Fresh Fava, French Carrot and Arugula Salad, Mustard Crème fraîche
Lightly steamed fresh fava beans, French carrots and peppery arugula tossed in extra virgin olive oil and white balsamic vinegar and dressed with homemade mustard crème fraîche..
Fava, French Carrot and Arugula Salad
String and split fava bean pods and remove the beans. Split small round French carrots.
Steam the beans and carrots together in a bamboo or wire steamer until just barely done, perhaps 2 minutes. Immediately transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process; we want the vegetables to be tender, yet cooked as little as possible to preserve the color and nutrients.
Meanwhile, make a simple vinaigrette of high quality extra virgin olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, minced garlic and slivered shallot.
Drain the vegetables and toss with arugula micro-greens and vinaigrette. Season with black salt and coarsely ground pepper and dress with a teaspoon of homemade lacto-fermented mustard combined with a tablespoon of homemade crème fraîche (Crème fraîche is similar to sour cream, but thicker and slightly more sweet than sour. Mix together 3 parts fresh heavy cream and 1 part buttermilk or plain yoghurt. Cover and allow to stand on the counter overnight before refrigerating).
Serve with toasted crusty bread if you like..
Leesie said,
July 30, 2009 at 7:56 am
I love fava beans – enjoyed them grilled earlier this summer. This dish looks so summery and so pretty….perfetto!
Ren said,
July 30, 2009 at 8:17 am
I felt pretty good going in that all the flavors would work well, but I was surprised by just how satisfying it was as an entire meal. A tasty way to get high levels of L-dopa, vitamin C, protein, calcium and fiber..
Thanks!
Tanya said,
July 31, 2009 at 5:34 am
The combination looks wicked good. I’m looking forward to trying this.
Ren said,
July 31, 2009 at 8:34 am
Thanks a lot, Tanya!
TasteStopping said,
August 1, 2009 at 8:35 am
I love the idea of a salad as a complete meal, especially with minimal cooking. In the lazy, hazy days of summer, the last thing I want to do is spend a lot of time over my stove. Having never cooked fava beans (perhaps a result of watching “Silence of the Lambs” too many times?) I wonder if you can get the same results in the microwave. I wouldn’t normally suggest it, but I’m channeling Alton Brown, and was surprised to recently hear him extolling the virtues of that appliance in par-cooking brussel sprouts. Just a thought.
Anyway, I found you through Tastespotting and I’m writing to say that if you have any photos that aren’t accepted there, I’d love to publish them. Swing by my new site (below); it’s a lot of fun. I hope to see you there soon!
Best,
Casey
Editor
http://www.tastestopping.wordpress.com
Ren said,
August 1, 2009 at 7:13 pm
I really only use the microwave to sterilize sponges and kitchen towels; I would be surprised if fava beans came out OK, but if Alton vouches for it, its probably fine :-)
Thanks, Casey!
Walker said,
July 8, 2010 at 5:33 pm
It appears from the photo above that you not only take the beans from the pods but also remove the outer layer of the favas too — is that correct? I just got a bunch of favas with my CSA box and I’m trying to find ways to prepare them.
Thanks!
Ren said,
July 8, 2010 at 6:38 pm
How lucky you are to get these in your CSA!
You are correct- for something like a salad, I strip the beans from the pod and blanch them to remove the tough outer skin. Fava beans are great on the grill too, with no need to pod or peel first.. http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-fava30jun30,1,3328576.story?coll=la-headlines-food