Raw with salt, fried over low heat with tender garlic and onion, in a sandwich with sausage, sautéed with diced ham or as a garnish for any meat or fish dish… Broad beans are a delicacy within everyone’s reach, because they can also be used as an ingredient to make quick and delicious recipes. And if you buy the beans fresh and shelled, as we prepare them in Peris, cooking will be as easy as pie.
As the broad bean is a legume that we at Peris know very well, we are going to give you some keys to familiarize yourself with them. With all that we have to tell you, the next time you eat them, they will surely taste even better.
The first step is to take you to the orchard, let’s go to the countryside!
Our favorite areas to plant fava beans and other interesting facts about their cultivation
The bean production period is quite long, from November to June. It is a long period, so the quality of the beans also differs depending on the growing areas. At Peris we market this legume during all those months and one of the commandments of our corporate ‘bible’ is to always offer the best quality. Therefore, during the bean season, we change the origin of the product based on the quality offered by each area, taking into account the proximity, the season, the climate, the type of soil, the varieties…
The bean growing season begins in the Levant, in Murcia and Valencia, with autumns that are usually milder. Towards the month of January we focus mainly on the crops of the terreta, specifically in the Huerta de Valencia. And in the last period, from April to June, the beans come from the fields of Castellón and Granada.
Beans are usually classified according to their size, and this generates three main groups. The smallest is the ‘baby bean’, the next is the ‘tender bean’, which is the one we market at Peris, and above that we have yet another size, known as the ‘fat bean’, which is consumed boiled, as the fruit is less fine on the palate.
Like all legumes, the broad bean needs a lot of water. In Valencia we usually irrigate with a blanket, a type of irrigation that tends to favor the growth of weeds, so to avoid them we use black mulch, so that it does not allow sunlight to pass through and this hinders the appearance of weeds. Once the entire plantation has been harvested,the mulch plastics are either incorporated into the soil if they are biodegradable, or are managed in authorized recycling plants, to contribute to the circular economy and sustainable agriculture. Elsewhere, being localized irrigation, crop management changes.
Choosing the right bean variety is part of the success of the quality of our plantation. At Vicente Peris we work with the varieties of beans that offer us the best quality and delicacy of the fruit and skin. And they also have beautiful names: ‘Luz de Otoño’, ‘Luz de Luna’ and ‘Reina Mora‘. We also work with a fourth, very illustrative name, called ‘Valenciana’, and it is the variety that comes from the homemade seeds, which have been traditionally saved by farmers harvest after harvest. A custom that cannot be lost and that in Peris we also encourage, because it speaks of the recovery of traditional seeds.
recovery of traditional seeds, it speaks of an agricultural tradition that comes to our times thanks to the work and effort of many generations of farmers.
From the field to the jar, shelled beans ready for cooking
We are aware that to get a good volume of beans for cooking it is necessary to spend a little time shelling. For this reason, at Peris we chose to do the work ourselves and present the beans already shelled and fresh in sustainable jars, so that at home we only have to open the container and cook them, without the need to boil them first because their tenderness is incredible.
This product is harvested practically every day to prevent it from remaining in cold storage for a long time, so that it reaches the hands of the person who is going to enjoy it at its best moment.
Once we have the beans in our plant we carry out a meticulous work with them that begins with the sanitization of the pods, a process that we do in special washing machines for vegetables (yes, washing machines for vegetables exist! and they are very useful, because in addition to performing the best possible sanitization, they allow us to save a lot of water in this important process).
Once the pods have been completely sanitized, we proceed to the unhulling with robots, which allow us to peel them at great speed. The next step is 100% manual and the protagonists are our clean room specialists, who will make a triage or selection of the beans according to their size. The last step is the packaging in controlled atmosphere, which allows the beans to be kept in the best freshness conditions, with a shelf life of up to 7 days. The
The tubs in which we serve our beans are made of 70% recycled PET plastic, the maximum so as not to compromise the quality of the beans.
The maximum so that food safety is not compromised. In addition, packaging is also 100% recyclable, as long as it is deposited in the yellow container, for which we need the collaboration of responsible consumers, as we are sure you are.
By the way, if you are wondering where to buy fresh Peris beans, we give you the exact place: El Corte Inglés supermarkets.
Beans properties: beneficial during pregnancy because of folates
In addition to being ‘requetedeliciosas’, beans are very healthy. In fact, beans are a source of potassium. Potassium contributes to the normal functioning of the nervous system, muscles and to the maintenance of normal blood pressure.
In addition, these legumes are also a source of folic acid. Folates contribute to the growth of maternal tissues during pregnancy, normal amino acid synthesis, normal blood cell formation, normal psychological function, normal immune system function, and decreased tiredness and fatigue, among other processes.
In short, in addition to enjoying eating beans, these, with their healthy properties, will nourish us and contribute to the proper functioning of all the processes mentioned above. If at this point you’re already thinking of running out for one of our fresh bean jars, we understand! But we still have the best part, giving you three recipes with fava beans that will make you fall in love with these legumes.
Beans with ham recipe (or with tofu in vegetarian and vegan versions)
Ingredients:
- 1 tub of fresh Peris broad beans (200g.)
- 60 grams of diced ham/tofu
- 1 clove of garlic.
- Sal.
- Pepper.
- Paprika.
- EVOO.
Put a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in the pan, when it is hot add the sliced garlic, when you see that they are taking color, add the diced ham. Do not let the ham cook too long to prevent it from hardening, it is better to leave it al dente. Add the fresh Peris beans directly from the jar, and if you like the touch of paprika, this is the moment to add a pinch. Season to taste with salt and pepper, but keep in mind that the ham will have already added a touch of saltiness. Stir a few times so that all the flavors are well integrated, a few minutes will be enough, as the beans are very tender and hardly need any cooking time. Enjoy!
Bean omelette recipe
If you have never tried this recipe in your life, the time has come. This is our recommendation, because if you don’t, you will be missing out on a great delicacy. Many of the recipes recommend, once the beans have been shelled, to remove the outer layer of each bean. In our case, when cooking with fresh Peris beans, this step is saved, because even with their outer skin, they are tender and very soft.
Ingredients:
- 1 tub of fresh Peris beans (200g.).
- 3 – 4 eggs.
- Sal.
- EVOO.
This bean recipe is easy and very quick, although we recommend that you sauté the beans over low heat and with patience, which will be noticeable in the flavor. The first thing you have to do is pour the extra virgin olive oil into the pan, a couple of tablespoons. When it is hot, add the beans and lower the heat so that they cook a little at a time. When they are cooked and juicy, remove them and add them to the bowl where you have beaten the eggs. Return this mixture to the frying pan, but first remove any excess oil that may have been left over from frying the beans.
The last step, as you know, is that of any omelet, cook it to the point of your choice and bon appetite!
Bean sandwich with sausages recipe
If you are one of those people who enjoy a good lunch, you can’t miss the perfect combination of the bean and sausage sandwich. Another recipe as simple as it is delicious.
Ingredients:
- Half a tub of fresh Peris beans, or in other words, 100g.
- ½ onion.
- A couple of sausages.
- Quality bread for the sandwich.
- Sal.
- EVOO.
Chop the onion and add it and the beans to the frying pan when the oil is hot. When they begin to cook, add a pinch of salt and add the sausages so that they are cooked at the same time and the juices of all the food are mixed. As soon as the sausages are ready, take them out and put all the ingredients between the bread. Ugh, so hungry… let’s enjoy!