Pan-fried squid with broad beans and chorizo

When we use broad beans in class, it usually divides the crowd; people seem to either love or hate them. On closer investigation those who hate them have usually suffered through mealy and starchy broad beans that have been picked too late. To add insult to injury, the beans have then been boiled until they are grey and watery. Broad beans need to be picked young and sweet, like peas. At this size they can be eaten raw or just lightly blanched – and come with a proud track record of converting every hater I’ve come across into a lover. Well, let’s say a liker ...

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 300 g young broad beans (from about 800 g beans in pods)
• 500 g squid, cleaned, tentacles reserved
• 80 ml (⅓ cup) olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 100 g chorizo, cut into 1 cm pieces
• 3 strips lemon rind
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper large handful of mint leaves, coarsely torn lemon wedges, to serve

Instructions

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil over high heat, add broad beans and cook for 1 minute, then drain in a sieve and refresh under cold running water.

Using a sharp knife, thinly slice squid tubes into strips about 5 cm long. Cut tentacles to separate each leg and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium–high heat, add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add squid and chorizo and sauté until squid is just cooked and beginning to colour.  Add broad beans and lemon rind, then season with salt and pepper and cook until beans are just warmed through. Stir through mint leaves and serve immediately, with lemon wedges for squeezing.

Recipe and image from The Agrarian Kitchen, Rodney Dunn, with photography by Luke Burgess (Lantern, $59.99 hbk).

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.