A St. Patrick’s Day Ode to Beans + Brassicas!

If you’ve ever driven through the Irish countryside, you’ve likely passed fields bursting with fava beans—though most of them aren’t destined for our plates. Instead, they’re grown for livestock, which, frankly, is a crying shame because they’re one of the easiest, most climate-friendly, and downright delicious crops we produce. Hardy, nitrogen-fixing, and requiring little more than rain (of which we have plenty), they thrive in Irish soil. Yet, despite our long history of humble, hearty dishes, beans rarely get a look-in on the dinner table. Time to change that.

Enter colcannon, the creamy, comforting mash-up of spuds and greens that’s been warming Irish bellies for centuries. And, of course, the British have their own thrifty take in bubble and squeak, frying up yesterday’s leftovers into crisp, golden cakes. Having spent enough time across both islands, I see no reason why we can’t bring these traditions together for St. Patrick’s Day—with a bean-powered twist.

This Fava Bean Colcannon Cake is everything good food should be: crispy-edged, soft-centred, packed with homegrown GIY Green goodness, and unapologetically smoothered in satisfying Irish butter (Well it is a treat day). They celebrate a future where we eat more of what we grow, less of what we import, and plenty of what actually nourishes us. Plus, they pair beautifully with a pint, which is what really matters on Paddy’s Day.

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See who’s putting #beansonthemenu