Moroccan Fava Bean Mash Food

MOROCCAN FAVA BEAN MASH

Steps:

• Put favas in a pot, and fill the pot with water. Bring to a boil and boil 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave beans covered and in their water for at least an hour. Reheat the beans in their water and continue cooking until the beans are very tender - probably 30-60 minutes, depending on the beans. They're done when you get a mushy sensation biting into one.
• Rinse the beans in cold water and remove the skins. Probably the skins of most of them have split by now and the soft inside of the bean can be easily squeezed out. You may have to make a split in some of them yourself with a fingernail. The tough shells are indigestible and should be discarded.
• Coarsely mash the fava beans with the enough olive oil to create a nice consistency - start with 2TB, lemon juice, dill, green onions, salt, and pepper.
• This is good as a side dish but also as a filling for sandwiches or a topping for crostini.
• NOTES.
• Fava beans are huge brown beans with tough shells that have to be removed before the beans can be eaten.

BISSARA (FAVA BEAN PUREE)

Steps:

• Thoroughly rinse and drain the fava beans.
• In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for a minute. Add fava beans, vegetable broth, ¼ teaspoon of paprika, ½ teaspoon cumin, ¼ teaspoon of cayenne. Cook three to five minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beans are warmed. Begin to mash the beans by hand or with a masher. You are looking for a consistency that is not solid but thick enough to be scooped up using bread. If it seems too thick, thin with additional broth or water.
• Mix remaining spices together and reserve.
• To serve, place Bissara into a shallow soup bowl or dessrt plate with a high lip. Sprinkle ¼ of the mixed spices. Drizzle additional oil on top. Serve with lemon wedges on the side.
• Serve warm or hot.

MOROCCAN SHAD WITH FAVA BEANS

Steps:

• Heat 1/3 cup of oil in wide pan with cover. Add garlic and red peppers. Sauté slowly for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 2 cups water and bring to boil. Reduce to medium-low heat, add half the cilantro, and continue cooking, covered, for about 30 minutes, adding a little more water if necessary.
• While peppers are cooking, remove fava beans from pods. Bring 6 cups of water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil in a pot. Cook fava beans for about 4 minutes or until beans are al dente. Drain, plunge beans in iced water and slip skins off beans.
• Add fava beans to peppers with 1 teaspoon paprika, remaining salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper, if using, along with shad and roe. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of olive oil, remaining 1/2 teaspoon paprika and all but 2 tablespoons of remaining cilantro on top of fish. Simmer, covered, until shad is cooked through, about 7 to 10 minutes, adding more water if necessary. Remove fish, vegetables and sauce to a serving plate, and sprinkle remaining cilantro on top.

MOROCCAN-SPICED FAVA BEAN STEW

Steps:

• Place the dried fruit and raisins in a small heatproof bowl. Add boiling water to cover and soak for 20 minutes to soften. Drain and set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, and cinnamon and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
• Add the tomatoes, green beans, and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
• Add the favas, peas, fruit, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer, uncovered, until the flavors are blended and the desired consistency is achieved, about 10 minutes.
• Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

MASHED FAVA BEAN TOASTS

Steps:

• Shuck the beans from their pods, discarding the pods.
• Blanch the beans: Drop shucked favas in boiling water for 1 minute, then plunge into ice water. When cool, drain in a colander, then pierce outer skin from each bean with thumbnail and squeeze to slip off skins. Discard skins and set peeled favas aside. (May be prepared up to 24 hours ahead of time.)
• Put 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add peeled favas and season generously with salt and pepper. Stir to coat with oil, add garlic, and let sizzle for a few minutes without browning. Add 1/2 cup water, cover and let simmer until beans have softened and most of the liquid is gone, about 10 minutes. Turn off heat.
• Using a potato masher or wooden spoon, mash favas roughly. (If favas are larger and starchier, they may have begun to fall apart already, which is fine.) Put pan back on stove and turn heat to medium. Stir in crushed red pepper and rosemary (and a little water if the mash is too thick), adjust seasoning, and transfer fava beans to a warm bowl.
• Lightly toast baguette slices. Smear each toast with a tablespoon or so of mashed fava. Drizzle with more olive oil and sprinkle with coarse sea salt if desired.

MOROCCAN FAVA BEAN AND VEGETABLE SOUP

Steps:

• Skin the fresh favas: bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Fill a bowl with ice water. Drop the shelled fava beans into the boiling water and boil 5 minutes. Drain and transfer immediately to the cold water. Allow the beans to cool for several minutes, then slip off their skins by pinching off the eye of the skin and squeezing gently. Hold several beans in one hand and use your other thumb and forefinger to pinch off the eyes, have a bowl for the shelled favas close at hand and this will not take very long.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven and add the leeks, onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are just tender, about 5 minutes, and add the turnips, potatoes, favas, water or stock, salt and bouquet garni. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are very tender. Remove and discard the bouquet garni.
• Purée the soup using a hand blender or a food mill, or working in batches, in a blender, making sure that you place a towel over the top of the blender and remove the inner part of the lid to avoid hot splashes. Return to the pot, add the pepper, turmeric and chopped cilantro and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Turn the heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring often, for 30 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Serve in wide soup bowls, garnished with cilantro leaves and with a drizzle of olive oil over each serving.

MOROCCAN BROAD (FAVA) BEAN SALAD

Steps:

• bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.
• Meanwhile pod the beans, put beans into boiling water and boil for 2 mins.
• drain and refresh under cold running water.
• slip off and discard the outer skin of the bean.
• put beans into heavy pan with the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin and paprika, cook gently over low heat for about 10 mins.
• season to taste with salt and pepper and leave to cool in the pan.
• tip beans into a serving bowl, scraping in all the juices from the pan, toss in the preserved lemon, coriander and olives.