Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Fabulous Favas!

I finally harvested the fava beans from my planter box, and BOY-o-BOY, did we grow a lot of fava beans! Luckily, I love favas.

First you start out with a huge pile of fava beans. The first step is to remove the husks.

Then you lightly cook them and remove the next layer of skins. Isn't that crazy? From that huge pile of bean pods to this modest, little bowl of ready-to-eat beans.

I put these favas to use in a wonderful salad with artichoke hearts, following a recipe from Madhur Jafrey's "World Vegetarian Cooking." I noticed her note that this was one of her favorite recipes in the whole book - and I also really loved it. It's simple, seasonal, and perfect just as it is.

Another night I made some delicious French Lentil Soup (from "Voluptuous Vegan"), favas on the side, and toasted homemade french bread. The lightness of the favas and toast were a perfect balance to the hearty soup. Yummmmmmy.

Here's the bread I made - following Mark Bittman's easier/faster no-knead bread. Totally delicious and amazing - I can't believe it only takes 4-5 hours to get the same rise and flavor. I love it and I will make it over and over and over again.

14 comments:

  1. I love fava beans! Pairing them with artichoke sounds like a wonderful idea, I must try this soon!

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  2. it's awesome that you grew fava beans! how classy.

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  3. Anonymous4:17 AM

    Where is the link to the bread? It sounds AMAZING!

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  4. Anonymous7:00 AM

    wow everything looks really good! Thanks for the pictures of the favas, I have read about how to prepare them but have never seen it done.

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  5. GET OUT!!!
    I can't believe you grew those favas yourself. I am impressed, but then you impress me a lot. Want to meet me in Dallas to see Amma next month???

    xo
    kittee

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  6. I've never tried fava beans but they're on my list. That loaf of bread looks pretty tasty :)

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  7. I've never even had a fava bean! Can you believe that? I love how bright green they are. And I love the action of shelling peas and beans...last year, I picked a bunch of baby limas. And then I brought a bagful to my favorite bar and shelled peas on the patio over beers with my friends. People looked at me funny...but whatev.

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  8. favas are awesome! i love mark bittman too. i should try that bread recipe.

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  9. Oh my gosh, I am so jealous! I'm dying to try fava beans but can't find them anywhere...! I guess I just need to grow my own next year, too.

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  10. I hate canned favas. I would LOVE to find some fresh and it looks like they would be worth the trouble. What yummy beans and bread!

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  11. Oh I'm so jealous of your homegrown favas!! And that bread.... mmmmmm.

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  12. I had a weird dream the other night that involved fava beans... what the hell?

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  13. Ya gotta love the no knead bread! My family loves this one too! Yours looks great!

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  14. Oooh, I love favas! That bread looks fabulous, Amey!

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