broad beans

crema di fave e scapi florali d’aglio / fava bean and garlic scape spread

| Simona
fava bean and garlic scape spread

a creamy shade of green

For the current edition of Cook the Books, we are reading The United States of Arugula by David Kamp (2006). I don't think I can add much to the many reviews the book has received since its publication. It is undoubtedly an important book, very interesting and pleasant to read. Kamp's book paints a complete and complex picture that helps the reader understand how certain aspects of the food world in the US evolved to be the way they are now.

My perspective in reading the book is that of an outsider-insider: I am an Italian who moved to the San Francisco Bay Area (theater of a number of the developments narrated in the book) as an adult (18 years ago), with well-established food roots. I learned not only to cook but to enjoy doing so, and, as a result, I eat out only very rarely. Finally, I don't watch television. From this special perspective, the story told in the book is fascinating, and also puzzling. I am very much Italian in my approach to food and totally immune from the obsession with French cuisine depicted in the book. Such obsession puzzles me.

Kamp dedicates some thoughtful paragraphs to Italian cuisine. You can read an example here. This excerpt brought to my mind two things. First, the 1996 movie Big Night, which shows very nicely the tension between Italian regional cuisine and Americans' perception of it influenced by the Italian-American community. Then, an episode from my previous life. Before moving to the US, one summer, I worked at a Club Med resort in Morocco. The guests came from France, Italy, Belgium, Germany, the UK. One evening, the dining room was divided into two sections: in one, guests would be served a French menu, in the other, an Italian menu. At dinner time, things did not quite go as expected: almost everybody wanted to go into one section — and it was not the one where French food would be served. As Marcella Hazan says in the passage referenced above with regards to Italian food, "it's food that you eat with pleasure… You don't have to analyze it, you just enjoy that it's so."

fava bean pod

The recipe that follows is connected to another page of the book, where Ms. Betty Fussell's comment on food hype is reported, within the context of an assessment of Alice Waters' contribution to the discussion on food ways. (You can read the page here.) These Fussell's words made me smile: "little tiny Italian fava-bean grower down the road." I am actually happy that nowadays I can find fresh fava beans at the farmers' market (and fava greens too), a food that is quite common in Italy and that I ate often as a kid.

garlic head and scapes

The other element of the recipe is garlic scapes. The scape is the elegant leafless "stem from which the seed head of the garlic bulb is formed" (source). Garlic scapes are a relatively recent entry in my kitchen: they have gained in popularity in recent years and are now easily found at farmers' market, appearing at the same time as fava beans, a coincidence that I interpreted as a suggestion.

Most recipes I have seen use scapes to make a variation of pesto, or as a side dish, roasted. My spread tastes of fresh fava beans, of aromatic garlic scapes and of pungent fiore sardo cheese. In this small dish, I bring together my Italian heritage and my experience with interesting ingredients I find in Californian farmers' markets. More than an exact recipe, this is an invitation to play with the main ingredients. It is also a variation on the classic Italian combination of fava beans and pecorino cheese.

Note: Savory has a flavor reminiscent of thyme, with mint and pepper tones. I have a bush of winter savory (santoreggia montana) in my herb garden, and I like to experiment with it. If you don't have it, try using one or two leaves of fresh mint (menta).

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Fava bean and garlic scape spread

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/4 lb. fresh fava beans in their pod (about 1 1/4 cup shelled)
  • 2 1/2-3 oz. [70-85 g] garlic scapes
  • 1 teaspoon fresh winter savory, optional (see note above)
  • 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
  • 3 tablespoons freshly grated fiore sardo
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • Fine sea salt, to taste

Shell fava beans and blanch them for one minute, drain them and plunge them into a bowl of cold water. Drain them again, then remove the skin from the beans to bring their bright green core to light. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Cut thinner portion of garlic scapes (above the bulge); if they've yellowed, discard. Spread all the scapes onto a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat and sprinkle with olive oil and a bit of sea salt. Bake for 12 minutes, then remove the thinner pieces. Bake the rest for another 3-4 minutes. Let cool slightly, then coarsely chop scapes. (This seems complicated, but the top of the scapes ends up charred and I am trying to avoid that. If it still happens, snap off the charred portion and discard it before proceeding with the recipe.)

Put fava beans and scapes in the food processor and pulse to chop. Add herbs and process some more, then add the cheese and process briefly. While pulsing, dribble the oil into the feeding tube, then the lemon juice. Finally, sprinkle a bit of salt and process to a smooth paste by pulsing for several seconds at a time.

I have found that it is better to allow the ingredients to influence each other for a bit before changing the balance, so let the spread rest for 20 minutes or so, then taste and adjust seasoning (salt, lemon juice). Refrigerate until ready to use and take out of the refrigerator in advance, so that the spread in not cold when you serve it.

