Sorry to start this post with such a morbid quote from Hannibal Lecter. But I must admit, I avoided fava beans until recently, because I couldn't get this quote out of my head.
Now, the only thing that keeps me away from fava beans is Time - these delicious broad beans are incredibly labor-intensive!
Spring is the season for two of my favorite ingredients - fava beans and green garlic.
I encountered both of these ingredients during my Supper Club cooking classes at Paulding & Co. Green garlic was used with cauliflower in a creamy soup. And a huge pile of fava beans in their pods became a small handful of beans to sprinkle on a shaved fennel and asparagus salad.
Both fava beans and green garlic are best eaten while they are young and tender (I think Hannibal Lecter would agree....)
Green garlic, available in the springtime is the same garlic you would buy in bulb form, but picked when the stalks are fresh green and before the bulb has formed into the sections. The entire plant is used, like a leek - and tastes like a sweeter, milder version of the more mature bulb form!
To prepare, remove the outer layers as necessary. Trim the bottom, cutting off the roots. You should be able to start slicing from the bottom of the bulb. You can use all of the green garlic that is tender and mostly white. The dark green parts tend to be too tough - discard this.
Yummy, buttery fava beans are delicious, but require a multi-step process before you can eat:
Step 1: Shell the beans from their pods, using your thumbs to open up the pod, then pluck the beans off. You will be left with a big pile of empty pods (don't eat) and a tiny pile of beans (take to step 2)
Step 2: Bring a pot of water to boil, then blanch the beans for about 30 seconds
Step 3: if the beans are very young, you might be able to skip this step, but typically, you will need to pop the beans from the skins. Pinch the skins open, and you can pop out the green bean from the white-ish outer skin. Discard skins, keep the bright green bean portion.
This year, I started seeing at the market, Fava Greens (or Fava Leaves). These leaves are soft and slightly fuzzy, and taste like sugar snap peas. You can eat them raw in a salad, stir fry them, or - a local vendor had the greens displayed with a recipe for Spring Pesto with Fava Leaves and Green Garlic - I know I had to try this!
The following recipe is my spin on a recipe I found on the Fairview Gardens CSA site. A great way to celebrate Spring!!!
Springtime Pasta - with Fava Beans, Green Garlic and Fava Green Pesto.
(Serves 4 - but you might have extra pesto left over)
Pesto:
- 2-3 cups of fava greens washed
- 1/3 cup of pine nuts (other nuts can be used - like walnuts, sunflower seeds)
- 1 green garlic stem, washed and chopped
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 lemon - use the zest and juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Place all ingredients in a food processor, and pulse until creamy and evenly incorporated. Set aside.
Pasta:
- 1 lb of dried pasta (I used whole wheat fusilli to capture all of the yummy pesto)
Set a pot of water to boil. When boiling, add salt until water tastes like the sea, prepare pasta as instructed, drain, but reserve about 1 cup of pasta water.
Fava beans and green garlic:
- 2 lbs of fava beans in pod
- 2 stalks of green garlic, sliced into thin rounds
- 1 Tbs of some sort of fat (olive oil, duck fat, butter)
Prepare fava beans as described above. You should be left with about a cup of actual beans after blanching and removal of outer skin.
Meanwhile Heat up "fat" in a medium skillet, add green garlic and cook until soft. Add fava beans, and stir until heated through.
Assembly:
Toss drained pasta with about half of pesto, add a little pasta water to thin out. Gradually add more pesto as needed. Add in sauteed fava beans and green garlic and toss til incorporated. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with some extra fated Parmesan cheese on top!
I used the extra pesto on some shrimp - YUM!! I'm sure you can find many ways to use your leftover Fava Green Pesto!!
Enjoy the Spring!!!
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