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Wellspent Market founder Jim Dixon has been writing about food and restaurants forWillamette Weekfor a long time. He wants our readers to eat well, and he shows them how with the recipes he creates just for us by using simple cooking techniques and easy-to-find ingredients.
Hannibal Lecter made fava beans famous more than 30 years ago, but most people still haven’t tasted one. The season is short, and since they sell by the pound, growers let them get too big, so getting at the actual beans requires a laborious, multi-step process. And because they’re mature, they’re not as good as the tender young favas that Italians eat raw in early Spring with pecorino cheese and a glass of crisp Vermentino. To get those you’ve got to grow them yourself.
And they do well here in the Pacific Northwest, especially planted in the fall. By May they’ll be tall and falling over each other, with long thin pods packed with beans about the size of really big peas. At this point you can eat them straight from the pod without removing their outer shell. But even before the beans are ready, you can eat the leaves. Treat fava greens like spinach, giving them a very quick cooking or even leaving them raw for salad.
My friend Ash is growing favas and brought me a big bag of greens. You might find them at the farmers market, but if a vendor offers just the beans, ask them if they can bring you some greens the next week. Or plant some in October.
Recipe
About a quart of loosely packed fava greens
3-4 cloves garlic
3-4 oil-packed anchovy filets
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Drop a handful of the greens into an ample pot of salted boiling water, let cook for about a minute, then use tongs to transfer to a bowl. Repeat until all the greens are cooked. Let cool, then squeeze as much water as possible from the greens. Chop coarsely.
Chop together the garlic and anchovies with a large pinch of salt (it makes the garlic less sticky). Transfer to a bowl and add the vinegar and olive oil. Mix well, add the greens, and mix again. Taste and add salt, vinegar, or oil as needed. Best at room temp.
