Moroccan broad bean dip

Prep 40 mins | Cook 5 mins | Makes 1½ cups

1 kg broad beans, podded (yielding about 500g podded beans)
1 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbs lemon juice
¾ tsp ground cumin
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil + extra for drizzling
Small mint leaves and grissini and/or char-grilled Turkish bread, to serve

Step 1 Bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil over high heat. Plunge podded broad beans into the saucepan and cook for 2 minutes. Drain, reserving ¼ cup cooking water. Refresh broad beans in cold water and peel to remove the leathery skins.

Step 2 Place half of the peeled broad beans, the reserved cooking water, garlic, lemon juice and cumin in a food processor. Process until smooth. Gradually add the ¼ cup oil, processing until smooth. Add remaining broad beans and pulse until roughly chopped (if texture is too thick add a little more extra virgin olive oil). Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Step 3 To serve, spoon broad bean dip onto a shallow serving plate. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with mint. Serve with grissini and/or char-grilled Turkish bread.

Good for you ... Broad Beans

A source of protein and iron, making them especially valuable for those who choose a vegetarian diet.

A good source of B vitamins, including thiamin (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2) and niacin (vitamin B3), all of which are used in the body’s production of energy from proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

A good source of vitamin C which is important for the normal functioning of the body’s immune system.

One of the best sources of dietary fibre among vegetable. Dietary fibre is important to keep the intestine functioning normally.