Dried Fava Bean Snacks Food

FAVA BEANS - HOW TO COOK, SOAK, PEEL AND FREEZE

Steps:

• Fresh fava beans are large and come in a pod. The pod must be removed and the beans must be peeled to enjoy them in recipes.
• When you look at the fava bean pod, you will notice that the edges have a seam. To open the pod, snap off the tip and pull down; the seam will open like a zipper. If you have trouble "unzipping" the pod cleanly, don't worry. Once the pod is open at least somewhat you can easily tear it open the rest of the way with your hands.
• Remove the beans from the pod. Each pod should have 4 or 5 beans. You may want to collect them all in a bowl.
• When you are done, fill a mixing bowl with cold ice water (enough to cover the beans) and set aside. Then, fill a pot with water (enough to cover the beans) and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, blanch the fresh fava beans for 30 seconds.
• With a slotted spoon, immediately transfer the blanched fava beans to the bowl of ice water. This will stop them from cooking any longer.
• Your beans are now ready to peel. This is a bit time consuming, but the skins should slip off fairly easily by pinching between your thumb and forefinger.
• 2 pounds of fava bean pods will yield about 1 cup of blanched, shelled beans. Once the shells have been removed they will be quite tender. You can steam them longer to heat through, add them to salads, or use them in any recipe you like.
• The method below uses a ratio of 10 cups of water per 1 pound of dried fava beans. If you plan to use a different amount, please adjust accordingly using this ratio. There are two ways to soak dried fava beans - either with an overnight soak, or with a shorter "quick soak."
• OVERNIGHT SOAK - in a large pot or bowl, combine the fava beans with water at a ratio of 10 cups of water per pound of dried beans. Soak overnight.
• Once the beans have soaked, you will notice that they have increased in size, indicating that they have absorbed moisture.
• QUICK SOAK - you will need 1 hour. Place the fava beans into the bottom of a large pot and cover with water. The beans will expand, so make sure you cover by several inches of water to allow for this. Bring beans to a boil. Let them boil for 3 minutes, then remove from heat.
• Allow the beans to soak in the hot water for 1 hour. After soaking using either method, drain and rinse the beans. Discard the soaking water.
• Peel the beans by squeezing each one between your thumb and forefinger. The skin should slip off easily. This step is time consuming, but a must for proper texture with the larger beans in particular (which have a very tough skin no matter how long you cook them).
• After peeling, you will need to continue cooking the peeled fava beans until tender. Place the beans in a large pot and cover again with the same ratio of fresh water (10 cups per pound of beans). It is important to use a fresh batch of water for cooking; the soaking water contains oligosaccharides, released from the beans during soaking, that can lead to digestive discomfort. Add salt to the fresh cooking water if desired to give the beans more flavor (I use about 1 tablespoon salt for every 10 cups of water). Place on the stovetop and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer the beans until tender. This can take up to 45 minutes depending on the size of your beans. Test them every 10 minutes or so for doneness; when finished cooking they should be tender but not mushy.
• Drain the cooked peeled beans in a colander. Now your beans are ready to use.
• The method below uses a ratio of 10 cups of water per 1 pound of dried fava beans. If you plan to use a different amount, please adjust accordingly using this ratio. There are two ways to soak dried fava beans - either with an overnight soak, or with a shorter "quick soak."
• OVERNIGHT SOAK - in a large pot or bowl, combine the fava beans with water at a ratio of 10 cups of water per pound of dried beans. Soak overnight.
• QUICK SOAK - you will need 1 hour. Place the fava beans into the bottom of a large pot and cover with water. The beans will expand, so make sure you cover by several inches of water to allow for this. Bring beans to a boil. Let them boil for 3 minutes, then remove from heat. Allow the beans to soak in the hot water for 1 hour.
• Once the beans have soaked, you will notice that they have increased in size, indicating that they have absorbed moisture. After soaking using either method, drain and rinse the beans.
• Place the beans in a large pot and cover again with the same ratio of fresh water (10 cups per pound of beans). It is important to use a fresh batch of water for cooking; the soaking water contains oligosaccharides, released from the beans during soaking, that can lead to digestive discomfort. Add salt to the fresh cooking water if desired to give the beans more flavor (I use about 1 tablespoon salt for every 10 cups of water). Place on the stovetop and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook the peeled fava beans until tender. This can take anywhere from 10-45 minutes depending on the size of your beans. Test them every 10 minutes or so for doneness by taking out a bean and slipping it out of its skin; the inner bean should be tender but not mushy. The smaller the beans, the faster they will cook.
• Generally these small beans will have a much improved textured after peeling, but very small dried fava beans may be eaten with skins on after a prolonged cooking process. I always cook then peel, but some recipes may specify cooking with skin on. If that's the case, prepare to cook for a long time-- it can take 2 hours or longer to soften those tough outer skins. If you're peeling them, they won't need nearly as long to cook because you'll be testing the inner bean for doneness, and not the tough skin.
• When the beans are tender, drain in a colander and rinse with cool water. If peeling the beans after cooking (my preference), you may remove the skins by squeezing the beans one-by-one between your thumb and forefinger. The skin should slip off easily. Discard the skins. Now your beans are ready to use.
• If you would like to freeze your fava beans for future use, first allow the beans to cool completely, then transfer them to a freezer safe container. I recommend resealable freezer bags, which you can place in the freezer until needed. I like to measure out 1 ¾ cups of beans in each bag, which is equivalent to the amount in a standard sized can. They will keep in the freezer for up to 6 months.
• When ready to use your frozen beans, remove them from the freezer and thaw. They can be reheated on the stovetop, added to soups and stews, or used however you would use canned beans.

