Risotto with Fresh Fava Beans & Sugar Snap Peas
This bright risotto is tossed with mint and lemon zest for extra flavor.
Ingredients:
2 cups fresh fava beans, peeled and blanched (see method)
2 cups sugar snap peas, trimmed of ends and blanched along with the fava beans
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1½ cups Arborio rice
4-5 cups warm chicken stock
½ cup white wine (if desired)
½ shallot, finely chopped
1-2 tablespoons chopped garlic
â…” cup freshly-grated Grana-style cheese
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, minced
Zest from 1 lemon
2 tablespoons cultured buttered with grey sea salt
Method:
1. In a sauce pan, bring the chicken stock to a boil and then turn down to a simmer to keep hot. In another large saucepan over medium low heat, melt 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter and cook the shallots until soft but not brown. Add garlic and continue cooking for about 2 minutes.
3. Turn the heat up and add the Arborio rice to the pan with the shallots and garlic. Stir for about one minute. Add a ladleful of stock to the rice and continue stirring until almost absorbed. Add another ladleful of stock and the wine and continue stirring; repeat until the stock is almost gone and the rice is creamy and tender.
4. Stir in the clarified butter with sea salt and season with salt and pepper to taste. Then add the blanched peas and fava beans to the pan. Stir well and allow to heat through (the fava beans should be bright green and tender), then add the cheese, lemon zest and mint. Serve immediately
Variation: This risotto is also lovely topped with a poached or olive-oil fried egg.
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Sugar Snap Pea Salad with Radishes & Mint
This wonderful springtime salad gets an extra flavor boost courtesy of crunchy radish slices and zingy lemon zest.
Ingredients:
1 cup crème fraîche or Greek yogurt
¼ cup lemon juice, plus the zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons freshly-chopped mint
½ bunch radishes, trimmed of greens, washed and thinly-sliced into rounds
1 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed and halved
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Whisk together the crème fraîche, lemon juice and fresh mint. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Fold in the radishes and snap peas, and then garnish the salad with the lemon zest. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving.
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Sugar Snap Peas with Lemon Breadcrumbs
This light, crunchy side makes beautiful use of fresh snap peas.
Ingredients:
1½ cups sugar snap peas, ends trimmed
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup Panko or coarse bread crumbs
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
Zest of 1 lemon
Pinch red chili flakes
Sea salt
Method:
1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large, heavy sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the breadcrumbs and stir until they’re coated in the oil. Toast, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the breadcrumbs deep golden brown.
2. Stir in the garlic and cook for about a minute until fragrant, then add the lemon zest, chili flakes and a large pinch of salt, stirring to combine. Remove the breadcrumb mixture from the pan and set aside.
3. Add the rest of the oil to the pan and let it heat for a few seconds. Add the snap peas and a pinch of salt and cook for a minute or two, stirring frequently, until they turn bright green and are just tender but still have some bite to them. Fold in the breadcrumbs and serve immediately.
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How-To: Cook Dried Corona Beans
A quick, how-to guide to prepping this week’s gorgeous oversized beans.
Ingredients:
½ pound Corona beans
1 small onion, peeled and cut in half
Sprig each of thyme and rosemary
3 whole cloves of garlic, peeled
1 bay leaf
Sea salt
Method:
1. Pick over the beans, discarding any misshapen beans and stones. Rinse the beans and drain. Place in a bowl, add water to cover generously and let soak overnight.
2. Drain the beans, place in a Dutch oven and add water to cover by 2 inches. Add the bay leaf, onion, fresh herbs and garlic. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low and simmer gently, uncovered, until the beans are soft, about 2 hours, checking the beans and adding more water as needed to keep the beans submerged. Stir in 2 teaspoons salt. Let the beans cool, then drain well. Yields about 6 cups cooked beans..
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Garden Greens with Chopped Eggs
This fresh salad is a lovely use for beautiful summer greens.
Ingredients:
4 cups mixed summer greens, washed and patted dry
½ pound green beans, trimmed
½ pound sugar snap peas, trimmed
4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
4 anchovy fillets, minced
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons sour cream
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup fresh tarragon leaves
1 cup fresh parsley leaves
Edible flowers, for garnish
Method:
1. Prepare an ice-water bath. Working in batches, blanch green beans in a pot of generously salted boiling water until bright and crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer to the ice bath and let cool; remove. Return water in the pot to a boil, and blanch snow peas, in batches, about 1 minute. Transfer to ice bath until cool; remove peas, and cut in half.
2. Whisk together the anchovies, lemon juice and sour cream in a bowl. Slowly add oil in a steady stream, whisking until combined. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Divide the lettuce greens, green beans and peas among four plates, and top each with chopped eggs and herbs. Drizzle with dressing, season with salt and pepper, and serve garnished with edible flowers.