In the top photo, I am using a grissino as a vehicle for some of the spread.

CtBThis is my contribution to the current edition of Cook the Books, hosted by Jo of Food Junkie, Not Junk Food. You can find the guidelines for participating in the event here, and here is the announcement.

This post contains the roundup of the event.

MLLA47LogoI am also sending this to My Legume Love Affair 47, the current edition of the popular, legume-centered event created by Susan, The Well-Seasoned Cook, and hosted this month by Priya of Mharo Rajasthan's Recipes. This post contains the roundup of the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

crema di fave e scapi florali d'aglio

or launch the crema di fave e scapi florali d'aglio audio file [mp3].

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fava bean, garlic scape

minestra di fave e piselli / fava bean and English pea soup

| Simona

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

fava bean and pea soup

a flavorful soup

Fresh fava beans and English peas (a.k.a., garden peas) were among the purchases I made last Sunday, at the Temescal Farmers’ Market (Oakland, CA). By the time I had finished my shopping, I had already decided they would be married in a soup. I had to laugh aloud, considering how much I disliked both fava bean soup and pea soup, when my mother prepared them.

It wasn’t only that I did not like either legume, but that I also had to shell them, a task hardly enjoyable for a child or teenager. Now, I don’t mind doing it and since I don’t like the skin of fava beans (which was the reason why I did not like the soup made with them), I also remove that.

The soup I made was inspired by this Tuscan recipe for onion soup on the Accademia Italiana della Cucina site (in Italian). In my soup, the balance of ingredients is different, so the result is a spring legume soup where the flavor of the fresh legumes shines brightly.

Print-friendly version of briciole’s recipe for Fava bean and English pea soup

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/4 lb. [570 g] fresh fava beans
  • 1 lb. [450 g] fresh English peas
  • olive oil
  • 8 oz. [225 g] red onion (cipolla rossa), finely chopped
  • 2 scallions, sliced into thin rounds
  • 1 celery rib (costa di sedano), finely chopped
  • 1 carrot (carota), scrubbed and chopped
  • 1.5 cup [355 ml] homemade light chicken stock or vegetable option
  • 1 cup [240 ml] water
  • 4-5 basil leaves, slivered
  • sea salt and freshly milled black pepper
  • slices of rye bread (pane di segale), or of other bread of choice
  • freshly grated fiore sardo

Shell peas and fava beans. Blanch fava beans for one minute, drain them and plunge them into a bowl of cold water. Drain them again and then remove the skin from the beans to bring their bright green core to light. Set aside.

Warm olive oil in a soup pot and add onion and scallions. Stir to coat and let cook for a few minutes. Add carrot and celery, stir and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring often. Add the broth and water, cover, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and gently cook for 20 minutes, until the onion is soft.

Add the peas and basil, and cook for 5 minutes, then add the fava beans. Cook until the legumes are tender to your liking. Taste after 5-7 minutes and evaluate how much more time is needed. Adjust salt and pepper. When the soup is almost ready, toast the bread and line the bottom of soup bowls. Pour hot soup over the bread and let sit for a minute, then sprinkle cheese on the soup and serve immediately.

This soup is totally worth the effort needed to prepare the legumes.

Whb3341This is my contribution to edition #334 of Weekend Herb Blogging, an event started by Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen, now organized by Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once and hosted this week by Brii of briggishome.

This post contains the roundup of the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

minestra di fave e piselli

or launch the minestra di fave e piselli audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

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soup, fava beans, English peas

Newrule

minestra di fave e piselli

minestra di fave e piselli

una minestra saporita

Al Temescal Farmers’ Market (Oakland, CA) domenica scorsa ho comprato fave e piselli freschi. Non mi ci è voluto molto per decidere che avrei fatto sposare i due legumi in una minestra. Mi è venuto da ridere, considerando quanto detestassi sia la minestra di fave che quella di piselli che preparava mia madre.

Il problema non era solo che non mi piacevano i due legumi, ma che toccava a me sgranarli, un compito non proprio divertente per una ragazzina. Adesso la cosa non mi dispiace affatto e dal momento che non mi piace la buccia delle fave (il motivo per cui non mi piaceva la minestra di fave), tolgo anche quella.

Per la minestra che ho preparato mi sono ispirata a una ricetta toscana per una minestra di cipolle che ho trovato sul sito dell’Accademia Italiana della Cucina. Nella mia minestra l’equilibrio degli ingredienti è diverso e il risultato è una minestra di legumi primaverile nella quale splende il sapore dei legumi freschi.

