Fava Beans and Tomatoes

We have been eating wonderful fava beans this spring, another example of how the farmers at the Hollywood Farmers Market bail me out of my dilemmas. You see, I forgot to plant our fava bean seeds last fall. I don't know why. I had carefully saved the seeds from the end of last year's crop, but somehow I forgot about them until February, when it was far to late to plant them.

I'll try again this fall. In the meantime, I'm happy the professionals are on top of things.

The other night I served left-over sweet potato-chipotle chili and brown rice. One of the great things about left-overs is that while they reheat I am able to spend more time messing around with the accompanying vegetables.

First I cooked a quick tomato sauce. Then I briefly cooked the fava beans but did not do the second peel that makes them bright green. I decided this was an evening for texture — the tangy pop of the fava bean skin against the soft green of the inner bean. After they were cooked, I sautéed them in olive oil. I was going to cook them until they were golden — which I hear is excellent — but I wimped out and just cooked them until the outer skin was taut but still green. Then I stirred in the tomato sauce and a little basil.

It was a wonderful combination of textures and tastes — the slight bitterness of the fava bean skins contrasted with the sweetness of the tomatoes and basil. However, I think it would also have been great without the fava bean skins. (See here for instructions on peeling fava beans.)

Fava Beans and Tomatoes
1 1/2 lbs fava beans (shelled equals 2 cups)
2 tbsp olive oil, divided use
1 shallot, peeled and minced, about 2 tbsp
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp chopped basil

Take the fava beans out of their pods. Cook them in boiling salted water for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Warm half the olive oil over medium heat. When it shimmers, add the shallot and let cook until aromatic. Stir in the tomatoes. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they're broken down. Scrape them into a bowl, and add the remaining olive oil to the pan. Put in the fava beans and cook until golden, or at least until the skins are taut, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let warm through and serve.

Serves 2-3

Fava beans in their pods 

Fava Beans with Mint

Our fava beans are producing well this year. I'm pretty proud of this, because I grew the plants from seeds we saved from last year's crop. I think this is the one vegetable I have good garden success with.

Up until now, Larry has not been impressed with fava beans as food. I pod them and blanch them and peel off the tough skin, and still he says meh. But when I served him these fava beans sautéd in olive oil with a little fresh mint from the garden, he said they were delicious. He even had a second helping.

So if your fava beans are not being appreciated by your family, give this recipe a try. It has the Larry stamp of approval.

Fava Beans with Mint
1 cup shelled fava beans
1 tbsp olive oil
1 handful mint

Blanch the fava beans in boiling water for 2 minutes, drain, put in an ice water bath, drain again. Pop the tough outer skin off each bean until you are left with bright green beans - most will split in half. Set these aside until just before dinner.

Warm the olive oil in a medium skillet. Add the fava beans and mint, and let warm over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed through. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Serves 2

Spring Salad

Lettuce is fresh and colorful in the spring, and the garden and farmers market are brimming with herbs. I combined some spring greens and herbs, fresh fava beans from our garden, and a mustardy dressing for this attractive addition to last night's dinner.

This is a recipe that is a springboard for whatever you have growing in your garden. No fava beans? Then use peas or snap peas, or even organic edamame. Use whatever herbs you like, and try to have some peppery greens and some soft.

It will be like eating spring in a bowl.

Spring Salad
3 cups colorful spring greens, preferably including red and green lettuce leaves, nasturtium leaves and watercress
1 1/2 cups chopped mint, tarragon, dill and chives
1/2 cup cooked, shelled fava beans
2 tsp dijon
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Toss the greens and herbs together with the fava beans. Separately, stir together the dijon and vinegar, then slowly whisk in the olive oil to make an emulsion. Season to taste with the salt and pepper. Toss some of the dressing into the greens, and serve the rest on the side.

Serves 2

Fava Bean Risotto

We grew our own fava beans this year.

In the garden I corralled them in a cage of stakes and string and they pretty much took care of themselves.

In the kitchen, however, they are more complicated. First they have to be removed from their pods, and then the hard skins over the individual beans (peas?) slipped off. It's even more work than shelling peas.

But the flavor is lovely - so spring-like. The other day I picked a few beans and turned them into this lovely spring-like risotto.

Fava beans are great in risotto because they keep their color, and you don't need a lot of them to make a good impact.

(I suggest 1-2 lbs in this recipe, which I know is vague but it depends on how big the beans are inside the pod and what percentage of bean to rice you like. If you blanch more fava beans than you want to add to your risotto, refrigerate them overnight and then warm them in a little butter in a skillet. Add a little chopped mint and you have a simple side dish.)

I use my basic risotto recipe, and stir the blanched fava beans in at the end to warm through. If you don't have fava beans, you can use 3/4 cup of defrosted baby limas or peas instead.

As in all risottos, it's important to use a well-flavored vegetable stock. You can find my favorite here.

Leftover risotto can be formed into burgers, dredged in bread crumbs and gently fried in a little olive oil. It's almost better than the original dish, so it's always worth making more risotto than you will need.

Fava Bean Risotto
1-2 lbs fava beans in their pods
1 small onion or shallot, finely diced
1/2 tbsp butter
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup arborio rice
1/4 cup white wine
4-5 cups vegetable stock
salt and pepper
parmesan (optional)
mint for garnish

Pop the fava beans out of their pods. Blanch the beans (peas?) in boiling water for 1 minute, then drain and plunge into ice water. When they are cool, peel the thick outer white layer off each bean, revealing the bright green inside. This is the part that will go in the risotto.

Heat the stock in a covered pot on the back burner. Keep it at a simmer while you're cooking the rice.

Melt the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook gently until it's translucent.

Stir in the arborio rice, letting it toast slightly but not brown. Stir in a sprinkling of salt and pepper.

Add the white wine and cook, stirring, until it is evaporated.

Add 1 1/2 cups of the hot stock. Stir. Let it cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is evaporated. Add more stock as needed until the rice is tender. If you run out of stock, use hot water from the kettle. The rice should be toothsome and quite liquid-y. Not like ordinary rice. More soupy, but not too watery. Experiment until you like it.

When the rice is almost perfect, stir in the bright green fava beans. Season with a little more salt and pepper to taste if needed.

Serve in shallow bowls, garnished with shredded mint leaves.

Pass parmesan on the side.

Serves 2-3

Nibbles

Larry and I like to spend Sunday evenings by the fire with the weekend papers.

It's nice to have something to nibble on while reading. Sometimes it's cheese and crackers, or Larry's fresh-popped popcorn.

Recently I served a plate of fresh spring vegetables alongside some tangy goat's milk feta. I really liked it. Larry found it a little challenging.

The vegetables were a medley of green and white. Radish-sized turnips with their spicy tender greens attached, leftover diced and cooked kohlrabi, slivers of sweet fennel, and shelled young fava beans.

The salty richness of the feta was a great foil for the spicy, sweet and pungent flavors of the vegetables.

I like food that activates my tastebuds and offers diversity in each mouthful. This appetizer plate fits the bill.