What to do with favas

Pea Shoot Salad with Fava Beans
1 pound fava beans, shelled
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
4 oz. pea shoots
4 radishes, thinly sliced
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 avocado, sliced lengthwise (optional)

Blanch the fava beans in boiling water no more than two minutes; immediately cool in ice water. Remove the beans' outer skin, either by popping the bean out with your fingers or by paring the shell away. Whisk together olive oil and balsamic vinegar; season to taste. Toss pea shoots, radishes, and slivered almonds with the oil/vinegar mixture. Divide this salad mixture among as many as four plates; top with fava beans and avocado slices.

Adapted from food52.com (which must be based significantly south of us, since they seem to consider fava beans a spring vegetable).

----------------------------------------------------------

Fava-Mint Pesto
2 cups cleaned fava beans (about 2 lb. before removing pods and shells)
2 Tbsp. almonds, roughly chopped
2 anchovy fillets in oil, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
6 Tbsp. lemon oil
1⁄4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1⁄4 cup loosely packed mint leaves, thinly sliced
zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
salt to taste

Cook fava beans in boiling, salted water until bright green, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl of ice water with a slotted spoon and let sit about a minute, until chilled. Drain and roughly chop. Pound the almonds, anchovies, and garlic in a mortar until evenly combined. Add 2 tablespoons of the lemon oil. Add fava beans and mash into a coarse purée. Stir in the remaining 4 tablespoons lemon oil, cheese, mint, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Adjust seasoning if needed.

Adapted from Saveur
--------

More about fava beans


Versión en español: this post is also available in Spanish.
Esperanta traduko: this post is also available in Esperanto, because Dana is a language geek.

Two carrot recipes

Honey gingered carrots
6 carrots, cut into 2-inch slices
about 2 cups water
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh ginger root
grated zest of 1 orange, to taste
1 cup honey
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint
salt, pepper to taste

In a saucepan, cover carrots with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer about 5 min. Drain. Melt butter over med.-low heat. Add ginger, orange peel, honey, vinegar, and carrots. Toss and heat through, about 1 min. Remove from heat, add mint, and season to taste. Serve hot.

Adapted from: Expressions of home cookbook / Pamela King, editor. Watertown, WI : SPS, [2000?]

-------

Hot and Sour Carrots
1 lb. carrots, thinly sliced, boiled 5 minutes, drained
1/4 cup raisins
2 Tbsp. melted butter
2 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 cup pine nuts or sliced almonds (optional)

Mix all ingredients except nuts in a quart baking dish. Bake at 375F for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are glazed. Garnish with pine nuts or sliced almonds.

Adapted from the e-Newsletter World Wide Recipes.

Index to all blog posts.

Versión en español: this post is also available in Spanish.
Esperanta traduko: this post is also available in Esperanto, because Dana is a language geek.

Chocolate-Raspberry Frozen Yogurt Pops

2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
2 cups plain Greek-style yoghurt
3-5 Tbsp. sugar, to taste
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Puree raspberries, yogurt, and sugar in a blender or food processor until smooth. Divide the mixture among freezer-pop molds or paper cups, stopping about 1 inch from the top. Divide chocolate chips among the molds and stir in, removing any air pockets at the same time. Insert sticks and freeze about 6 hours, until firm. Dip molds briefly in warm water to unmold, or tear paper cups from pops.

Adapted from eatingwell.com

Versión en español: this post is also available in Spanish.
Esperanta traduko: this post is also available in Esperanto, because Dana is a language geek.

Apricot stuffed chicken

2 whole boneless chicken breast halves, with skin
1/2 cup dry stuffing mix
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 lb. fresh apricots, halved (about 4)
1/2 cup apricot jam
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar

Place chicken skin side down and flatten slightly with a mallet. Combine stuffing mix, onion, butter, and 1/4 tsp. ginger; place in a strip along center of each breast half and top with apricot halves. Wrap chicken around filling; tie with string every two inches. Barbecue 15 minutes on a rack about 5-1/2 inches above medium-hot coals, turning once or twice. Mix apricot jam, vinegar, and remaining 1/4 tsp. ginger; brush over chicken rolls. Grill another 5-10 minutes, until done.

Adapted from California Apricots

Versión en español: this post is also available in Spanish.
Esperanta traduko: this post is also available in Esperanto, because Dana is a language geek.