Broad Beans (Fèves)

Fèves (broad beans) teach a small but exact lesson: shelling is not peeling. The pod comes off first, then the pale inner skin around each bean. Remove both and the kernels cook green and tender; leave that second coat on and even good beans can seem leathery. That is the one true thing to know before the pot goes on.

The old entry assumed a brigade's basin of beans and enough hands to pod and peel it, but it required no saucier, stockpot never off the fire, or salamander. At home, about 450 grams of prepared beans and one small bunch of sarriette (summer savory) feed four. The brigade quantity and extra hands were scaffolding, so they are gone. Last-minute shelling, complete peeling, boiling with the herb, and chopping its cooked leaves back into the beans are the dish itself, so every one stays. One cook, one stove, one evening.

This is not a sauced vegetable and should not be made into one. Properly salted aromatic water is its foundation, and the finish should taste clean, green, and distinctly of savory. Watch the final minute of cooking closely, but give most of your attention to peeling every bean before it reaches the pot.