Pages

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Dried Fava Beans and Fresh Asparagus

I know what to do with the asparagus.  It was so beautiful laying there in its stall at the parket.  When it caught my eye I had numerous flash forwards as to how I would be cooking it, leaving a bit of bite in it, and probably adorned with a squeeze of lemon with a poached egg on top or alongside some roasted chicken.
For some reason last night I put some dried fava beans to soak overnight.  This morning I peeled them, and now they're sitting there asking me questions and kind of stressing me out.
Now what?  I have no idea..
B'sarra? I don't have anny dippable items on hand.
Steamed then sauteed in some olive oil and cumin? Will that work with dried beans vs fresh?  They are much much larger than fresh ones so I want to do this right..and I want it to be delicious...

After my lengthy internal conversation, I decided to simmer the peeled favas for 20 minutes in salted water spiked with cumin and piment oiseau, then sautée them in olive oil with garlic, paprika, and cumin.
The end result?
I haven't served dinner yet, but I could eat these as a meal on their own.  They are less mealy than lima beans, yet hold their delicate texture.  The way I cooked them would work as happy hour fare as well as side dish or even pizza fare.
Fava beans, our paths have crossed once and they will forever cross on various adventures.

The asparagus was really the star of the plate, though.  Tough stems cut off, bottoms peeled, tossed in some excellent olive oil, fleur de sel, and fresh cracked pepper, then roasted for 15 minutes at 220°C (430°F) and topped with a light squeeze of lemon.
They were well cooked but still al dente enough for the texture to be exactly the way I like them.
This is the only way asparagus should be eaten as a side.

All that topped with a poached egg, a side of roasted carrots and parsnips with a slice of Beet Tart.

If I were to name it, I would call this meal:  Winter to Spring Transition

No comments:

Post a Comment