This recipe comes from my friend, Gosia. Gosia knows that I like to cook and has been giving me pointers on Polish cooking. She emailed to ask if I’d seen bób (broad or fava beans) which were in season and had just made their annual summer appearance in the markets. Her timing was uncanny.
I had purchased a packet, thinking they might be fresh lima beans, and cooked them that afternoon. Gosia’s cool, bright green bean salad is a much better use of bób than my experimentation.
Originally, I didn’t include an amount for the beans. I’m guessing the packing had 2 cups, but it’s a salad, proportions need not be exact. If you have 2 1/2 cups, toss them it. 🙂
I’ve read some recipes online that say don’t bother peeling the beans. Peeling the beans does take a bit of time, but it’s well worth it. I didn’t the first time I cooked them, and I wish I had.
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The skins are very tough, removing them reveals a tender bean and lets the vibrant, green color show. Two of Gosia’s sons still live at home, and she says if you can recruit helpers, it goes very quickly. I hope you have helpers too when you’re making Bób Sałatki, or Polish Broad Bean Salad!
Smacznego!
Lois
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Cold Bób Salad (Fava Bean, Broad Bean)
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Serves 3-4
- Category: Vegetable
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Polish
Description
A light and tasty summer side dish
Ingredients
- 2 cups bób, fresh fava or broad beans
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup diced fresh herbs (I used chives, parsley, basil, thyme, mint, and dill)
Instructions
- Boil the beans in salted water until tender, 5 – 10 minutes, drain
- Using a sharp knife, make a small slit in the skin of each bean; peel and discard the skin
- Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and herbs
- Gently toss the peeled beans with dressing and chill
An accountant by trade and a food blogger since 2009, Lois Britton fell in love with Polish cuisine during the years she lived in Poznań, Poland. As the creator of PolishHousewife.com, she loves connecting readers with traditional Polish recipes. Lois has a graduate certificate in Food Writing and Photography from the University of South Florida. She is the author of The Polish Housewife Cookbook, available on Amazon and on her website.
Anula
I love bob (or bober hwo we call it in our family). I can’t get it here though… 🙁 Your salad looks great!
Pozdrowienia. Anula.
Lois B
Anula – We saw them on a restaurant brunch menu too. I’m curious and would like to find out how they fixer them too.
Pozdrowienia!
livinglearningeating
Are you still abroad? If so, please post more local food pics and reviews! I looooove travel (even vicariously!)
Lois B
livinglearningeating – I’m with you about loving travel; we’re in Poland until Jan 2013. Check out my Polish category for past recipes and restaurants. The food is wonderful here. A new Polish recipe every Friday!
orangemonk3y
That recipe sounds interesting. ^^
Klaudia
Lois,
I make a similar salad but add some chopped potatoes to make it more juicy (plus a bit of garlic). And I peel bób after I cook it. I just squeeze a bean a bit and it just pops out of the skin.
Klaudia
polishhousewife
Oh, Klaudia, that sounds really good too!
Klaudia
Ooops, I’ve just spotted I made a mistake in my comment: I meant fresh tomatoes, not potatoes! 🙂
But I still cook bób first and then peel it.
Klaudia
V
Actually in this case it would be sałatka, not sałatki! Sałatki would mean salads, plural. Polish grammar can be quite complex!
Lois Britton
It is tricky, and I’m getting better about noticing that. Thanks for your gentle correction.