Risotto With Artichokes And Fava Beans Recipes

ARTICHOKE RISOTTO

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the artichoke hearts and reduce the heat to medium high. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until the hearts are beginning to brown. Remove to a plate and set aside.
• To the same pan, add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, the butter and the shallots and cook for 1 minute, stirring regularly. Add the rice and salt and stir with a wooden spoon to coat all the kernels with oil. Continue to cook for 3 minutes, or until the rice is sizzling. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until it is almost completely absorbed. Now begin adding the chicken broth, one cup at a time, stirring frequently between additions. After the first cup is almost entirely absorbed, add the next cup. Continue in this way until the rice is cooked through and you have a creamy risotto, about 20 minutes in all. (The risotto should be slightly loose, not dry; it should run off your spoon. If it gets too dry, add a bit more broth.) Stir in the peas, feta, chives, mint and black pepper. Gently stir in the artichoke hearts and the lemon juice. Serve.

RISOTTO WITH PROSCIUTTO AND FAVA BEANS

Steps:

• Lightly steam the fava beans until they are almost but not quite cooked. Set aside.
• Using a large heavy casserole or skillet, cook the shallots in butter and oil until they are translucent. Add the rice and saute until the grains are thoroughly coated. Add the beans and prosciutto and saute for a minute.
• Add a cupful of hot stock and cook, stirring continually until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Add salt and pepper to taste and another half cup of broth. Continue stirring, so that the rice does not stick to the bottom of the pan and add more broth, half a cup at a time until the rice is cooked. It is done when it is al dente.
• Stir in the cheese, correct seasoning, sprinkle with parsley and serve.

FRESH FAVA BEAN AND SHRIMP RISOTTO

Steps:

• Prepare the fava beans, and set aside.
• Shell the shrimp and de-vein if necessary. Retain the shells. Salt the shrimp lightly, and set aside in a bowl (in the refrigerator, if you won't be making and serving the risotto right away). Rinse the shells, and combine them with five cups water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, skim off foam, reduce the heat to low and simmer partially covered for 30 minutes. Strain and add to the chicken stock or water. Taste and add enough salt to make a well-seasoned broth. Bring to a simmer in a saucepan.
• Heat the oil over medium heat in a large nonstick frying pan or a large, wide saucepan. Add the onion (or leek). Cook, stirring, until it softens, three to five minutes. Add the rice and the garlic. Cook, stirring, until the grains of rice are separate and beginning to crackle.
• Stir in the wine, and cook, stirring, over medium heat. The wine should bubble but not too quickly. When it has just about evaporated, stir in a ladleful or two of the simmering stock, just enough to cover the rice. The stock should bubble slowly. Cook, stirring often, until it is almost absorbed. Add another couple of ladles of the stock. Continue to cook for 20 minutes, stirring not too fast and not too slowly, and adding more stock whenever the rice is almost dry.
• Taste a bit of the rice. It should be slightly al dente. Stir in more stock to cover, and add the favas and the shrimp. Cook, stirring, for another five to 10 minutes until the shrimp are pink and cooked through but still moist (this will depend on the size of the shrimp) and the favas are bright. Stir in the parsley and another small ladle of stock. Remove from the heat, add pepper, stir for a few seconds and serve.

RISOTTO WITH ARTICHOKES AND FAVA BEANS

Steps:

• Remove the fava beans from the pods and peel the skins off the beans. Set them aside. Cut the top third from the artichokes. Cut the chokes into quarters and remove the choke with a sharp knife. Squeeze the juice of the lemon into a bowl of cold water and add the artichoke quarters as they are peeled. This will prevent them from turning brown.
• Bring the chicken or vegetable broth to simmer.
• Heat the butter in a large skillet and saute the shallots until they are soft. Slice the artichoke quarters and add them. Saute them lightly, then add the rice and saute, stirring, until it turns opaque.
• Add the wine and let it reduce. Add one cup of hot chicken stock and mix it in so the rice absorbs it. As the liquid is absorbed, add more. Season with salt and pepper to taste. After 10 minutes of cooking, add the fava beans. Continue adding liquid and stir for about 20 minutes all told, or until the rice is al dente. The liquid should be absorbed and the rice creamy. Stir in the cheese, cover for a minute or two, then serve, with extra cheese passed separately.

LAMB TAGINE WITH ARTICHOKES AND FAVA BEANS

Steps:

• Put the meat with the onions, butter or oil, salt, pepper, ginger, and saffron in a pan and cook, turning over the meat, for about 5 minutes. Cover with water and simmer, covered, for 1 1/2 hours, or until the meat is very tender, adding water if it becomes too dry. Remove the lid and reduce the sauce at the end.
• Add the artichoke bottoms, fava beans, and lemon juice and cook 10 minutes, until the artichokes are tender. Add the cilantro and cook 1 or 2 minutes more.
• Serve hot, garnished if you like, with the preserved lemon peel.
• For an Egyptian beef stew with fresh green fava beans: Sauté 1 pound fresh or frozen (and defrosted) beans in 3 tablespoons vegetable oil with 1 pound cubed stewing beef until lightly browned. Add 2 whole garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, salt, and pepper, and cover with water. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the meat is very tender.

RISOTTO WITH ASPARAGUS, FRESH FAVA BEANS AND SAFFRON

Steps:

• Prepare the fava beans. Shell them while you bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Drop the beans into the water, and boil small favas for one minute, large favas for two minutes. Transfer at once to a bowl of ice-cold water. Drain. Remove the skins, using your thumbnail to open up the skin at the spot where the bean attached to the pod, then gently squeezing out the bean.
• Pour the stock or broth into a saucepan, and bring it to a boil. Add the asparagus, and blanch for three minutes. Remove the asparagus with a slotted spoon or skimmer, refresh in a bowl of cold water, drain and set aside. Turn down the heat under the stock, and keep at a simmer with a ladle nearby or in the pot. Make sure that it is well seasoned.
• Heat the oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy skillet or saucepan, and add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until tender, about three minutes. Add the garlic and the rice. Cook, stirring, until the grains of rice are separate and beginning to crackle, about one to two minutes. Rub the saffron between your thumb and fingers, and stir into the rice.
• Add the wine, and stir over medium heat until it has been absorbed by the rice. Begin adding the simmering stock, two ladlefuls (about 1/2 cup) at a time. The stock should just cover the rice and should be bubbling, not too slowly nor too quickly. Cook, stirring often, until the liquid is almost absorbed. Add another ladleful or two of the stock, and continue to cook in this fashion - adding more stock when the rice is almost dry, then stirring - for 15 minutes. Then stir in the asparagus and the fava beans and another ladleful or two of stock. Continue adding stock and stirring the rice for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the rice is cooked al dente and the vegetables are tender. Add more stock to the rice, and stir in the Parmesan, pepper and chives. Remove from the heat. Taste and adjust salt. The rice should be creamy. Stir once and serve right away in wide soup bowls or on plates, spreading the risotto in a thin layer rather than lumping in a mound.