Broad beans, which are a great source of protein and carbohydrates and vitamins A and B, are at their very best when really fresh, shelled out of their pods. Really young small broad beans can be eaten raw, and are wonderful in a salad like this.

Season the beans with sea salt and pepper, drizzle with lemon juice and serve with green salad and some soft goat's cheese.

Broad beans that are not so small (anything bigger than about 15cm when in the pod) are usually cooked, then skinned.

The skin surrounding the bean is slightly strong in taste, so is left on if a more assertive flavour is required.

Broad beans feature in the classic Italian risotto primavera, along with asparagus and peas. They are also often used in soups, stews and with pasta, and left raw in salads.

Dried, canned and frozen broad beans are of course available year round, and are great for soups and stews, but while they are in season try and get hold of them fresh .

TAGLIATELLE WITH BROAD BEANS AND PECORINO CHEESE
Serves 4-6

This was inspired by a recipe in River Cafe Cookbook Green, by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers. Pecorino is the fantastic Italian hard cheese with a good strong, salty flavour; it is easily available here. I love this pasta dish, the broad beans are uncooked, and the flavours are incredibly fresh and fantastic.

1.5kg fresh broad beans, in their pods (or about 500g podded weight)
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
About 6-8 stalks of basil leaves
Salt and pepper
100-125ml olive oil
Juice of one small lemon, or half a large lemon
125g pecorino cheese, grated coarsely
450g dried taglatelle (or 700g fresh taglatelle)

Remove the broad beans from the pods, Discard the pods. Place half the broad beans in a food processor with the roughly chopped garlic, the basil leaves, a good pinch of salt and a little olive oil; whiz until you have a slightly rough puree, adding more olive oil if necessary.

Empty into a bowl, mix in the remaining broad beans, olive oil and the lemon juice and season to taste. Cook the pasta until it is just al dente, then drain, and toss with the broad bean sauce, the grated pecorino and some more olive oil if needed. Serve on warm plates or shallow bowls.

RISOTTO PRIMAVERA
Serves 4

This is the dish that food writer Valentina Harris, who has written books about risotto, famously described as "sex on a plate". Need I say anymore? !

800g fresh broad beans, in their pods (or about 225g podded weight)
4 shallots, peeled
4 small spring onions, trimmed
1 clove of garlic
250g bunch of asparagus
1.25 litres good chicken or vegetable stock
2 tbsp olive oil
50g butter
350g risotto rice, such as carnaroli, arborio or vialone
100ml white wine
150g shelled peas, fresh or frozen
100g parmesan, finely grated

If using fresh broad beans, drop them into boiling water, leave for one minute, then drain and cool under cold water. Peel off the skins. For frozen broad beans, just thaw, then peel. Chop the shallots, spring onion and garlic finely. Snap the woody bases from the asparagus spears and discard.

Slice each spear into four diagonal pieces.

Pour the stock into a separate pan and bring to a simmer.

Heat the oil and half the butter in a heavy wide pan. Tip in the shallots, spring onions and garlic, and cook gently for four or five minutes, until soft, but not brown. With the heat on medium, add the rice and stir gently for a minute on the heat, so that it gets slightly toasted, but not brown. When the rice starts to sizzle, add the wine. Keep stirring until the wine has evaporated.

Add about a ladleful of the hot stock, letting it simmer, and keep stirring until all the liquid has been absorbed. Continue to add the stock, just a ladleful at a time, for about 20 minutes. If you add the stock very gradually you will get a lovely creamy risotto.

About 15 minutes after adding the first of the stock, add the broad beans and peas; season with salt and pepper. At this point too, cook the asparagus in boiling salted water for three or four minutes, until just cooked, then add into the risotto, which should by now be almost cooked.

Taste for seasoning. Add the last of the stock. The rice should be just cooked and the risotto should have a creamy porridgey consistency . . . you may need a little more stock, so add more if necessary; it should not be thick and gloopy, but soft and loose.

When the risotto is cooked, take it off the heat, stir in most of the parmesan cheese and the remaining butter. Serve and sprinkle with the last of the cheese.

QUICK THREE BEAN SOUP

This is a fast, nutritious, low-fat soup.

500ml chicken or vegetable stock
2 handfuls fresh, quite small if possible, broad beans (or frozen)
2 handfuls green beans, trimmed, and cut into slices at an angle 2cm long
400g tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Handful basil leaves, roughly chopped, or one heaped tbsp chopped marjoram or mint
2 tbsp grated parmesan Heat stock in a saucepan until simmering.

Add the broad beans and green beans; cook for two minutes. Add the cannellini beans; cook for a further five minutes. Season. Stir in the basil and parmesan.

SALAD OF NEW POTATOES, BROAD BEANS AND COURGETTES
Serves 4

I love salads like this in the summer, making full use whatever vegetables are in season.

This is great with some lamb chops cooked on the barbecue.

About 25-30 small new potatoes
400g podded broad beans
One medium or two small courgettes, green or yellow, sliced at an angle, about half a centimetre thick 75-100ml olive oil
Juice of one small lemon
Sea salt and pepper
3 tbsp chopped mint

Cook the new potatoes in boiling salted water with a sprig of mint until cooked.

While the potatoes are cooking, cook the broad beans and sliced courgettes in boiling water until just cooked, for about two or three minutes; if they are quite large beans you might want to skin them after cooking.

To do this, just pinch them slightly while they are still hot and the skins will loosen and come away from the bean. As soon as possible, while the courgettes and beans are still hot, drizzle them with half the olive oil and lemon juice and season with sea salt and pepper. Once the potatoes are cooked, drizzle with the remaining olive oil and lemon juice and season. Gently toss the potatoes with the broad beans and courgettes, then add the freshly chopped mint, and serve.

BOOK OF THE WEEK
Verdura: Vegetables

Italian Style, by Viana la Place, is the book Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers of the River Cafe say that they refer to most. It is a wonderful cookbook with the very best of authentic Italian recipes; just a flick through it and you can feel immediately transported to a table under an olive tree with a great plate of food and a glass of wine in front of you. Originally published in 1991, it has recently been re-published by Grub Street