Fresh Broad Beans and Mange Tout Pasta

A tasty way to enjoy my so loved broad beans: fresh broad beans and Mange Tout pasta.

Yesterday was the 4th of June and we had a nice day…

As it is absolutely true that the weather here in Ireland can change pretty briskly, when the weather is nice you have to take advantage of it and go out.

That’s what I did yesterday. I brought my 5 years old Deta to the amazing playground in Donabate’s Newbridge Demesne.

When Datti was Deta’s age I used to go there once a week meeting with other mums and kids of Datti’s class…it was great.

So when my new friend Emma asked me if I wanted to join her and her daughters (one of which is in Deta’s class) at Newbridge I said yes!

My husband was working at home and Datti was having her class with our sweet music therapist. No better time!

Only things got a bit longer than thought and there wasn’t any dinner ready at home waiting for us not even any dinner planned waiting to be cooked!

So while walking toward the car I rapidly went mentally trough my ingredients at home and I decided what to cook: a fresh broad beans and mange tout pasta (I love broad beans, but you can only eat them when in season and that’s so short!).

I only lacked fresh tomatoes and Emma came to the rescue with them (thank you!).

When broad beans are in season in Italy we love to use them for a pasta dressing. Before our change of diet it would have been broad beans, cubed bacon, onions and tomatoes.

Of course yesterday we didn’t use any meat, but the dish was gorgeous nonetheless.

I got these beautiful broad beans from our weekly veggie box of Juliasdale Organic Farm:

They weren’t enough for 500 g of pasta so I decided to add also the mange tout flat-podded peas of same provenience.

I loved seeing the bright greens embracing the flaming red in the pan as much as I enjoyed eating the dish!

Ingredients for fresh broad beans and mange tout pasta

• 100 g broad beans beans (without pods)
• 100g mange tout
• 1 onion
• 400 g cherry tomatoes
• 500g wholewheat farfalle pasta
• Salt
• Extra virgin olive oil

How to cook fresh broad beans and mange tout pasta

Slice the onion finely and place it in a frying pan with some extra virgin olive oil.

Stir very often for about 5/10 minutes until soft.

Add the broad beans, the mange tout roughly chopped and the sliced tomatoes (cut them roughly in two or three pieces).

Stir well.

Cover with a lid.

Let it simmer until the broad beans are wilt.

Add salt to taste.

In the meantime bring a big pot of water to the boil.

Add salt.

Pour in the pasta and stir for half a minute

Drain the pasta possibly al dente.

Add it to the broad beans and mange tout.

Flavour with Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Enjoy!