List all recipes for: Fava Beans
Fava Bean Salad
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3/4 cup olive oil
1 pound fresh fava beans in their pod
10 ounces fresh salad greens
4 scallions, thinly sliced, white and light green parts
In a jar with a tight fitting lid, shake the lemon juice, the vinegar, the garlic, honey and mustard. Add the olive oil and shake again.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Pod the fava beans and when the water is boiling, add the beans and cook for 2 minutes. Drain the beans and put in ice water to cool. If there are any tough skins on the beans, remove them. The skins on very young beans are tender enough to eat. Tear the greens into bite size pieces and place in a salad bowl. Add the beans and scallions. Toss, add just enough dressing to lightly coat the greens and toss again.
Fava Bean Soup
This soup is made with dried fava beans, which are available in the fall. The recipe is adapted from Slow Boat Farm, one of Puget Islands many farms.
Hull favas: Boil a pot of water, add favas and blanch for 3 minutes. Scoop individual beans out of the hot water and remove covering with a paring knife. Enjoy good music, fine wine and/or pleasant company during this operation.
Make the Soup: amounts are approximate and substitutions may be freely made
Saute 1 minced onion and 2 cloves of garlic in a few tablespoons olive oil until softened. Add 2 carrots and 2 potatoes which have been cubed. Sauté a couple of minutes longer. Add 6 cups chicken or veggie stock, ¼ cup each barley and rice (or ½ cup of one of the grains) and hulled favas and cook 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and herbs of your choice. Cook another 15 minutes. Add 4 large leaves (about 1 cup chopped) kale, chard or other greens. Turn off heat and let sit for 15 minutes. Enjoy with a loaf of good bread.
Fava Beans, Roman Style
4 slices bacon
1 pound shelled and skinned fresh fava beans
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup water
Black pepper, freshly ground
Salt
Cut the bacon crosswise into strips, fry until lightly brown. Remove the bacon and cook onion until translucent. Stir in beans and pepper. Add water and simmer, covered, on low heat for 8 to 10 minutes. Add extra tablespoons of water if necessary. When the beans are tender, add salt, and cook for a few more minutes uncovered until the last of the water has evaporated.
Fava Beans, Roman Style
4 slices bacon
1 pound shelled and skinned fresh fava beans
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup water
Black pepper, freshly ground
Salt
Cut the bacon crosswise into strips, fry until lightly brown. Remove the bacon and cook onion until translucent. Stir in beans and pepper. Add water and simmer, covered, on low heat for 8 to 10 minutes. Add extra tablespoons of water if necessary. When the beans are tender, add salt, and cook for a few more minutes uncovered until the last of the water has evaporated.
Fava Cream
Fresh fava beans have a short, glorious season. When they are very young, there is no skin to remove. Use then within a day or two for the freshest flavor. Toss this versatile dish with pasta or serve it in a puddle under broiled fish.
1 lb fava beans in the pod
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock, warmed
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed with the flat side of a knife
2 Tbsp pine nuts
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Shell the fava beans. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add fava beans and cook for 3 minutes. Drain and rinse the beans in cold water. Puree fava beans, stock, garlic, pine nuts and lemon juice in a food processor.
Pasta with Fresh Fava Bean Sauce
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano
1-1/2 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups peeled fava beans
3/4 pound dried fettuccine
4 oz. piece pecorino cheese or Parmesan cheese
Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the garlic and sauté briefly until light brown. Stir in the oregano, then add 1 cup of the stock. Bring to a boil, season with salt and pepper, and add 1-1/2 cups of the fava beans. Simmer to blend the flavors, about 3 minutes. Scrape into a blender container and puree with the remaining 1/2 cup stock until smooth. Return the sauce to the pan and add the remaining 1/2 cup favas. Simmer gently and taste for seasoning. Add salt and plenty of pepper. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 12 minutes. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Pour the pasta into a warm serving bowl and add the sauce. Toss well and thin with the pasta water, if necessary, until the sauce is glossy and not sticky. Serve immediately and grate the cheese over the top at the table.
Sauteed Fava Beans
I wish directions for cooking fava beans didn’t sound so complicated! Nothing could be easier but I too was deterred until I started cooking them last summer. If I grow it, I better learn to cook it! I took a vegetable platter to a July 4th party and one of the items I had was fava beans…here is the way I prepared them. I took the unshelled bean, pod and all and sautéed them in olive oil and minced garlic until nice and steamy. I added them to the platter, sprinkled with a little coarse salt and that was it! Guests picked up the pod (it’s quite deliciously messy!) and shelled out the bean, squeezed the green bean out of its skin and into their mouth. The oil and garlic they licked off their fingers were just the right amount of seasonings needed. Alternatively, fava beans can be grilled in a grill basket until nicely charred and then eaten the same way, directly out of the pod.
