Fava Beans!

So, this is an unusual blog entry because I haven't actually cooked anything yet. But I learned something really interesting that I thought I'd like to share with you, and maybe you can use that knowledge to cook something delicious and share your witty and insightful recipe with me. ;)

On Thursday, I went to pick up my usual haul from the CSA I am a part of, and they had these great big beautiful beans. When I asked what exactly I was looking at, Emily (the staff member who was manning the pick up sight that day) said they were fava beans. She said I could saute them in butter or make a paste from them and use them as a spread. I grabbed as many as I could without appearing greedy (ok, maybe I looked a little greedy...a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do) and proceeded home with my new found beany friend. They look like this.

From the Oakhill Organics Newsletter, Week 19, May 29 & 31, 2012: Fava beans are another less common, but delicious, spring vegetable. These have been growing in our fields since we planted them last fall. They grow slowly all winter and then blossom and set fruit once it's warm enough in the spring.

Now, I had an interesting task to complete. Dear friends, most of us would rather that someone else deal with nature when it comes to our food. I am just as guilty as anyone else is. This week, in an effort to avoid grocery shopping, I found myself eating out, just not cooking, and eating the cafeteria food at work even though I know that the food I make for myself generally is healthier and tastes a heck of a lot better than all of that.

Know that if you get yourself involved with a fava bean, it's a long term relationship. Fava beans have layers of things to deal with before you get to partake in the prize that they are. You can take the process in stages, or you can buckle down like I did and complete the task start to finish all at once. My small stash of beans took me 40 minutes to process. I might get two servings out of the deal. But all of that time and effort burns calories, helps me to learn about the food I am eating, and teaches me things about life and myself. Namely, good things in life take time, are full of surprises, and aren't exactly what I think they should be. But if I can let go of my expectations and embrace what I have in front of me for what it is, then I will enjoy it so much more.

So, how do we get to the bean in fava bean? Well, first you have to remove the bean from the pod. It's easiest to crack the top and then pop the beans out of one side or the other. The inside of the pod has this white protective "bubble wrap" like layer to keep the beans happy and healthy. The inside of the pod looks like this.

This was an enlightening process. Anyone who has seen a fava bean knows how big the pods are. Some of them were close to ten inches long. However, the most beans I found in any one pod was 6. Six little beans! Can you believe it! I was shocked! When I was all done with taking the beans from their podded homes, they looked like this.

Now, fava beans are supposed to have a beautiful bright green color. Well, these are kind of dull and shiny. Pretty, but not the famed bright green I am after. In order to get to the edible part of the bean, there were two more steps in the process. The first involved parboiling these babies.

To parboil something, you must heat water to the point just before simmering. You start to see little bubbles form around the edges and lift ever so subtly to the surface. Then you add your beans. Keep the water temperature at this point. When I added my beans, every last one of them was floating on the surface of the water. As I watched them cook for the few minutes it takes to complete this process, I noticed that they all clustered together, and then one by one, started to sink in the water. When about half of them had done this, I removed them and shocked them in cold water to keep them from cooking more. I didn't really want to cook the beans, just remove the tough outer layer to get to the good stuff. Life lesson number two, sometimes you have to apply heat in order to crack the tough stuff of life.

After parboiling, I popped the beans out of their exterior protective layer one at a time. It was easiest to squeeze the top or bottom off of the bean and then squeeze the other end. Out came the beans. And when I was all done, I had two piles: one of shiny dull husks and the other of beautiful bright green beans.

Like I said, not a whole lot of yield on these babies. I followed the first rule of cooking (taste everything) and found that the bean has a nutty, sweet flavor. Definitely good for experimenting with. I think I am going to saute mine with garlic and butter one of these nights and stop being lazy about cooking.

Life is a journey, a process, and so is food. Good food, the kind that tastes good and is good for you, takes time to grow, process, and prepare. The wait is good for us, helps us to appreciate what we have, and actually helps our bodies to take in and utilize what we consume. So, if you're looking for a special spring treat, look no further than the fava bean. Just remember, slow down. Enjoy the journey.

Until next time, happy eating!