Nigel Slater’s broad beans, flageolets, courgettes

1 Pod the broad beans, boil them in lightly salted water, then drain and cool under cold running water. Unless they are really young and small, at this point I like to pop them out of their pale skins.

2 Thickly slice the leeks. (I like to do them diagonally.) Thinly slice the spring onions. Cook the leeks and onions in a saucepan, in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, covered with a piece of greaseproof paper or baking parchment. This will encourage them to steam and soften rather than fry. You want them to be tender, but they shouldn't brown.

3 Cut the courgettes into short lengths. When the leeks and spring onions are soft and still bright green, remove the greaseproof paper, add the courgettes, the flageolet beans, drained and rinsed, the peas and then the stock. Bring to the boil, turn down to a simmer, then add the chives, chopped into short lengths. Roughly chop the parsley and stir into the soup. Season and pass around a dish of grated Parmesan.

This recipe is from Greenfeast: Spring, Summer, by Nigel Slater, published by 4th Estate Books