Fava Bean & Parmigiano Regg. Tower Salad

[cjs]

This is a Maryann Esposito recipe - I think she calls for WAY too much Parm. for the towers. Next time I would just make a 'lacy bowl' to serve the beans in. But, the flavors of this dish were great! I love fava beans.

My other complaint was - I was buying so many things to try at the four farmers markets last weekend, that I only bought just under a lb. of the favas and I wanted more - I could have made a meal of this!


* Exported from MasterCook *

Fava Bean and Parmigiano Reggiano Tower Salad

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic -- minced
1 large shallot minced
Salt and pepper to taste
2 pounds fava beans -- shelled
2 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese -- plus shavings for garnish

Whisk the olive oil and vinegar together. Add the garlic and shallot. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add 1 teaspoon of salt. Add the fava beans and cook them until you can easily slip off the outer skin. Drain and transfer to a bowl.

Heat a non stick medium size sauté pan. Spread ½ cup of the cheese in the pan to form a rectangular strip that is 2 inches wide and 6 inches long. Allow the cheese strip to melt then carefully remove from the pan and wrap the strip around a glass and allow it to cool. Make five more and set aside.

Add the fava beans to the olive oil mixture and toss well. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes.

When ready to serve, place one of each of the six cylinders of parmigiano reggiano cheese on each of 6 individual salad plates.

Carefully divide and fill the center of each cylinder with some of the fava bean mixture. Top each one with a few shavings of cheese.

Any left over fava bean mixture can be scattered around each plate.

Serve at room temperature.

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[Gourmet_Mom]

Okay, I had to look this up. We don't have these around here. Apparently, these are like what we call butter beans. Over the past few years, I have come to like butter beans again. I spent WAY too many HOT summer days and HOT summer nights in the garden and in my grandmother's kitchen picking and peeling the things. My poor thumbs would be sore for days! Now that I don't have to pick and shell them myself, I like them again...LOL! I may have to give this a try.

[labradors]

Fava beans are Vicia faba. Butter beans are Phaseolus lunatus, which are lima beans.

[cjs]

No, Daphne, the favas are nothing like butter beans. They are small green - they come in a pod that you remove, then blanch to take the 2nd skin off (which is nothing, you jut open the end and pop the bean out). They have a bean/nutty flavor and are just wonderful.

[labradors]

Quote:

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They have a bean/nutty flavor and are just wonderful.

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Especially with a nice Chianti?

[Gourmet_Mom]

Oh, okay. Our butter beans are in the lima bean family, but much more tender and less "mealy".

[Harborwitch]

I soooooo love fava beans! I haven't seen them in ND yet, but the farmers markets should be starting by the time we get home. I must make this! Maybe we can find some on the way home.

Actually a nice Pinot Grigio goes well too.

[cjs]

Sharon, you have plenty of room!!! Plant them! I intend to one of these summers.....

[luvnit]

I have never had Fava beans. Not sure that I have had Chianti either. Perhaps I will just have try both at the same time!

I copied this recipe and found a picture of it and added it to my MC.

Recipe and Photo

[Harborwitch]

In the motorhome???? Maybe in a planter.