Fava Beans Herbs Bacon And Its Fat Food

HERBED FAVA BEANS WITH PASTA

Steps:

• Fill a large bowl with ice water. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fava beans and cook 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to the ice water; let cool about 5 minutes (keep the pot of water boiling). Drain the beans, then peel off their skins (they should slip right off). Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook as the label directs. Reserve about 1 1/2 cups cooking water, then drain the pasta.
• Heat the olive oil, garlic, mint sprigs, parsley sprigs and all but 2 tablespoons of the scallions in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until the scallions are soft, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the favas and 1 cup of the reserved cooking water. Bring to a simmer and cook until the favas are tender and the liquid is slightly reduced, 8 to 10 minutes; discard the garlic and herb sprigs.
• Add the pasta to the skillet and cook, tossing until it absorbs some of the sauce, about 3 minutes. Stir in the butter, chopped mint and parsley, reserved scallions, and salt and pepper to taste. Add more cooking water to loosen, if needed. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• Tip: If you can't find fresh fava beans, use frozen shelled and skinned ones and blanch as directed.

PENNE CARBONARA WITH FAVA BEANS, PEAS AND PECORINO

Steps:

• First, find a willing assistant to help peel the favas. Bring 6 cups water to a boil in a large pot. Add the peeled favas and blanch for about 1 minute, then scoop them out (reserving the water) and put them into a bowl of cold water. Drain and slip them out of their whitish skins to reveal the emerald-green bean.
• Bring the water back to a rolling boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the penne, stirring occasionally to keep it from sticking. Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix together the egg yolks, pecorino and a little salt and pepper.
• When the pasta is almost done (about 2 minutes less than the time suggested on the package), add the favas and peas to the pot. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the pasta is al dente.
• Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Drain the penne and vegetables, and return them to the pot. Add the butter and stir well. Add the egg yolk mixture and chives, tossing gently and adding a few tablespoons of the cooking water to form a silky sauce that clings to the penne. Adjust the seasoning, and serve with a wedge of pecorino for grating.

CREAMED FAVA BEANS AND BACON

Steps:

• Shell the beans from the pods.
• Briefly blanch the beans, then shock with ice water and remove their skins - excepting those that are tiny (discard the tiny ones).
• Cut the bacon into 1/2-inch pieces, then parboil for 10 seconds to remove excess salt, and drain.
• In a heavy saucepan (one with a cover) over low heat, melt the butter and cook the bacon for two to three minutes (bacon should remain limp).
• Add the peeled fava beans, savory, water, and salt to taste.
• Cover tightly, increase temperature to high, and cook over high heat for a few seconds (for gas burners, that would be about 5-10 seconds, for standard electric coil burner that would be about 15-20), then decrease heat to low and cook, shaking pan occasionally, until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove pan from heat and allow to cool for 2 minutes.
• In a bowl whisk together well the cream, egg yolks, and pepper (to taste), then stir the mixture gently into the fava beans.
• Return the beans to low heat, stirring until the sauce just begins to thicken (coating the spoon thinly) - do not allow to boil.
• Transfer beans to serving dish, sprinkle with the lemon juice and chopped parsley, and serve.

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.

SAUTéED FAVA BEANS

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Remove the fava beans from their pods. They usually have a stringier side; simply "unzip" them open by pulling that string off. Place the beans in a bowl and discard the pods.
• Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, add a generous amount of salt to make for very salty water, and blanch the beans for about 1 minute.
• Drain the fava beans and rinse with cold water to cool them off until they're cool enough to handle.
• Once easy to handle, squeeze each bean from the waxy whitish skin it's covered in. Remove the shells from all beans. Reserve the clean beans.
• In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the fava beans. Cook, stirring frequently, until the favas are tender, or about 3 minutes.
• Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with the fresh herbs if using and serve immediately.
• Enjoy!

FAVA BEANS, HERBS, BACON, AND ITS FAT

Steps:

• Cook the fava beans in a deep pan of lightly salted boiling water. They should be tender in four or five minutes. Cool them under running water, popping the bright green beans from their pale skins with your finger and thumb and dropping them into a bowl as you go. If the beans are really small and young, I sometimes leave the skins on.
• Finely slice the green onions and drop them into a bowl. Chop enough dill to give you a couple of heaping tablespoons. Pull a loose handful of mint leaves from their stems and add them to the onions with the dill and white wine vinegar. Crumble in a little salt and some coarse black pepper, then stir in enough olive oil to make a slushy dressing. I find 5 to 6 tablespoons (80 to 90ml) are enough.
• Lay the bacon in a nonstick frying pan with the merest drop of olive oil and let it fry until the fat is golden and verging on the crisp. Fold the skinned beans into the herb dressing and divide between two plates. Put a couple of slices of bacon on each, tipping any hot fat in the pan over the beans.