Bil-Ful – Stewed Broad Beans

Broad beans, shelled and steamed (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

And the trip down memory lane continues. When I was a young girl, my Nanu (meaning “grandfather” in Maltese) was always busy in the vegetable garden. No small feat, given that we lived at Brighton-Le-Sands in Sydney and the sand soil wasn’t very good for such activities. Nevertheless, he managed to grow all manner of things for the dinner table, including broad beans.

My Nana would shell the beans like those in the photo (left) (Photo credit: Wikipedia) and make a kind of tomato sauce / stew / thing which we would eat with pasta, bread and vegetables. When I found this recipe on on Silvias Corner, I knew I was on the right path.

Kosksu is a small pasta that my Nana use to get and put in soups and stews. I can’t get it here, so I just used Fettuccine today. I also altered the recipe a bit from the one on Silvias site, going from memory. Hopefully it wont offend any traditionalists who may be reading!

[  SERVES: 3  |  TIME: 2 days + 60 MIN  |  COST: <$5  ]
[  Joes' Rating: 3.5/5  |  My Rating:  3/5 |  Brittanys' Rating:  3/5]

INGREDIENTS

1 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
250 ml vegetable stock
150 grams dried broad beans
1 onion, sliced thinly
handful flat leaf parsley, shredded
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 basil leaves, shredded
1 – 2 tablespoons minced garlic
drizzle of olive oil
pinch bicarbonate of soda
salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. The dried beans should be washed under running water before being placed in a container with ample water and a pinch of bicarb soda. Check the water after several hours, and top up if needed. Change the water every 24 hours. See photo below.
2. After two days, the beans will have doubled (or tripled!) in size. Rinse the beans under running water. Bring a pot of water to the boil and add the beans. Cook for 30 – 45 minutes, or until soft. Drain and set aside.
3. In a frying pan, add the garlic and onion to a little olive oil. Once the onions start to caramelise, add the chopped tomatoes and cook over a medium heat until reduced by one third – approximately 15 – 20 minutes.
4. Add the herbs and beans and stir well. Increase the heat slightly, add a little stock to thin slightly as needed. Stew for 10 – 15 minutes, or until the beans are tender.
5. Season and thicken if needed with the tomato paste before serving.

Observations

• The beans went in with the skin on them, resulting in a slight rubbery texture. I remember them being slightly sponge like a kid, but I guess they were fresh, and these are dried. Removing the skins is not an option, as the insides tend to fall apart rapidly. It is an unusual texture, and could take some getting use to.
• Brittany didn’t enjoy the beans so much and felt there were too many. Joe and I enjoyed the dish, but it was a lot of work. It is a nice alternative for occasions however, and will be made again at some point in the not so distant future.
• If there is anyone reading who does know authentic Maltese cuisine and can offer any suggestions, please drop me a line! rhianna at nor dot com dot au – ta!
• Diabetic Note: I am having all sorts of trouble trying to find a diabetic friendly pasta. As you can imagine, my blood glucose levels didn’t like all the carbohydrates in the pasta, so an alternative to this may be to pour it over steamed veggies or with some crusty bread instead of pasta.

 

Bigilla – Broad Bean Paste

You might remember me being reminiscent recently of my childhood and Maltese heritage? I mentioned a desire to reclaim some of the lost cultural cuisine. Well, I’ve been a busy girl on that front! Lately I have been scouring the internet for some delicious Traditional Maltese recipes that I remember. I also thought some people might like a little history lesson about Malta.

Malta is located in the Mediterranean Sea, 80 km south of Sicily. It is made up of a group of islands, although only 3 are inhabited. It has a land mass of  just 316km² making it both one of the smallest and most densely populated countries in the world. It has two nationally languages; Maltese and English. Historically, just about every ancient super power has had a crack of owning this expensive little piece of real estate; Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Aragonese, Habsburg Spain, Knights of St John, French and the British to name a few. After a long associate with England, Malta gained independence from the mother country in 1964 and became a republic 10 years later.

Malta is capable of producing only 20% of its agricultural needs. The rest is imported from neighbouring countries, accounting for the expense of much of the produce available. As such, Maltese cuisine has several recurring staples; rabbit, tinned corned beef, broad beans, soft cheeses (particularly ricotta) and pasta.

Today I am making Bigilla. This recipe was originally posted on Silvia’s Corner. It is a paste that is served hot with fresh crusty bread. I remember eating this as a kid, and the smell of it just takes me right back. Enjoy!

 

[  SERVES: 2 - 4  |  TIME: 2 days + 60 MIN  |  COST: <$3  ]
[  Joes' Rating: 3.5 / 5  |  My Rating  4 / 5 ]

INGREDIENTS

250 grams dried broad beans
handful flat leaf parsley
1 – 2 tablespoons minced garlic
drizzle of olive oil
pinch bicarbonate of soda
salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. The dried beans should be washed under running water before being placed in a container with ample water and a pinch of bicarb soda. Check the water after several hours, and top up if needed. Change the water every 24 hours. See photo below.
2. After two days, the beans will have doubled (or tripled!) in size. Rinse the beans under running water. Bring a pot of water to the boil and add the beans. Cook for 30 – 45 minutes, or until soft and cooked. Drain and allow to cool slightly – until comfortable to handle.
3. Press the beans between your fingers to burst the skins open. Place the bean pulp into a blender bowl, discarding the harder casings.
4. Add the parsley and garlic to the bowl and a drizzle of olive oil. Blend until smooth, adding more oil if needed.
5. Season well, and serve warm with hot crusty bread.

Observations

• Joe and I just devoured a whole bowl full of this spread with a sour-dough baguette for lunch! I sliced the baguette into thick slices on the diagonal and popped them into the oven for 10 minutes until crispy.
• I remember when I was a little girl and Nana would dip the bread into olive oil before putting on the spread. I am not sure how traditional that is, but I would say its pretty solid in tradition. We omitted the extra oil today.
• I was intensely satisfied with this dish. Joe said it lacked a distinct flavour, and was just “warm, mellowy goodness”, but I could definitely taste the beans. Either way, it would make a great finger food for intimate friends.
• Diabetic Note: I am pretty sure all that sour dough is going to be bad for me somehow…….. Lets just hope my dietitian doesn’t read this post! (Hi Richard, if you are stalking!) To make this more diabetic friendly, go a little easier than I did on the hot, delicious, crusty brea……………… *drool*
• Ethical Note: I was really thrilled to find out the beans were a product of Australia! I just got them form a health food store. In larger cities with continental grocers, you may even get them fresh.

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