ColumnFava beans are a seasonal superfood you should make time to enjoy.

People who don’t like to spend time in the kitchen tend to think that fava beans were surely invented by some sort of cooking sadist. I have a farmer friend who grows them and she won’t even prep them. Instead she puts a pile in the middle of the table and serves them as a “peel & eat” raw dish.

It’s true that you have to peel them twice and its also true that those big giant pods take up a lot of space for a distressingly small yield of actual beans, but I’m here to tell you the return is worth it.

They’re Tasty:

Otherwise, why bother? They have a nutty, slightly sweet flavor that is mild, yet pleasantly “beany.” Favas have a natural affinity for other spring vegetables like peas and asparagus and also pair well with mint, olive oil, and salty cheeses. Sauté them up as a side dish with a nice chop or roast chicken; add them to salads, risotto, or pasta; pureé cooked favas and make a bed for seared scallops or salmon; flavor fava puree with olive oil, lemon, garlic, and oregano and use as a dip for warm pita bread. You get the picture.

They’re Special:

They’re in season for only a short period during spring and they don’t get shipped from far away throughout the year, so enjoy them while you can.

They’re Ancient:

Consumed in ancient Rome, China, and the Middle East since antiquity, favas are one of the oldest domesticated crops. Often associated with death in ancient cultures, they were used in ancient Rome by Christians to celebrate the Day of the Dead.

Pods, Leaves, and Beans are all Edible:

Three cheers for no waste. These days you’ll see tender fava leaves in the farmer’s market all ready to take home and toss into a salad or sauté up like any other green. The pods that house the beans are tasty as a raw, crisp, green snack.

They’re Fertilizer:

Favas, like other legumes, are often planted as a cover crop to fix nitrogen into the soil. Farmers and gardeners call this type of cover crop “green manure.”

Favas have Highly Interesting Health Properties:

Like other beans, favas are a good source of protein and also contain concentrations of vitamins C, A, and B, as well as potassium. Fava beans have some other very appealing health properties that may improve your brain power, mood, and sex life. Their high concentrations of L-dopa (dopamine), an amino acid that works as a neurotransmitter in the brain, may improve memory, energy, sense of well-being, and sex drive. L-dopa is also used as a treatment for Parkinson’s Disease, leading some experts to suggest that eating fava beans may alleviate the symptoms of the disease.

Favas are Just Dangerous Enough to Appeal to Extreme Eaters:

Favas come with their own rare syndrome called favism, which can make some people really sick. It’s a deficiency that sparks a severe form of anemia in sufferers that can even cause death.

The Low-Down on Shopping and Prepping Fava Beans:

Choose vibrant green pods that are smooth and not too large. Larger, more mature beans can be mealy and bitter. A little discoloration is normal. Shuck the beans from the pods and then boil them in salted water or steam them for about 30 – 60 seconds to loosen the opaque white sheath that covers them. Rinse them in cold water to cool and then gently pinch the bright green beans free of their protective skins. Sauté, or add to dishes as is. To serve as a purée, you may need to sauté or boil the beans until tender, especially larger, older beans.

This is the latest installment in Vanessa Barrington’s weekly column, The Green Plate, on the environmental, social, and political issues related to what and how we eat.

Image: bhamsandwich via Flickr

The post The Green Plate: In Praise of the Fava Bean appeared first on EcoSalon.

A weekly roundup of EcoSalon’s top stories.

For some women, skirts inspire feelings of love mixed with hate. EcoSalon West Coast fashion correspondent Rowena Ritchie writes in Skirting The Issues, “Hemlines are the litmus test of fashion history as a cultural study.” Do you agree?

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Are there vegetables you always see at your farmer’s market or grocery store that you want to try out but are afraid of? In Vanessa Barrington’s Green Plate column, 5 Spring Vegetables To Love Right Now, five of those veggies are tackled with ease.

Image: cogdogblog

The post Friday Five, Vol. 8 appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnThe Green Plate’s tips for getting the most out of spring vegetables.

After a winter of eating roots, tubers, and sturdy greens, the reward of spring is about to hit your table. Seize the season with five of The Green Plate’s favorite spring shoots.

Asparagus: one of the season’s most versatile vegetables.

