An Abundance of Fava Beans
Hello everyone, my name is Dodi and I am the new AmeriCorps VISTA summer associate serving at the good cheer food bank. I graduated from South Whidbey high school and I have been living in Oregon for the past few years and going to school.
Growing up my mother used to make a savory breakfast dish with dried beans called ful. A couple weeks ago I learned these beans she used are actually fava beans. I had fava beans cooked one way my whole life and didn't know what the plants liked like until my first day of work here at the food bank. If your experience with fava beans is anything like mine (limited), then you may have no idea whether you should boil, blanch or bake the fava beans we have an abundance of here at the food bank; the good thing is you can do all three (and more) with them. Here is a quick guide on how to prepare and enjoy your fava beans while they are in season.
Shelling the Beans
Fava beans are different from other legumes in such a way that they can be shelled twice. To remove the outer shell, snap the stem at the end of the fava pod and string the pod down one side to open it. Once the pod is open, remove all beans from the pod. In a large pot bring some water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoons of salt for about every 8 cups of water you use. Add the beans and cook for about 1 minute in the boiling water. After taking the beans out of the boiling water, dip them in an ice bath for about three minutes so they stop cooking and make the second peeling much easier. When the beans are done cooling the peel of the top layer and you have fresh shelled fava beans ready to use in any recipe you want.
Here are a couple of my favorite recipes
1. Fava Bean Dip This recipe is super simple and used ingredients we have locally available
2. Fava Bean Soup An easy soup for a rainy Whidbey Island day
3. Sautéed Fava Beans Pick up some fresh garlic scapes from the food bank and substitute them for the garlic cloves.
4. Pickled Fava Beans Pickled fava beans last at least 6 month and are a guarantee you can enjoy Fava beans in the winter months
5. Fava Bean Ful This is a variation of ful my mother made when I was growing up. It uses fresh beans and some cherry tomatoes.
I hope you get to try and enjoy some of these recipes this summer while fava beans are in season.