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Bób z koperkiem
Broad beans with butter and dill
Bób z koperkiem: Polish young broad beans boiled in their skins and tossed with butter and dill
All over Poland, from Kraków's market stalls to allotments outside Warsaw, the short broad bean season in June and July means bowls of bób z koperkiem: young beans boiled in their pale skins, tossed with melted butter, dill and salt, and eaten with your fingers on summer evenings. You squeeze each bean out of its skin with your teeth, or eat the skin too if the beans are very young. A generous bowl of 300 g beans gives about 22 g of protein, all from the broad beans. The most common mistake is overcooking: the skins burst and the beans turn grey and floury. Chef's tip: add a pinch of sugar to the cooking water along with the salt, as Polish cooks do; it keeps the beans sweet and bright.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 2 ⅝ lb young broad beanspodded weight, skins left on
- 12 ½ cups water
- 1 tbsp saltfor the water
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 ⅜ oz butter
- ⅔ oz fresh dillfinely chopped
- ½ tsp flaky salt
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Bring 12 ½ cups water to a rolling boil in a large pot and add 1 tbsp salt and 1 tsp sugar. Rinse 2 ⅝ lb young broad beans in a colander.
Step 2: Tip the beans into the boiling water and cook for 6–10 minutes, depending on size, starting to test at 6 minutes. They are ready when the skins wrinkle slightly and a bean squeezed between your fingers pops out soft and creamy, not chalky.
8 minStep 3: Drain at once and shake off the water; don't leave them sitting in the hot water, or they keep cooking and the skins split.
Step 4: Melt 1 ⅜ oz butter in the warm pot, tip the beans back in with ⅔ oz fresh dill and toss for 30 seconds until glossy. Sprinkle with ½ tsp flaky salt and serve warm in a big bowl, with a spare bowl for the skins.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 370 kcal
- Protein
- 22 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 15 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bób z koperkiem take?
- About 15 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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