May

11

Crostini with fava bean spread

May 11, 2010 | 1 Comment

Fava beans also known as broad beans, Windsor beans or English beans just to name a few are one of the first spring legumes to appear on our tables. They have been a beloved food for centuries in Northern Africa, Asia and Europe. During the Roman empire favas were eaten by the plebeians and consumed in different ways. They were dried then grounded into flour, and used to make puls a grain mush, the ancestor of polenta prepared mainly with farro flour. They were also eaten raw which is still common or cooked together with lard.

In the last few years there has been a growth of new recipes and a re-elaboration of classic ones using this legume.  The recipe I prepared is a re-elaboration of one of the classics, “Fave e pecorino” (Pecorino cheese with fresh fava beans), typical from the Lazio region. Fava beans are eaten raw, when they’re still small and soft, accompanied by slices of Pecorino cheese.

The spread I prepared here has only fresh fava beans, few mint leaves, olive oil salt and pepper. It’s then spread on toasted slices of bread and topped with a sliced of aged Pecorino.

To prepare the spread it takes a little bit of time because the fava beans have to be shelled, briefly cooked and lastly peeled. When I made this dish time passed quickly, because my kid helped me through the whole process and we spent some nice quality time together.

Crostini with fava bean spread

Ingredients:

about 2-1/2 lbs. fresh unshelled fava beans, 1 lb. shelled fava beans
4-5 fresh mint leaves
1-1 /2 to 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
aged Pecorino cheese to slice
1  French baguette or ciabatta for the crostini

Preparation:

Shell the fava beans. Warm up a pan of slightly salted water and when it’s hot add the fava beans and cook them for 5 minutes.
When fava beans are ready, strain and rinse them under cold running water then peel them. It will take a little bit.
Blend all the ingredients except for the Pecorino. I used a hand blender but you can use a food processor as well.
Put the spread in a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and let it stand in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
In the mean time slice the bread and toast it in a preheated oven at 350° until golden brown abot 5 minutes.
Spread the slices of bread with the fava bean spread and top them with a thin slice of Pecorino cheese. You can also sprinkle the crostini with more pepper if you like. Serve.

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Comments

1 Comment so far

  1. Chef E on May 25, 2010 6:10 am

    I love this recipe, and used your gnocchi recipe recently- credited back to you!

    Love your site, and look forward to following you!

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