Veracruz Style Fava Bean Stew Food

SCAFATA DI FAVE ~ UMBRIAN FAVA BEAN STEW

Steps:

• Remove the fava beans from the pods.
• In a large heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil and cook the pancetta, carrots, onions and celery until the vegetables have softened and the pancetta has begun to brown, about 10 minutes.
• Add the garlic and continue to cook another minute or two, then add the chopped tomatoes and fava beans and mix well.
• Season with the salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and half the fresh parsley.
• Cook for about 30 minutes or until the fava beans are tender to the teeth.( If the stew is too thick you can thin it with a bit of broth or water.)
• Once cooked, remove from the heat and stir in the remaining parsley.
• Serve warm in individual bowls with a drizzle of the extra virgin olive oil and the warm toasted garlic bread.

JACY'S MIDDLE-EASTERN FAVA BEAN STEW

Steps:

• To make harissa paste: Heat a dry skillet over high heat and add coriander, caraway and cumin seeds. Shake pan gently until spices become fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and pour seeds into mortar and grind with pestle to a fine powder. Add garlic, salt, paprika and dried red pepper flakes, mashing and stirring until garlic is incorporated with the spices. Mixture will be dry and crumbly. Add enough of the 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil until you have a thick paste. Use fewer pepper flakes if you prefer less heat. Set aside.
• Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil into a large pot and add minced onions and garlic. Cook slowly over low heat until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Push onions aside in the pot, and stir in the anchovies. Cook anchovies until they soften, mashing them with the back of a wooden spoon until they dissolve. Stir together with the onion and garlic mixture.
• Add the butternut squash, carrots, bell pepper, frozen peas and a pinch of salt. Stir and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Pour in the stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for about a minute.
• Stir in the drained fava beans, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf and harissa paste (from step 1). Add brown sugar and pomegranate molasses. Bring back to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook uncovered for about 1 1/2 hours. The long, slow cooking time allows the flavors to deepen.
• Just before serving, stir in the chopped parsley. Top with the mint, if you like.

VERACRUZ-STYLE FAVA BEAN STEW

Steps:

• Place fava beans in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a simmer and let cook for 40 minutes or until the beans are tender.
• While the beans are cooking, heat oil in a large pot set to medium heat. Add onions and sweat for 3-4 minutes or until the onions are tender and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.
• Pour the crushed tomatoes over the onions and simmer for 3 minutes.
• Add the olives, capers, oregano, pickled jalapeños, and bay leaf. Mix well.
• Drain the cooked fava beans and add them to the pot with the onion mixture.
• Pour 1 cup of vegetable broth into the pot and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Season to taste and serve with rice.

BAGHALI GHATOGH (FAVA BEAN STEW)

Steps:

• Add the oil and garlic to a medium pot, then set it over medium-low heat. Cook the garlic, stirring often, until fragrant and cooked, taking care not to burn it, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the turmeric, stir and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the beans, dill, 1½ teaspoons salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Stir gently so the beans don't break, and cook for about 3 minutes, just so the flavors meld and no longer taste raw.
• Increase the heat to medium-high, add enough water to cover the beans, about 2 cups (or more as needed, if you're using cannellini beans, which absorb more liquid), and bring to a gentle boil. Partially cover with the lid barely ajar, reduce the heat to medium-low, and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, but still maintain their shape (no mushy beans please), and the flavors have come to life, about 12 minutes.
• Taste the beans and liquid for salt and pepper, and adjust as needed. The stew should be juicy enough to serve over rice, but if it seems too liquidy, remove the lid and cook a little longer to reduce it, keeping in mind that the eggs will also thicken it up. Add a little more water if the stew is too thick.
• Increase the heat to medium and add the eggs one at a time. If poaching whole eggs, use 4 eggs and make individual wells in the stew before adding each egg. Cook, uncovered, until the whites set and the yolk is cooked to desired consistency, 3 to 5 minutes. (Alternately, you can stir the eggs in: Add 3 eggs, then run a spoon through each egg to break them apart and cook, slightly covered, until the eggs set, about 3 to 5 minutes.) Taste, add more water if the stew is too thick, adjust seasoning and serve.

VERACRUZ-STYLE SAUCE

Steps:

• In a medium stockpot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add whole garlic cloves, and cook, stirring, until golden on all sides. Remove garlic and discard. Add minced garlic and the onion. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced, about 15 minutes.
• Add olives, chiles, capers, bay leaves, parsley, thyme, marjoram, oregano, salt, canela, and wine. Cook until the sauce has thickened to desired consistency, 15 to 20 minutes. Taste and adjust for seasoning. If using fresh whole herbs, remove and discard before serving.

FUUL (SOMALI-STYLE FAVA BEAN STEW)

Steps:

• In a medium pot or deep skillet over medium heat, warm up the olive oil. Once the olive oil is hot, add the onion and stir. Let the onions cook, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and almost translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Once the onions have cooked, add in the garlic and let it cook until it softens, about 2 minutes. Add the roughly chopped tomatoes and let them cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 8 minutes or until they start to break down. Add the salt.
• While the tomato mixture cooks, prepare the xawaash mix: Add the cumin, coriander, black pepper, cinnamon and cardamom to a small nonstick pan. Toast over low heat, stirring continuously, for 1 minute or until the spice mix becomes fragrant.
• Add the xawaash mix to the simmering tomato and onions. While the tomatoes finish cooking, add the rinsed fava beans to a medium bowl and use a pestle to mash them until there are almost no whole beans left. Stir the mashed beans into the tomatoes.
• Stir in the tomato sauce, 1 cup of water and the chopped cilantro leaves into the bean and tomato mixture. Cover the pan and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. Stir in up to an additional ⅓ cup of water if the stew gets too thick.
• Serve the fuul with anjero, if desired. Leftovers keep for about a week in the refrigerator.

FAVA BEAN STEW WITH BULGUR

Steps:

• In a large, lidded skillet or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions. Cook, stirring, until tender, about five minutes. Add the garlic, half the parsley, half the cilantro and salt to taste. Continue to cook for another minute or two, stirring. Add the tomatoes, and cook, stirring often, for 10 to 15 minutes until the tomatoes have cooked down and smell fragrant.
• Add the fava beans, tomato paste, cinnamon, paprika, cayenne and 2 cups water, or enough to just cover the vegetables, and bring to a simmer. Simmer 30 minutes or until the favas are tender and the stew very fragrant. Stir in the remaining parsley and cilantro, grind in some pepper and taste and adjust salt.
• While the stew is simmering, reconstitute the bulgur. Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the bulgur and salt to taste, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Remove from the heat and uncover. Place a clean dish towel over the pan, then replace the lid. Allow to sit undisturbed for 10 minutes. Alternatively, place the bulgur in a medium bowl with salt to taste, and cover with 2 cups hot or boiling water. Allow to sit for 20 to 25 minutes until most of the water is absorbed. Drain through a strainer, and squeeze out the water.
• Spoon bulgur into wide soup bowls, and top with the fava bean stew. Drizzle on some olive oil, and serve.