What do I do with this?

[barbszy]

In a gift basket of Italian foods I received a jar of Lupini Beans packed in olive oil.

I have no idea what kind of recipe/dish would use these! Has anyone ever eaten these before? They look like giant lima beans.

[DeBora4BobbyL]

I am not sure, but I think you can use them in salads or add them to pasta. Are they still in the shell?

[cat lover]

I never heard of them before so you know me; I had to find out what they were and how to use them! LOL I did a search and the only thing I kept coming up with is that they are ready to use from the jar. You can remove the outer shell before eating them,but it isn't necessarily needed to be. They are commonly used as a snack or in a salad ( I guess like garbanzos beans). They need to be refrigerated after opening.

Well, let us know what you end of doing with them and how they taste!

[toni1937]

The lupini's you got in the jar that were in oil are eaten just like that. All we do with them is take some out of the jar, put them in a small dish/bowl and salt and pepper them and where the slit is on the lupini...just squeeze the lupini with the slit toward or in your mouth and out pops a bean. They are not used in any kind of dishes that I know of and I am first generation American...parents were from Italy.

[barbszy]

Thanks for the help!

Toni, do I serve those beans at room temperature or should I chill them first?

[Janet]

Lupini beans are like Fava beans, you can add them to salads, soups, or put on a relish tray.

Also,you can mash them, add spices and make a hummus like spread, so great on pita chips,

Gosh...now I am hungry!

I am a bean lover!

Hugs, Janet

[barbszy]

Janet, I LOVE hummus, and have some pita here. Maybe I will try doing that! Thanks for the idea :)

[Janet]

Gee whiz, if I lived closer I would come over for a visit about the time you got your hummus done!

I have beans all the time in my house..but not always the pitas.

I love tabouli too..my guys just roll their eyes at me! lol

;) Janet

[ellenmelon]

Wikipedia gave me this about lupini beans, where's the beer! :D

Lupini Beans

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/2d/Imperial_e_tremocos.jpg/180px-Imperial_e_tremocos.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Imperial_e_tremocos.jpg) http://en.wikipedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/magnify-clip.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Imperial_e_tremocos.jpg)
Lupin Beans and a Portuguese beer


Lupini Beans are yellow, watermelon seed shaped legume seeds of the lupinus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lupinus) genus plant. The symbol for Lupini beans is Lupin; it belongs to the group Dicot and the Family Fabaceae. They are commonly sold in a salty solution in jars (like olives and pickles) and can be eaten by removing the skin and "popping" the seed directly into one's mouth, but can also be eaten with the skin on. Perhaps the best method to enjoy these beans is to "pop" into one's mouth, removing the outer layer by incising with the front teeth, expelling the tough skin, then relishing the fleshy seed Scientists and the FDA are still evaluating these statements. It is most commonly found in Mediterranean countries, especially in Portugal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portugal) and Italy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italy), and also in Brazil (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil) & In Spanish Harlem (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=In_Spanish_Harlem&action=edit), where it is popular along with beer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer). In Portuguese the Lupini Beans are known as "tremoços". In Antalya (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antalya), Turkey (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey) it is known as Tirmis amongst the loca people. In Ecuador, these beans are called chochos.
Kingdom Plantae – Plants Subkingdom Tracheobionta – Vascular plants Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants Division Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants Class Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons Subclass Rosidae – Order Fabales – Family Fabaceae – Pea family Genus Lupinus L. – lupine

[cat lover]

Interesting ellenmelon! Do you know what the taste is like?

[mamab]

I'm Italian, and I don't think I've ever heard of that kind of bean. They sound interesting, though. I'm guessing they're not readily accessible in your normal grocery store. ;)

[barbszy]

Actually I have seen them on the shelves of my regular grocery store!! Still haven't used the ones I already have, though.

[DeBora4BobbyL]

Let us know when you do. We are dying to know how you like them!

[mamab]

I'm interested in what they taste like, as well. Please do let us know how they taste, and how you figured out how you were supposed to fix them. ;)

[vicki2]

I've tried them and they must be an acquired taste ...a little bit bitter even with a glass of good wine. They're like one of those things that comes in an Italian gift basket and you try once! and, I'm a bean lover!

[katharina]

I've tried them and they must be an acquired taste ...a little bit bitter even with a glass of good wine. They're like one of those things that comes in an Italian gift basket and you try once! and, I'm a bean lover!

Hmmm, bitter beans used as a snack. I'm afraid I'd pass on that
one. :) I *do* have something in the pantry that I have no idea what
to do with, though... I think I'll make another thread for that question
so I can keep up with the answers.