This treatment of favas is especially good when you have more mature beans which can have a more assertive taste and are starchier. This recipe works fine with young favas, and the taste is really bright and makes a great sauce for fish like halibut or other firm white fish. Depending on how much you mash the beans and how much oil or stock you use, this recipe can be used as a topping or dip for crostini or as a sauce for fish or vegetables or pasta.
INGREDIENTS: 1½ cups of peeled favas 1 cloves of garlic, peeled, germ removed, minced finely (2 cloves if you are using mature beans and you want more garlic) ¼ white or yellow onion, minced finely ½ tablespoon fresh marjoram or oregano, minced 1 cup of mild vegetable stock or water Extra Virgin olive oil as needed Salt and pepper to taste
METHOD:
In a small sauté pan, sauté the onions and garlic in a little olive oil until very soft, but do allow them to color. Add 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan and add the beans. Gently cook the beans a few minutes, stirring to coat the beans. Add the stock, and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the herbs and simmer until the beans are very tender. Add liquid to keep the beans from scorching. As soon as the beans are very tender, but not disintegrating, remove from the heat and mash the beans.
If you are using the beans as a topping or a dip, mash the beans so there are still large chunks of whole bean. Use olive oil to achieve a velvety texture and give the beans some liquidity. If you are going to puree the beans for use as a sauce, puree the beans with a little stock to a mustard-like consistency, and then emulsify with oil to achieve a sauce-like texture. If you wish, you can use stock or water to thin the sauce a little more. Taste and season with salt and pepper. The dish is ready for use. Serve hot, warm, or room temperature.
Chef’s Notes:
Leaving the favas a little chunky is great for serving as a dip or topping crostini. You can also toss it with cubes of firm tofu and drizzle with a good balsamic vinegar for a salad, or use this to dress sautéed broccoli or cauliflower. Also good with steamed shrimp served hot or cold or pounded grilled boneless skinless chicken. Pureed and thinned a little, this makes an elegant and full flavored sauce for things like grilled fish (think halibut, sword, salmon) or even sautéed fish (sole, tilapia). It can be used as a pasta sauce also. Try adding a little lemon juice and tossing with pasta and bits of vegetables (you could add the chopped vegetables to the pasta water in the last 4-5 minutes of cooking if you wish to make a simple, really quick dish). For pasta, grating Romano over the dish is a perfect match. The puree would work saucing a sauté of summer squash, too.
Serves: 4
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
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