Did you know that Fava (or Broad) beans were the only beans in Europe before the Europeans discovered America? These beans are super healthy, only available in early spring at Farmer’s Markets and very good green grocer’s, and they can be eaten as a salad, a soup, a side dish, a puree to spread on toast, the list goes on. Here is a great article on NPR.org on fava beans including a few recipes that look great: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9163283.
This dish can be found at almost every Catalan restaurant in the spring. It can be made with Chorizo, Jamon Serrano, Morcilla, Longanissa, or even as a vegetarian dish.
Recipe: Faves a la Catalana
Summary: Broad Beans Catalan Style
Ingredients
- 1 kilo or 2lbs of Fava Beans, shelled (aka Broad Beans)
- 400 g or 1 lb of Spanish Chorizo, left whole (not the mexican soft type)
- salt & pepper
- 1 bay leaf, sprig of thyme
- extra virgen olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 glass of white wine
- 1 glass of beef or chicken broth
Instructions
To shell the Fava Beans:
- remove beans from the pods
- parboil for about 1 minute in salted water
- quickly cool and remove beans from the waxy shell by tearing the shell and popping beans out
In a large pot:
-
saute over low heat the garlic and onion until starting to color
- add tomatoes and continue to saute for about 10 more minutes
- add the rest of the ingredients and cook for about 20 minutes or until the beans are soft
- cut the chorizo into bite sized pieces and put back in pot with beans
- serve with crusty french bread
Quick Notes
Serves 6
