Just for clarity, most garden beans are varieties of Phaseolus vilgaris which contain phytohaemagglutinin, fava beans (Vicia faba) also contain this toxic lectin, at lower concentrations.
Ten minutes at 212f deactivates the toxin, but 30 minutes is recommended to bring the internal temperature up to 212f reliably. Typical gastrointestinal distress, (diarrhea, vomiting) are the usual result of inadequately cooking foods containing phytohaemagglutinin.
Slow cooking can actually be worse than eating raw beans, by making more of the toxin available. So boil those beans, or use canned beans.
Now that that's been said, we grow a lot of fava beans, and I've come up with several mouth-watering recipes that seem to please the palates of even those who dislike beans. This is one of those recipes that is superb on a cold wintry day, but I've also eaten it cold with a dollop of home made yogurt mixed in. I call it:
Green Goop Soup (The kids love that name, so it stuck)
A word of warning, I never measure anything...if the spices seem too much or too little, just adjust as you prefer. This is just a baseline to get you on the right track.
This recipe appears very much like a split
pea soup (just a brighter green) but is far more flavorful and heartier.
It is more labor intensive due to the "skin" on the beans, but it is so worth it.
Use fresh green fava beans (or pre-blanched and frozen, which is how we store a lot of them) Broad beans are best due to their larger size (fewer beans to skin), but any variety of fava works.
Blanch the fava beans for 2-3 minutes, let cool, and skin them. Fava beans have a thick skin (not the pod, there is a skin on each bean) that must be removed for this recipe, they "pop" out of the skin easily after blanching. Many already know this, but it bears mentioning for those new to favas.
You will want about 3 cups of skinned beans, so start with about 4 cups of fresh green fava beans.
3 cups blanched and skinned fresh green fava beans. (dried beans just don't work well for this)
3-4 large leeks, chopped (or 2 large onions if you don't have leeks)
4 celery stalks, diced
4 carrots, chopped
1-2 potatoes, chopped
1 quart
chicken or ham stock. (or vegetable stock if you are
vegetarian)
A ham bone or 1/2lb diced bacon (If you prefer a dish without meat, just don't add it. The soup is great as a vegetarian meal, you just may need to add a bit more salt at the end)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried tyme
roasted, hulled sunflower seed
Place the fava beans and stock in a large pot, add more stock to cover the beans if necessary.
Bring to a boil for ten minutes then cover and reduce to a simmer for one hour
Remove 1/2 of the beans, mash them and return them to the stock. (can use a food processor if you like)
Add carrots, celery, leeks, potatoes and ham/bacon
Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered, stirring regularly to avoid burning. Cover once broth is desired consistency and continue stirring until vegetables are softened.
Add spices, reduce heat, cover and let flavors incorporate for thirty minutes, stirring occasionally.
Salt to taste and liberally sprinkle sunflower seed over individual bowls just prior to serving.
This goes very well with thick sliced hearty multigrain bread or a strong home made
sourdough.
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