Sauteed Spinach And Fava Beans Recipes

SAUTEED SPINACH AND WHITE BEANS

Steps:

• Heat a large saute pan over medium heat, and add olive oil. Add diced onion, and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes.
• Add garlic, and cook 1 minute. Add beans, and cook until hot and slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the spinach and vinegar, stirring frequently until spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes. Add the thyme, and season with the salt and pepper. Serve.

SAUTéED FAVA BEANS

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Remove the fava beans from their pods. They usually have a stringier side; simply "unzip" them open by pulling that string off. Place the beans in a bowl and discard the pods.
• Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, add a generous amount of salt to make for very salty water, and blanch the beans for about 1 minute.
• Drain the fava beans and rinse with cold water to cool them off until they're cool enough to handle.
• Once easy to handle, squeeze each bean from the waxy whitish skin it's covered in. Remove the shells from all beans. Reserve the clean beans.
• In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the fava beans. Cook, stirring frequently, until the favas are tender, or about 3 minutes.
• Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with the fresh herbs if using and serve immediately.
• Enjoy!

GABRIEL'S SAUTEED FAVA BEANS

Steps:

• First, shell the beans from the fava pods (I found it's sometimes easier - especially if you're new to fava beans - to open the pods when you run the edge of a knife along the seam, cutting away the tough edge so that the pod halves come apart).
• In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil, then add salt - the amount depends on how much water you have, but it should be very salty, like seawater.
• In a bowl, combine ice and tap water to make ice water; set aside.
• Add the shelled beans to the boiling water and let cook for about 3 minutes, then remove from saucepan and immediately plunge into the ice water to halt the cooking.
• Let the beans cool, then peel the outer skin from each of them.
• Over medium heat in a skillet, melt together the butter and olive oil, then add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
• Add the peeled fava beans and sauté for about 5 to 7 minutes, or until they are done to your preference.
• Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper, serve, and enjoy!
• Note: in choosing your fava beans, get the pods that are firm and fresh looking; also, if you're feeling silly, have these along with your favorite liver dish and a nice Chianti.
• Note 2: once you've made these basic fava beans, you can add other delicious items such as caramelized onions or fennel, chunky fresh tomatoes, and/or a bit of chopped proscuitto.
• Note 3: I asked Gabriel if favas could be frozen effectively, and he said that yes, you can shuck them and blanch them for 1 minute at most, then freeze them in a single layer on a sheet in the freezer before putting them into bags; great bright green color and no mushiness in texture; thaw, peel, and use as usual.