DEEP-FRIED BROAD BEANS (FAVA BEANS)

Steps:

• Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or deep saucepan.
• Add the broad beans to the hot oil and fry until lightly coloured.
• Remove the fried beans using a slotted spoon. Drain on kitchen paper.
• Season with salt and serve.

DRIED FAVA BEAN SNACKS

Steps:

• Heat 2/3 of a cup of vegetable oil or olive oil in a large pan.
• Add 1/2 cup of the halved beans at a time to the oil.
• When favas begin to brown, remove with slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels to catch the excess oil.
• Repeat with 1/2 cup.
• When all the fava beans have been cooked, lightly sprinkle with salt, garlic powder and cayenne pepper or your fav seasoning.
• They will become crispy when you let them cool off.

BESSARA (DRIED FAVA BEAN SOUP)

Steps:

• Soak the beans in water for 2 hours, drain and put in a pot with 2 quarts of cold water. Bring to a boil, skim and simmer, covered, for 2 hours, until the beans are very soft. Add the salt and mash the beans by hand or, for a smoother texture, puree in a blender and return to the pot.
• Fry the garlic in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until golden, about 3 minutes. Add the paprika, cumin, turmeric and cayenne. Add to the soup and simmer for 30 minutes longer, adding water if the soup becomes too thick. Just before serving, stir in the lemon juice and the coriander. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil, if desired.

20 WAYS TO USE FAVA BEANS

Steps:

• Select your favorite recipe.
• Organize all the required ingredients.
• Prep a fava bean recipe in 30 minutes or less!

AZOREAN DRIED FAVA BEANS

Steps:

• 1. In a large bowl soak 1 bag of dried Fava beans over night in water. You will need enough water to cover the beans by more than a half inch.
• 2. The next morning you can see that the beans have split apart. If some have not done so, go ahead and pull them apart yourself. Now rinse them and lay them on a kitchen towel to dry.
• 3. Heat 2/3 of a cup of vegetable oil or olive oil in a large pan. Add 1/2 cup of the halved beans at a time to the oil. When fava beans begin to brown, remove them with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels to catch the excess oil. Do this with the remaining fava beans.
• 4. When all the fava beans have been cooked, lightly sprinkle with salt, garlic powder and cayenne pepper or your favorite seasonings.
• 5. The beans will become crispy when they cool. Enjoy!

SALTED FAVA (BROAD) BEANS

Steps:

• preheat oven to 180C
• steam beans for five minutes (or presoak dried beans overnight. drain and dunk in cold water to cool slightly
• add all the other ingredients to a bowl to make a thick batter. add the beans and stir to coat.
• spread evenly on a greased baking tin and bake for 35 minutes, turning half way through.