Рецепт Spring Kick-Off: Fresh Fava Puree and Garlicky Sauteed Chicory (and a Lightroom 4 Giveaway)
This dish is normally made with dried fava beans and is actually a winter dish, made when the chicory is able to be freshly picked. We decided to try it with fresh fava beans and, wow, I could eat the fava puree as a dish by itself. This would make a really elegant first course to a spring-centric meal. I think using frozen fava’s would work well after fava season is long gone. Use reconstituted dried fava beans for a traditional touch. Because we do not grow Italian-style chicory, I used escarole (which is a form of chicory) and it worked well. If you have never tasted Italian chicory, know that the flavor is heads and shoulders above what we offer here. It’s called puntarelle and is actually the new/young/tender chicory shoots. It’s unbelievably delicious and I so wish we could easily buy it here. It is often used to make another traditional Roman dish, aptly titled “puntarelle” which is sauteed greens with a garlic and anchovy sauce.
Give this beautiful seasonal and spring dish a shot at home while fresh favas are still available. You will NOT be disappointed and will be licking the sides of your blender as if you just whipped us some cookie dough! Now scroll to the bottom to see how to enter to win a copy of Lightroom 4 (after you check out the recipe, of course).
FRESH FAVA BEAN PUREE AND CHICORY (Fave e cicoria) – serves 2-3 as an ample appetizer
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs of fresh fava beans
- extra virgin olive oil
- 3-4 finely minced garlic cloves
- 1 shallot
- 1 teaspoon peperoncino (hot pepper flakes)
- 1 head of chicory/escarole
- salt and pepper to taste
What to do:
Prepare your fresh fava beans by shelling, blanching and removing each bean. Drain and put in a blender. Add about 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil to a pan and, on low-medium heat, add 1 or 2 cloves of minced garlic to the pan and slowly soften. You do not want to get much color (if any) on the garlic, just soften it while also softening the taste. After a few minutes of softening the garlic, add it to the blender with the fava beans. Begin to puree. Add more olive oil and a bit of water (maybe only 1/4 cup at first – this all depends on the amount of fava beans used). You want a puree that is thick-ish and not thin. Add a pinch of salt and taste – add more to taste. Set aside.
Boil some water. Chop the bottom off the escarole and add it to the boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Drain in a colander and set aside. In a separate pan, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil and add the shallots. After a minute, add the last of the garlic – allow to saute for a minute. Add the drained escarole, a pinch of salt and a pinch of peperoncino and saute for an additional minute or two. Prepare your dish by spooning enough fava bean puree on to a plate and top with the sauteed escarole. Serve with some white wine and a piece of crusty bread. Enjoy!
LIGHTROOM 4 GIVEAWAY:
Contest begins now and ends noon (EST) Thursday, May 3rd, 2012. It’s easy. In the comment section, just answer this question: “How would you use Lightroom 4 to improve your own food or personal photos?”. We’ll announce the winner on 5/3/12 and whomever wins must have a NON-PO Box address in order to mail the product! Thanks for playing and please feel free to share a link to this contest via Twitter, Facebook, etc. etc.