Herbed Fava Beans With Pasta Food

CACIO E PEPE WITH PEAS AND FAVAS

Steps:

• Bring a medium saucepot of salted water to a boil. Fill a medium bowl with water and ice and set a fine mesh strainer in the bowl. (Be sure to keep ice out of strainer.) Blanch peas for 30 seconds and use a slotted spoon to transfer peas to strainer in ice bath. Let sit for 5 minutes and pull up strainer to drain peas. Repeat process with fava beans, cooking for 1 minute. (You can use same pot of boiling water that you used for peas.) When fava beans have been blanched and cooled, slip off peels.
• Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until 1 minute shy of al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water.
• In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add pepper and sauté for 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add 1/4 cup of the cooking water and the remaining butter to pan. Stir until butter is melted and sauce begins to thicken, about 30 seconds.
• Add cooked pasta, pecorino and Parmesan and toss until cheese melts, about 30 seconds. Add peas and fava beans. Toss very well to coat, adding more pasta water if pan seems dry. Season with salt to taste. To serve, sprinkle each portion with more pecorino and drizzle with olive oil. Garnish with chives.

PASTA WITH CREAMY WHITE BEANS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season well with salt. Add the pasta and cook for 3 minutes less than indicated in the package directions, about 7 minutes. Drain well reserving 1/2 cup pasta water.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the oil, carrot and onion to the skillet. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until fragrant and beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the pepper flakes and thyme and cook another minute. Stir in the drained beans and chicken broth. Reduce the heat to medium to maintain a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Use the back of a spoon to gently mash some of the beans. Set aside.
• Add the cooked pasta to the sauce. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the pasta and toss to coat well. Stir in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and add the 1/2 cup pasta water as needed to maintain a creamy, broth-like sauce. Sprinkle in the spinach and cook until wilted.

FRESH FAVA BEANS WITH PECORINO CHEESE

Steps:

• Shell the favas and discard pods. Drop beans into boiling salted water and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and immediately plunge into ice water. Drain again and remove tough outer skin from each bean. Place beans in a bowl.
• Serve with slices of good fresh cheese, a drizzle of olive oil, 1 to 2 drops of lemon juice, freshly ground pepper and a few grains of salt along with a slice of good crusty peasant bread.

FAVES A LA MENTA(FAVA BEANS WITH MINT)

Steps:

• Place the olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the onions and bacon and cook until limp. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add 1 cup of water and return to a boil. Continue cooking until the liquid is reduced by half.
• Add the remaining water and the fava beans and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the fava beans are tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the mint leaves and cook for 1 minute. Serve hot or at room temperature.

HERBED PASTA PERFECTION

Steps:

• 1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until translucent, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, oregano and thyme; cook until garlic is light golden brown, about 1 minute. Using a whisk, mix cornstarch with 1/2 cup water until dissolved. Add cornstarch mixture, wine, chicken bouillon and sugar to skillet. Bring wine mixture to a boil and cook until the sauce is reduced by half, 2 - 5 minutes. Stir beans into sauce and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes more.
• 2. Add cooked, hot pasta to skillet; stir to coat completely with sauce. Divide pasta evenly among serving bowls. Garnish with fresh thyme, if desired.