At last week's Headhouse farmers' market, I picked up a small bag of fava beans (I'd never eaten them before and I was intrigued enough to purchase a few to give 'em a try). Cooking fava beans is not a simple task. First they are shelled, then boiled for several minutes before being popped into an ice water bath after which their outer skins are removed. When cooked, they have a buttery, nutty taste. Since I only had about a quarter cup of fava beans (after all that work!), I mixed them into a dip made with garlic scapes and cannellini beans. The result was a zesty, fresh-tasting dip perfect for dunking carrot sticks or spreading onto savory crackers.
Fava-Garlic Scape White Bean Dip (printer-friendly version)
makes about 1 cup
1/4 cup fava beans (see preparation notes below)
1/3 cup garlic scapes, chopped
juice of one small lime
1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
To prepare the fava beans:
1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Shell the fava beans. Add the shelled beans to the boiling water. Cook for five minutes.
3. Prepare a small bowl of ice water. After five minutes have passed, drain the shelled beans and add the beans to the ice water bath.
4. Gently remove the outer skin from each bean. Place the prepped beans in a small bowl and set aside until ready to use.
To make the dip:
1. Add the fava beans, garlic scapes, cannellini beans, and lime juice to the bowl of a food processor. Process until roughly pureed.
2. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Process for an additional 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides if necessary.
3. Slowly stream in the olive oil while processing.
4. Spoon the dip into a serving bowl and serve with chopped veggies, such as carrots, or savory crackers.
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