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Greek Butterbeans--How Do You Peal them?

post #1 of 6
4/5/10 at 3:46pm
Thread Starter 
Someone in Greece gave me some Greek Butterbeans (fassolia gigantes). They are huge, larger than Brazil nuts and have a excellent soft, warm, chestnut-like flavor. They have a tough skins though that need to be removed before any preparation. This is a pain. One pound of beans take me 30 minutes!
Any suggestions how to peal them? Or are mine too old?
Thanks for the help
George (Author of What Recipes Don't Tell You)
Butter Beans.jpg
Edited by gerdosh - 4/5/10 at 4:16pm
George, Culinary Scientist and author of
http://whatrecipesdonttellyou.com
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post #2 of 6
4/5/10 at 5:33pm
have you tried blanching them to loosen the skin? Like when removing soybeans from the pod and skin, there is another bean you have to do it to also but i can't remember the name of it.
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post #3 of 6
4/5/10 at 5:43pm
These look like pretty old beans.  As Gunnar said, a quick blanch and the beans should slide out from the skin.  However, recipes I've encountered over the years made no mention of the beans needing to have the skins removed.
Schmoozer
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post #4 of 6
4/5/10 at 8:00pm
They do look a little ripe, but you treat them as Gunnar said.

The other ones you are thinking of are probably broad beans.  They really need the skin popped off after blanching - it just doesn't feel good in the mouth.  It is really easy once they are blanched, just grab it a quarter of the way down then a gentle squeeze, pops right off.  They look much better too.
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post #5 of 6
4/6/10 at 6:43am
Aren't those lima beans?  They're definitely not gigantes.
In a nutshell
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post #6 of 6
4/6/10 at 7:26am
Thread Starter 
I got them from a dry goods store in Greece and the owner told me they are Greek butterbeans. And these are the same beans Greeks prepare their butterbean dish you find in many places in Greece. In the photo the beans are already cooked.
George, Culinary Scientist and author of
http://whatrecipesdonttellyou.com
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ChefTalk.com › ChefTalk Cooking Forums › Cooking Discussions › Food & Cooking › Greek Butterbeans--How Do You Peal them?