Annie Smithers' Broad Bean Dip

60 MIN
|
10 MIN
|
SERVES 4, AS A STARTER

"The broad bean dip recipe is a labour of love. From planting and tending the plants, to picking the pods, to podding them, blanching them, skinning them, then crushing them. It is amazing that something so simple can be so complex, in both its rendering and its taste structure."

- Annie Smithers

Ingredients

BROAD BEAN DIP:
300g broad beans (podded weight)
2 cloves new season garlic, crushed
Juice of ½ lemon
60 ml extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
CHARRED FLATBREAD:
500g white bread flour
10 g fine sea salt
10 g dried yeast
350 g warm water (weigh it on scales – don’t just use a measuring jug)

Method

Step 1.

FOR THE BREAD: Measure the flour and salt into a big mixing bowl.

Step 2.

Measure the water out, add the yeast to the flour and salt and let it sit for a couple of minutes. Pour in the water and, either with your fingers, a big spoon/spatula or a bread scraper, mix the lot together into a big, shaggy mass.

Step 3.

Tip the lot onto a board or bench, and work the dough as follows: put your hands underneath it; lift it; slap it down on the board with a nice satisfying thwack; stretch the top of the dough out in front of you, then fold it back — taking care to do it gently, thus trapping air in between the layers. Do this over and over again — if you keep lifting, slapping, stretching, folding, and trapping air, the dough will start to form a homogenous, smooth mass without the addition of any extra flour.

Step 4.

Once you have a relatively smooth dough, place it on the board and form it into a ball by folding the edges into the centre, pressing down with your thumb, rotating the dough, folding and pressing until you have a neatish ball.

Step 5.

Rest the dough by putting it back in the mixing bowl, covering it with a tea towel, then leaving it somewhere warm and draught-free for about an hour until it doubled in size.

Step 6.

Start heating your grill plate, or light your barbeque. After the dough has doubled in size, knock it back with your first and turn it out onto the bench. Divide the dough into tennis ball-sized portions. Once you have established that your grill plate is hot, roll the dough out as if you were making a pizza base, sprinkle with a little olive oil and place on the grill.

Step 7.

Turn when it is nicely marked on the underside; remove when marked on both sides and cooked through – it only takes a couple of minutes. Place on a rack. Repeat the process until all the dough is cooked. If you don’t have a ribbed grill, this can be done in a heavy-based frying pan.

Step 8.

FOR THE DIP: Place the broad beans in boiling water for 3-5 minutes. Drain, and refresh in a bowl of iced water.

Step 9.

Peel, roughly chop and flatten into a rough paste with the back of a knife. Place in a bowl with the garlic, lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper, lightly crush with a spoon and mix well to combine. Serve with charred flatbread

Annie Smithers' Broad Bean Dip

Prep: 60 MIN
Cook: 10 MIN
Serves: SERVES 4, AS A STARTER

Ingredients

BROAD BEAN DIP:
300g broad beans (podded weight)
2 cloves new season garlic, crushed
Juice of ½ lemon
60 ml extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
CHARRED FLATBREAD:
500g white bread flour
10 g fine sea salt
10 g dried yeast
350 g warm water (weigh it on scales – don’t just use a measuring jug)

Method

Step 1.

FOR THE BREAD: Measure the flour and salt into a big mixing bowl.

Step 2.

Step 3.

Step 4.

Step 5.

Rest the dough by putting it back in the mixing bowl, covering it with a tea towel, then leaving it somewhere warm and draught-free for about an hour until it doubled in size.

Step 6.

Step 7.

Step 8.

FOR THE DIP: Place the broad beans in boiling water for 3-5 minutes. Drain, and refresh in a bowl of iced water.

Step 9.