Crunch Time - Sugar Snap Pea and Fava Bean Salad

This is yet another recipe that found its way into my repertoire after a trip to the Copley Square Farmers Market. If you're looking for a dish with bright, fresh flavors and tons of crunch, give this one a try. This recipe goes together in a snap (pun intended...), and it's as easy as brewing a cup of tea.

Crunch Time - Sugar Snap Pea and Fava Bean Salad

2-3 pounds / 1 kg. favas in pods, shelled and peeled*
8 oz. / 250 g. sugar snap peas
2 T. / 30 mL Olive Oil
1 t. / 10 mL chile-infused vinegar**
1/2 t./ 2.5 g. ground coriander seed
1 T. / 15 g. grated pecorino romano
ground pepper to taste.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the peeled favas; blanch for 30 seconds, then remove from the water using a fine-meshed sieve to fish them out of the water - don't pour out the water (you'll use the water in the next step to blanch the sugar snap peas). Once the favas are removed, rinse them with cold water and add them to a large container with a lid.

Next, add the sugar snap peas to the boiling water. Blanch these for 1-2 minutes (no more than 2); then drain. Rinse the sugar snap peas under cold water, then add them to the container along with the favas.

Add the olive oil, vinegar, and coriander seed to the container with the favas and sugar snap peas. Toss to coat, then chill in refrigerator for at least one hour.

Just before serving, toss in the pecorino romano and ground pepper. No need to add salt - pecorino romano is naturally salty!


* For instructions on preparing favas, click here.
** If you do not have chile-infused vinegar, simply use 1 t./ 10 mL red wine vinegar and add a dash of cayenne pepper.

Nutritional information: serves four as a side dish. 163 calories, 9.3 g. fat, 18.5 g. carbohydrates, 7.1 g. protein.

Ingredient Spotlight - Fava Beans; Recipe - Fresh Fava Beans with Tomato and Pecorino



from Popscreen.com

Can anyone in the US hear the word “favas” without thinking of Hannibal Lecter and his nice Chee-antee? (It’s one of my favorite movies, but I still curse it for launching 100,000 mispronunciations of my favorite wine!) Outside of mentions in movie references, favas are not often featured in American cuisine. The Italians, however, have been spinning up great fava bean dishes for centuries, and the June issue of La Cucina Italiana features an entire spread of recipes starring these beans.

Tonight, I spotted a basket of fresh fava pods in Savenor’s market, so I added a few handfuls to my bag. Originally, I was going to bring them home and set them aside until I procured the ingredients necessary to make one of La Cucina’s recipes, but instead, I chose to use them immediately and make one of my tried-and-true springtime favorites - favas with tomato and pecorino.

If you come across fresh fava bean pods during your next trip to the market, be sure to try this recipe. It takes some time, but the fresh, clean flavors make it worth the effort.

Fresh Fava Beans with Tomato and Pecorino

4 lb. / 1.75 kilo favas in pods (about 4 c. when shelled)
4 medium sized fresh tomatoes, seeded and cut into small dice
4 T / 60 g pecorino romano, chopped or coarsely grated
1 large clove garlic, crushed with the flat edge of a knife
5 T / 75 mL top-quality olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 t. / 15 g smoked sea salt

First, you must prepare the favas. This step can be done ahead of time. Some people like to boil the pods whole and then shell them, but I prefer to peel the pods open and pop the individual beans out - it takes a little longer, but if you’re cooking with others, this is a great shared task to do over a glass of wine and some great conversation. Or, if you’re cooking alone, pop on your hands-free headset and call someone you haven’t talked to in a while, or do it while you’re watching your favorite TV show.

Once the favas are out of the pods, boil them for 1-2 minutes in boiling water. Once they’ve cooked for about 2 minutes and they’ve swelled a bit, drain them immediately and rinse in cold water. Now, you’re ready to slip the beans out of their skins - simply pierce the skins with your thumbnail and squeeze; the bean should pop right out. Once the skin is removed from all the beans, you’re ready to prepare the salad.

Combine the shelled and peeled favas with the tomatoes, pecorino, garlic, and olive oil. Gently stir to combine. Refrigerate for about an hour, checking at 10-15 minute intervals to gently toss.

Once the salad has chilled for at least an hour, remove the garlic clove, and add the smoked salt and a generous sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper. Stir to combine, and serve in individual bowls with a crisp Italian white wine.


Nutritional info: 4 servings. Per serving - 505 calories, 22 g fat, 34.6 g carbohydrates, 24.2 g protein