Read all about the fabulous fava, a harbinger of spring, in today’s LENS. Then try these recipes with your new understanding.
Fava Bean Puree with Crunchy Croutons
INGREDIENTS
• 1 tray of ice cubes
• 3 pounds fava beans, shelled
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
For croutons:
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 sourdough baguette, cut into 25 slices
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon crumbled feta, to garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. While the water is heating, fill a bowl with cold water and add ice cubes. Add the fava beans to the boiling water and cook one minute. Drain the beans and plunge them in the ice water. Let them sit until chilled, about five minutes. Drain the beans.
Pinch off one end of the skin covering each bean and slip out the bright green bean. Put the beans, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and lemon juice in a food processor. Process until smooth.
For the croutons, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Rub the garlic on both sides of each bread slice. Put the slices in a bowl. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and toss. Arrange the slices on a baking sheet and toast in the oven, turning the slices several times, until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
When the croutons are cool enough to handle, slather on the fava bean puree. Sprinkle each with a pinch of crumbled feta cheese before serving.
Makes about 25 croutons.
— Leslie Jonath and Ethel Brennan, “At the Farmers Market With Kids”
Braised Spring Vegetables
INGREDIENTS
• 2 pounds fava beans in the pod, shelled
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 4 large artichokes
• 1 head fennel with fronds
• 5 green garlic stems
• 5 green onions
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound English peas in the pod, shelled
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add favas and cook two minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Tear tough skin on top of each bean and pop bean out of skin. Set aside.
Fill a large bowl with water and add lemon juice. Working with 1 artichoke at a time, trim and discard stem end and 2 inches (or more) of prickly top. Pull off and discard all tough outer leaves until only tender, very light green and yellow leaves remain. Be aggressive; you want the entire trimmed artichoke to be edible. Quarter artichoke lengthwise and scrape out the fuzzy choke. Put trimmed artichoke in the lemon water. Repeat with remaining artichokes.
Trim fennel of dark and medium green tops. Chop feathery fronds and reserve 2 tablespoons of them. Halve head lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch-thick wedges.
Trim root ends from green garlic and green onions. Cut into 2-inch pieces. (If green garlic has a small bulb on end, halve it lengthwise.)
Heat the 1/4-cup olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add fennel wedges and drained artichokes. Sprinkle with salt and stir until sizzling. Add green garlic, green onions and 1 cup water; cover, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until artichokes are tender, 20 minutes.
Add peas and fava beans, cover and cook two minutes. Stir in fennel fronds and remove from heat. Add salt to taste. Divide evenly among four shallow bowls and drizzle with the extra-virgin olive oil.
Makes four servings.
— Created by former Sunset recipe editor Molly Watson, published in “Sunset Edible Garden Cookbook”
Warm Fava Shallot Couscous
Note: Pearl couscous is often sold as “Israeli couscous.”
INGREDIENTS
• 1 1/2 pounds fresh fava beans, in the pod
• 1 cup pearl couscous
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large or 2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
• Kosher salt, black pepper
• 1/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives
• 1 lemon, zest removed in long strips, juice reserved
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh mint leaves
• Feta cheese, crumbled, optional
• Toasted pistachios, optional
INSTRUCTIONS
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Shuck the fava beans, rinse and boil them for two minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and rinse again to cool. In the same water, cook the couscous, boiling until al dente, about five minutes, skimming any scum that comes to the surface. Drain, rinse briefly to prevent clumping.
While the couscous cooks, pierce each fava bean and squeeze the dark, inner beans into a bowl. Discard the outer shells.
In a large skillet, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat, until almost simmering. Add the shallots, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a grinding of black pepper. Saute until the shallots are golden brown and starting to crisp, four to five minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Reduce heat to very low, add the favas and stir until warm and glossy, three to five minutes. Test one bean; it should be tender.
Add the couscous to the favas along with the olives and some of the lemon juice, to taste. Stir until hot. Adjust the salt and pepper. Garnish with the mint and lemon zest, and sprinkle with crumbled feta and toasted pistachios, if you’d like to make this side dish more entree-like.
Makes four servings.
— Cheryl Sternman Rule, “Ripe”