6.09.2010

Fava Beans Recipes

Fava Bean & Tomato Salad

Ingredients

20 tomatoes
1 pound fresh fava beans
1/4 pound finest prosciutto
1/4 pound gruyere
3 tablespoons fruity olive oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
pinch sea salt

Directions

Set a pot of water, with a pinch of salt, to boil. Put a bowl of ice water in the sink. As the water is coming to a boil, shuck the fava beans. How to do this? Snap and extract. There should be three or four beans per pod. (Be sure to feel the inside of the pod, which is as soft as dryer lint.) When the water has come to a boil, plop all the shucked fava beans into the pan and let them bob there in the boiling water for thirty seconds. After that, immediately drain them and plunge the fava beans in the ice water to stop cooking. After a moment, take them out and let them chill in the refrigerator for a few moments.

Once cool enough to handle, remove the skin from individual beans by peeling it off. Fava beans are kind of a pain to prep....but they pay off in flavor.

Meanwhile, slice the grape tomatoes in halves, lengthwise. Cut the gruyere into small squares, about the same size as the fava beans. Make up a simple vinaigrette, by combining the olive oil, white vinegar, salt, and pepper. Toss everything together, with the fava beans, then thread small slivers of the prosciutto in among the beans, tomatoes, and cheese. Eat with the small sigh of spring.


Grilled Fava Bean

Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 pounds Fresh Fava Bean Pods

Directions

Spray whole fava bean pods with cooking spray. Place pods directly on hot grill of BBQ. Turn fava pods frequently until pods char and begin to burst open (about 7 to 10 minutes). Remove from grill and cool pods for 10 minutes. Remove fava beans from pod and peel beans by pinching one end of the bean to pop bright green fava bean from it's waxy shell. Grilled fava beans are delicious served as an appetizer with slices of Parmesan cheese.


Rigatoni with Fava Beans and Artichokes
Source: Adrieene Meier, Ocean Mist Farms

Ingredients

3 Ocean Mist Artichoke hearts and bottoms cubed
1 cup (5 ounces) blanched shelled fava beans
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup vegetable broth or water
1 yellow onion finely chopped
1 carrot finely chopped
1 cup spinach leaves coarsely chopped
One 28 ounce can plum tomatoes (drained)
1 pound rigatoni pasta (cooked)
2 tablespoons coarse sea salt
grated Parmesan cheese.

Directions

In large frying pan over medium-high heat warm olive oil.
Add carrot and onion and cook until tender, about 7 minutes.
Add artichokes, fava beans, spinach, broth, salt and pepper.
Cook until heated through.
Stir in tomatoes and simmer about 15 minutes.
Add cooked drained rigatoni to sauce and gently toss.
Plate and top pasta with shaved parmesan cheese.


Sauteed Fava Beans

Ingredients

boiling water
salt
ice
tap water
2 lbs fresh fava beans, in the pod (yields about 1 1/2 to 2 cups shelled beans)
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced, to taste
salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

First, shell the beans from the fava pods.
In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil, then add salt – the amount depends on how much water you have, but it should be very salty, like seawater.
In a bowl, combine ice and tap water to make ice water; set aside.
Add the shelled beans to the boiling water and let cook for about 3 minutes, then remove from saucepan and immediately plunge into the ice water to halt the cooking.
Let the beans cool, then peel the outer skin from each of them.
Over medium heat in a skillet, melt together the butter and olive oil, then add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
Add the peeled fava beans and sauté for about 5 to 7 minutes, or until they are done to your preference.
Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper, serve, and enjoy!

Note: in choosing your fava beans, get the pods that are firm and fresh looking.

Note 2: once you've made these basic fava beans, you can add other delicious items such as caramelized onions or fennel, chunky fresh tomatoes, and/or a bit of chopped proscuitto.