Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes  

Ingredients (Serves 2) 
10oz (284g) broad beans (shelled)
1 large onion – finely chopped
1 clove garlic – finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1oz (28g) butter
8oz (227g) smoked sausage
4oz (113g) couscous
A quarter of a pint of water or stock  

STEP 1 Shell the beans then cook them in a pan of boiling water for a few minutes until tender. Tip into a colander and rinse with cold water. Slip off the skins and put the beans to one side. 

STEP 2 Cut the smoked sausage into 1in. (2.5cm) lengths and put to one side. Heat the butter and oil in a saucepan. Add the chopped onion and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes or so until the onion is just beginning to brown. Add the sausage and water or stock. Bring to the boil, cover with the saucepan lid, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. 

STEP 3 Add the broad beans to the pan and heat through. Meanwhile,cook the couscous according to the packet instructions. 

STEP 4 Stir the couscous into the beans and sausage. Serve immediately with salad and garlic bread.  

CHEF’S TIPS
If you have somewhere to keep your beans and sausage warm while you are cooking the couscous, use the strained cooking liquid for cooking the couscous to give it extra flavour, topping up with extra water to make the amount required. You can use rice instead of couscous. Adding your favourite herbs to the pan with the beans will also enhance the flavours.

Amateur Gardening, the UK’s best selling weekly gardening magazine, is delighted to be associated with leading seed suppliers Mr Fothergill’s who have been providing our excellent range of cover mounted seeds since 2007. They also supply an extensive range of vegetable seeds and if you care about what you eat, now’s the time to start growing your own. To whet your appetite here are a few recipes from Amateur Gardening’s weekly Grow, cook & eat feature which I hope will inspire you to have a go at growing – and cooking – some simple crops if you don’t already do so.