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How-To: Prep Fava Beans
Our quick guide to peeling and prepping fresh fava beans!
Ingredients:
1 pound fava beans
Method:
1. Peel: Pull off the top and “unzip” the seam of the bean pod. Open the pod and remove the beans. (There are usually 4 to 5 beans per pod.) The beans have a waxy outer coating, which you’ll need to remove.
2. Prep: Blanch them in boiling water for 30 seconds, and then transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. The waxy coating will slip then right off.
3. Cook: From here, steam the beans until tender in a steamer basket or covered in the microwave, 3-5 minutes.
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Beet & Snap Pea Salad
This colorful salad is perfectly complemented by a lemon-honey vinaigrette.
Ingredients:
1 bunch beets, trimmed of any greens, washed and scrubbed
½ pound sugar snap peas, trimmed
2 cups mixed salad greens
Lemon-honey vinaigrette (see recipe)
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 375°. Wrap the beets in aluminum foil. Bake until tender, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool. Peel beets and cut into wedges.
2. Cook sugar snap peas in large saucepan of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Drain. Rinse with cold water; drain well. Pat dry.
3. Line a serving platter with the greens Mix the beets and snap peas in a medium bowl with about ¼ cup of the honey-lemon vinaigrette, season with salt and pepper and then spoon the mixture over the greens. Drizzle with additional vinaigrette as desired.
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Jacob’s Cattle Beans with Bacon & Sage
Smoky and savory, this is a bowlful of comfort on a fall day!
Ingredients:
½ pound dried Jacob’s Cattle beans, soaked
3 pieces (about 5 ounces) thick-cut bacon
1 small onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
4-5 small cloves garlic, minced
4 heaping teaspoons crumbled sage, divided
1 teaspoon sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
A splash of wine or vinegar, for deglazing
Olive oil, for garnish
Method:
1. Transfer beans and their soaking liquid to a medium saucepan. Add water to cover by at least 1 inch, if necessary, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently, covered, until beans just begin to soften, about 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon to a clean plate. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of bacon grease. Deglaze pan with a splash of wine or vinegar and scrape up all of the browned bits. Add onions, celery, carrot, and garlic to the skillet. Crumble in 2 teaspoons of sage and sprinkle with salt. Sauté over low heat, very slowly, until vegetables are very soft and slightly caramelized, about 20 minutes.
3. Add vegetables and salt to the beans. Simmer, partially covered, until beans are tender and cooking liquid has thickened, about 1 hour 15 minutes. During the final 5 minutes of cooking, add the remaining sage and freshly ground black pepper: taste and adjust seasonings. Serve hot, drizzled with olive oil and topped with crumbled bacon.
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Gemelli Pasta with Shelled Peas, Lemon & Mint
Adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, this light and lovely pasta recipe sings of spring.
Ingredients:
1 pound fresh gemelli pasta
2 cups fresh shelled peas (from about 1 lb. in the pod)
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Zest of 1 lemon
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
4 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the pasta, and cook according to package instructions. Add peas to cook during the last 30 seconds of pasta cooking time. Reserve ½ cup cooking water, set aside. Drain the pasta and the peas together.
2. Dry out the pasta pot, and pour in the heavy cream. Bring the cream to a simmer, and cook until slightly reduced, about 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the butter, and stir it until it has melted. Generously season the sauce with black pepper, add a pinch of salt as well as the lemon zest. Add ¾ cup Parmesan, and stir it until the sauce is smooth; then toss in the drained pasta & peas.
3. Cook the pasta in the sauce for 2 minutes, until the sauce has slightly thickened. Add the reserved pasta water by the spoonful if needed to loosen up the sauce. Garnish with remaining Parmesan, chopped parsley and mint and serve immediately.
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Matera Perline Beans with Green Garlic Scapes & Pea Vines
Also topped with Italian sausage, this hearty dish is still incredibly light and flavorful.
Ingredients:
1½ cups Vero Matera Perline Beans, soaked overnight in a large pot of water, and drained
1 bay leaf
½ pound Skagit River Ranch Italian sausage (optional)
½ pound pea vines, trimmed of any tough ends
4 green garlic scapes, trimmed of ends and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
Parmesan cheese, for grating
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Rinse the beans and transfer them to a large saucepan. Add the bay leaf and 3 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat until nearly tender, about 1½ hours. Season the beans with salt and simmer until they are tender, but still hold their shape, about 45 minutes longer.
2. Meanwhile, if using, cook sausage in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, breaking up into small pieces. Once cooked through, remove from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add olive oil to the same pan, then add pea vines and green garlic scapes, season with salt and pepper, and briefly sauté, about 1-2 minutes, until vines are tender and scapes are fragrant.
3. Add beans to pan with pea vines and scapes, then add back in Italian sausage and butter, lightly tossing everything together. Season with salt and pepper as needed and topped with fresh-grated cheese.
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