How to Prepare a Broad Bean, Pea And Mint Sauce for Pasta

Pasta is a real favourite in our household. Finding the right sauce to eat with it also adds to the fun, and usually provides a marker of the season. One of our favourites is broad bean & pea with mint. The two legumes are usually grown in the same patch and provide a fantastic paste which brings this pasta to mid-Summer life. Peas and mint – what’s not to love about that combination? I’m not sure if it’s the mint which sets the dish up but these two vegetables coming together can be starchy if not mixed with enough olive oil or cream.

The broad bean of choice is cv. Aquadulce because of its suitability for sowing in Autumn and surviving some miserable UK winters, and for pea, cv. Early Onwards.  These have been tremendously reliable over the years and provided an exceptional crop with regular periodic sowing throughout the season. If you are interested in growing broad beans and peas for your own pasta pleasure then check out our pages in our gardening section (broad bean and peas). In the USA we would call broad beans fava beans.

The recipe I’ve used is adapted from Amicis restaurant in Coleford in the Forest of Dean but it is available in different guises on the Internet.

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Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 500g pasta such as farfalle.
• 1 cup: Broad beans (can be frozen) usually with the skins removed
• 1 cup: peas (can be frozen)
• Zest and juice from 1 lemon
• Small bunch of finely chopped mint (prefer Ginger or Common Mint if available).
• Enough double cream or soured cream to create the paste. I’ve tried olive oil and the mouthfeel is not as smooth with the bean paste but is healthier.
• Plenty of Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

1. Start by cooking the pasta according to packet instruction. I keep some of the cooking water for later, just to alter the sauce consistency.
2. If the beans and peas are fresh enough, they can be used as they are otherwise blanch them for 2 mins. and drain.
3. Smash the beans and peas with some cream until a smooth consistent paste is created. Remember to reserve half the beans and peas to add whole at the end.
4. Add chopped mint, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste and half the Parmesan cheese to the paste and mix in thoroughly.
5. Mix in the remaining beans and peas.
6. Add to the drained pasta and mix thoroughly.
7. Add some of the cooking water to alter consistency if it’s too think and claggy.
8. Garnish with leaves of mint.