Spring is here and with it I share a little piece of my urban vegetable garden. Over the winter, a crop of fava beans emerged among my daikon and rosemary after several seasons when it was initially given to me as sprouts by our urban farming neighbor Courtney Guerra about a year ago when she first moved to the area. This recipe was passed down to me by nutritionist Lauren Rashap and my hope is you may enjoy it as much as I have.
Fava beans, also known as broad beans, are bursting with nutritional benefits. Excellent sources of fiber, folate, and low-fat protein, these pale green beans have long been popular in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Europe.
A one cup serving of cooked fava beans provides 187 calories, 33 g of carbohydrates, 13 g of protein, and 1 g of fat. Fava beans are an excellent source of fiber with 9 g per one serving. Additionally, fava beans offer the benefit of 177 mcg of folate, or 44 percent of the daily value. Copper, manganese, and phosphorus are also key nutrients.
Ingredients
1 gluten-free baguette or bezian sourdough
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, 1 whole and 1 finely minced
2½ pounds fava beans in their pods
1/2 cup of pine nuts
1 small sprig rosemary
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper)
1 lemon for juicing
1/4 lemon wedge for serving
1/4 cup pitted oil cured olives, sliced in half (optional)
¼ cup fresh cilantro
¼ pound raw feta or french feta cheese
Sea Salt
Black pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Cut the baguette or leftover sourdough into twelve 1/2 in thick slices.
Brush both sides of each slice generously with olive oil. Arrange the slices on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven 10 to 12 minutes, until golden and crispy but still tender in the center.
Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
Blanch the beans for about 2 minutes in the boiling water. Drain the beans in a colander. Shock them in ice water, and then slip them out of their pale green skins with your fingers.
Heat a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the remaining olive oil, rosemary sprig, and the chile. Let them sizzle in the oil a minute or two, then stir in the minced garlic. Stir in the fava beans, ¾ teaspoon salt, and some fresh ground black pepper. Simmer the beans 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally until they’re tender. Strain the beans, reserving the oil.
Discard the rosemary.
Transfer the beans into a food processor or Vita Mix and puree them. With the motor running, pour in half the reserved oil slowly, until the puree is velvety smooth. Once the puree is smooth, pour in more of the reserved olive oil to taste. Squeeze in some lemon juice and taste for seasoning.
In a small bowl, crumble in the feta, tossing gently to combine. Top with olives, cilantro, a drizzle of raw olive oil, salt, pepper and a little cayenne if you like it spicy. Serve “hummus” on platter surrounded by grilled toasts or white radish (daikon) sticks or other raw vegetables.