Side dish: Toss whole spears in olive oil and salt and roast in a single layer at 400 degrees for about five minutes until just tender. Enjoy as is or embellish with a squeeze of lemon or a shaving of Parmesan.

Pasta: For an easy pasta dish, cut the roasted asparagus into bite-sized pieces and toss with cooked fettuccine. Add some fresh ricotta, chopped herbs, and freshly ground pepper.

Salads: Steamed asparagus makes a satisfying base in a spring salad. Toss with radishes, young potatoes and a bold vinaigrette. Or arrange on a plate with greens, hard-cooked egg, beets, and avocado.

Fava Beans: these double-shelled darlings of restaurant menus can be buggers to prepare but are worth the effort.

Preparation: Remove them from their pods and blanch the beans in boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain and squeeze them gently until the bright green beans pop out of their filmy white second skins.

Side Dish: sauté the tender green beans with shallots and a little pancetta, if you’re so inclined, and serve them as a side dish.

Pasta or Risotto: Add them to a pasta dish or vegetarian risotto.

Artichokes: I like the medium to small ones since they lack the fuzzy choke.

You can always steam or boil the large ones whole, pull off the leaves and scrape the meat off with your teeth, but there are so many other ways to enjoy them. Here are a few of my favorite ways to use the smaller ones:

To Prepare: Cut off the top of the artichoke about 1/3 of the way down, beginning at the bottom. Grasp the leaves and pull them off using a downward motion until you reach the tender, light green inner leaves. Depending on size, quarter, half, or leave whole.

Braise them in the oven or on top of the stove with a little olive oil, water, wine, or lemon juice and some fresh herbs, until tender. Or, toss with olive oil and salt and roast at 400 degrees in a single layer until brown and crispy. Once cooked, artichokes can be enjoyed as a side dish, or dipped in aioli as a snack. You can also use them to top pizzas, toss with pastas, or stir into risotto.

English Peas: nothing says spring like the snappy, grassy flavor of a fresh, raw, green pea.

To Prepare: Simply shell them by the dozen and eat them raw. Or, blanch for 30 seconds and toss into a traditional potato salad, sauté with baby carrots for a side dish, add to pasta or rice, or puree with garlic and herbs into a dip.

Green Garlic: Have you ever noticed that by springtime the garlic in the stores is sprouted and acrid tasting? Thank goodness for fresh, green garlic.

Usually found in farmers’ markets, green garlic is like garlic’s more elegant cousin. It’s mild, yet pungent, fresh and fragrant, and great to use just as you would regular garlic. It’s also wonderful chopped up and pounded into a paste, which you can add to homemade mayo, vinaigrette, or in a fresh herb pesto. Its delicate flavor will not overpower.

The best thing about these spring treats: you can mix and match them. They have special affinities for one another. For example, asparagus or artichokes and green garlic pair well in dishes. Peas and asparagus do too. Have fun!

This is the latest installment in Vanessa Barrington’s weekly column, The Green Plate, on the environmental, social, and political issues related to what and how we eat.

Images: Muffet,  ahl, experiencela,  bhamsandwich, gozalewis, Darya Pino of Summer Tomato

The post The Green Plate: 5 Spring Vegetables to Love Right Now appeared first on EcoSalon.

Here in sunny California, every few days during this unusually chilly May, the sky begins to spit out a cold drizzle. So while hearts, minds, and pale goose-pimply limbs are ready for summer, it still feels decidedly wintery. But alas, at the market we have an abundance of tender, green shoots. What to do? Here’s one answer: Late Spring Minestrone with Green Pea Pistou from Food 52.

If your winter cravings of deep leafy greens are still as intense as mine, I’d suggest trying this Kale and Carrot Salad from Food in Jars. It’s easy, healthy, and will pair well with just about any meal.

And now for something sweet: Berries are slowly coming into season here. And I love a simple cake with fruit. Here’s a lovely Lime Yogurt Cake with Blackberry Sauce from Smitten Kitchen.

Image: Gozalalewis

The post Three Recipes to Try: Spring Minestrone with Green Pea Pistou, Kale and Carrot Salad, Lime Yogurt Cake appeared first on EcoSalon.