Jane’s Journal

Broad beans and garlic scapes on toast

In the height of summer there is something wonderful about being able to go out into the garden, pick some ingredients and put together a simple and healthy lunch. It is even better if the ingredients are things that you can't get in the shops and if they are things that are often thought of as 'waste products.

In summer I often put together a version of this dish. It is really just 'something green on toast' and changes according to the week - this week it is a couple of handfuls of broad beans, 3 of the flowering shoots from the hard necked garlic, a tiny onion that won't store and some lettuce leaves that were a bit too battered to make the cut for a green salad.

Gently cooked and piled onto a creamy whipped feta spread they are worthy of any fancy cafe lunch.

You can buy garlic scapes from here if you don't grow them yourself - if this is too many for you they do freeze extremely well - just blanch for a minute of so and then freeze on a flat tray before transferring into a box. They are wonderful mixed with green beans in a tomato sauce.

If you would like a printable PDF version of the recipe, get free access to the Recipe library here

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