears are easier for me to find, but their presence is always short lived, as well. I did manage to make a garlic spear and pistachio pesto this past season which was lovely. I’ll have to give your recipe a go just as soon as I can find those beans! Jodye @ Chocolate and Chou Fleur
Looks greaaat!!! Loved the recipe plus the pictures :) Shreeja Narayanan
I shall look forward to this when my broad beans are ready which if I am lucky might coincide with the garlic spears. Domestic Executive (@domesticexec)
Arrgghhh…..all look amazing….the photo and the food….yuuummmyyy :) Nelly Andon
I love this….fresh & green…perfect for this time of year. Mairi Herbert (@ToastNZ)
I’ll do it!! :p serendipitouslylife
I made this Broad bean dip today. Since I didn’t get the garlic spear, I took garlic instead,added some cumin and Sichuan-Pepper. It was so tasty! Thanks for this great recipe! :-) qinskitchen