Ingredienti:

  • 570 g fave fresche
  • 450 g piselli freschi
  • olio d’oliva
  • 225 g cipolla rossa, tagliata a pezzetti
  • 2 cipolle verdi, tagliate e rondelle fini
  • 1 costa di sedano, tagliata a pezzetti
  • 1 carota, tagliata a pezzetti
  • 355 ml brodo di pollo leggero fatto in casa, o brodo vegetale
  • 240 ml acqua
  • 4-5 foglie di basilico
  • sale fino e pepe macinato fresco, q.b.
  • fettine di pane di segale o di altro pane a scelta
  • fiore sardo macinato fresco

Sgranare piselli e fave. Sbollentare le fave per un minuto, scolarle e versarle in acqua fredda. Scolarle di nuovo e sbucciarle.

Scaldare dell’olio d’oliva in una pentola e aggiungere i due tipi di cipolla. Mescolare e far cuocere alcuni minuti, poi aggiungere carota e sedano, mescolare e lasciare cuocere per 5-7  minuti. Versare il brodo e l’acqua nella pentola. Coprire, portare ad ebollizione e poi cuocere a fuoco dolce per 20 minuti, fino a quando la cipolla sia tenera.

Aggiungere i piselli e il basilico a pezzetti, e cuocere a fuoco dolce per 5 minuti, poi aggiungere le fave. Cuocere fino a quando i legumi siano teneri in accordo al vostro gusto. Assaggiare dopo 5-7 minuti e valutare quanto tempo sia ancora necessario. Condire con sale e pepe a seconda del gusto. Quando la minestra è quasi pronta, tostare il pane e disporlo sul fondo dei piatti da minestra. Versarci sopra la minestra bollente e lasciar riposare per un minuto, poi spargere del formaggio sulla superficie e servire immediatamente.

Questa minestra ripaga dello sforzo necessario per preparare i legumi.

Whb3341Questo post è il mio contributo all’edizione numero 334 di Weekend Herb Blogging, un evento creato da Kalyn di Kalyn’s Kitchen, organizzato ora da Haalo di Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once, la cui versione italiana è organizzata da Brii di briggishome, e ospitata questa settimana da A.B.C. di Fragoliva.

Questo post contiene la raccolta dell’evento.

recipe: fava bean and English pea soup (minestra di fave e piselli)

| Simona

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purè di fave e bietola / fava (or broad) bean and chard purée

| Simona

shelled and skinned fava beans

This dish was created with the help of Ms Serendipity, that nice companion of many adventures in the kitchen (and elsewhere). It all started at the farmers’ market, the day after I got back from a week of vacation, earlier this month. I saw fave fresche (fresh fava beans) and bought a pound. I got the beans out of their pods and blanched them briefly, plunged them in ice cold water, let them cool for a few minutes, then removed the outer layer.

IMGP8072

From my market tote bag out came a nice leek (porro), and I decided to marry it to the fave. I cooked the thinly sliced leek in a frying pan with olive oil and the leaves of two sprigs of thyme (timo) until quite soft, about 10 minutes. I put a lid on and added some water, as needed, to keep the leek moist. I then added the blanched fave and warmed them up for a couple of minutes. After seasoning with salt and freshly-ground black pepper, I put the content of the pan in the food processor and started the machine. The consistency of the resulting mash was not to my liking, so I started thinking, and that is where Ms Serendipity came into the picture.

IMGP8073

From the already-mentioned tote bag out came a bunch of bietola (also called bieta, chard). I have never seen rainbow chard in Italy (literally, bietola “arcobaleno”), i.e., chard whose stalks are of a color other than white. I usually buy rainbow chard, because I like the colorful stalks. I washed the chard leaves (about 3/4 lb) and let some water cling to them, then cut away the stalks (which I used to make another dish: more on this in a future post). I sliced the leaves into ribbons (no more than one inch wide), then wilted them for a few minutes in a covered pan. Finally, I added the chard to the food processor and started the machine again.

This time, I liked what I saw and tasted. Dinner time was fast approaching, so I decided I would let my guests give me feedback on the dish. The feedback was positive and, as a result, I have made this purée a couple of more times. Here’s how I served it:

  • as is, as a side dish
  • as a filling for a frittatina (thin one-egg frittata) that I garnished with crumbled fresh chèvre (caprino)
  • as sauce for gnocchi di ricotta.

MLLA11 Logo 350 I am sure I will find additional ways to enjoy this dark green, highly nutritious dish.

This is my submission for My Legume Love Affair – Eleventh Helping, the popular, legume-centered event that is the brainchild of Susan, The Well-Seasoned Cook and is hosted this month by Lori Lyn of Taste with the Eyes.

Here is the roundup. Check also who is hosting the next edition of the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post: 

purè di fave e bietola

or launch the purè di fave e bietola  audio file [mp3].