Fava Bean Crostini With Pecorino Mint Food

FAVA BEAN CROSTINI WITH PECORINO + MINT

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water up to a boil, and add a generous amount of salt. Drop the shelled fava beans into the water and cook for about 5 minutes, or until tender. Transfer to a bowl of ice water, and once cool, carefully slip the beans out of their skins and place them in the bowl of a food processor and discard the skins.
• Add the salt, olive oil and lemon juice to the food processor and pulse until you achieve a slightly coarse puree. You can opt to leave it more chunky, or keep pureeing until very smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning adding more salt or lemon juice as needed.
• Preheat the oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees. Place the slices of bread on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Spread each piece of toast with a generous amount of fava bean puree, then use a vegetable peeler to shave thin slices of pecorino over the top. Sprinkle with lots of fresh mint, and serve immediately.

ARUGULA AND FAVA-BEAN CROSTINI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
• Cook fava beans in boiling water, uncovered, until tender, 3 to 4 minutes, then drain and transfer to an ice bath to stop cooking. Gently peel off skins (if using edamame, don't peel).
• Pulse fava beans in a food processor until very coarsely chopped, then transfer half of mixture to a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup oil, 1/2 cup arugula, cheese, lemon zest and juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper to favas in processor and purée until smooth. Add to bowl. Coarsely chop remaining cup arugula and gently fold into fava-bean mixture.
• Cut 16 diagonal slices (1/3 inch thick) from baguette and put in a 4-sided sheet pan. Drizzle with remaining tablespoon oil. Bake until pale golden and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Rub with cut side of garlic.
• Spoon fava-bean mixture onto baguette toasts, then drizzle with oil and top with mint.
• What to drink:
• Fontaleoni Vernaccia di San Gimignano '07

FAVA BEAN CROSTINI WITH PECORINO FRICO

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add the fava beans and blanch for 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and place in an ice bath. Peel the skins off the favas; the beans will split into 2 bright green pieces as you pop them out of their skins.
• In a food processor, combine the peeled favas, pecorino, garlic, parsley/mint mixture, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and EVOO. Pulse into a thick spread. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Season with a little flaky sea salt.
• For the frico: mix the 2 cups of pecorino with a tablespoon of flour. Divide the mixture into small piles on a silpat-lined sheet tray. Place in oven until golden and melted together, about 10 minutes. Remove with a spatula.
• Slice your bread into thin slices. Drizzle with good olive oil and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Place in oven until crisp and golden. Serve the spread on the charred small toasts. Place a frico standing up on each crostini.

CROSTINI WITH LIMA BEAN & PECORINO PUREE

Steps:

• Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil; add the lima beans and cook until tender, about 7 minutes.
• Drain in a colander and shock the beans in cold water; drain again, shaking the colander to remove excess moisture.
• Place the garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a food processor, fitted with an electric blade and process until coarsely chopped.
• Add the lima beans and process until they form a rough paste.
• Add the red pepper flakes, pecorino, mint and 2 Tablespoons lemon juice and pulse until combined; with the motor running, add the olive oil in a steady stream until well incorporated.
• Taste for seasoning, adding more salt, or lemon juice and black pepper as desired.
• To serve slather a generous amount of puree on a slice of toasted bread and garnish with a few rounds of radish.