Fava Bean and Chard Herb Hummus

I am hoping to plant chard for fall harvest, along with more kale, lettuce, and snap peas. By late fall, I end up circling back to comfort foods like soups, stews, and casseroles with nothing new to add to the recipe collection here.

Anyway, a while back, I had a nice big bunch of rainbow chard and a bag of fava beans fresh from CSA that I didn't want to ignore. Not that fava beans will be ignored in our house, especially when the older child gobbles them by the handful when they are blanched tenderly and set out in a bowl.

While tossing some blanched fava beans in salads and pasta is easy, I wanted to make a dish with intense fava bean flavor that will be the center of attention for a simple evening meal. What's more intensely fava bean-flavored than Fava Bean Hummus? Well, maybe fava bean stew, fava bean falafel, fava bean koftas. Or, any of the three recipes in Broad Bean Bash...

It's a Zen-like activity to shell the fava beans. Well, at least, when there is just a small basketful, and not a giant sackful. So, one fine evening a few weeks ago, I sat and shelled the fresh fava beans out in the backyard, watching the hummingbirds flit to and from their feeder. The house finches and chickadees were making several trips as well, completely ignoring me sitting right in their path to the feeder.

The chard wouldn't like sitting in the sidelines, I figured. So, chard got chopped, stem and all, with the fresh garlic from the farm; sautéed with a pinch of salt and a splash of lemon juice, the greens were raring to go.

Later that evening, the beans danced in boiling water for a couple of minutes and dove into the bowl of ice water. Finally, they were glad to shed their thick outer layer without much coaxing, and emerged in their resplendent beany greenness. It was quite a sight to behold in a bowlful.

Now, strong herbal notes bring that added oomph to the palate, so, armed with my trusty shears, I snipped a bit of mint, fennel, oregano, and scallions from the garden.

Blanched fava beans, sauteed chard and garlic, fresh herbs, plus a couple of bold Serrano chilies came together with some tahini, olive oil, and a splash of apple cider vinegar to make this incredibly delicious Chard and Fava Bean Herb Hummus.

Served with homemade Chipotle Coconut Flour Flax Meal Rotis, and a small side salad, the Fava Bean Hummus took center stage that night for sure.

Ingredients
1½ cup blanched fresh fava beans
1 cup chopped chard with stems
½ cup packed herbs
2 Tablespoon tahini
2 Tablespoon olive oil
2 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
salt to taste

Tempering:
1 teaspoon olive oil
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon small dry Pequin peppers

Preparation

1. Combine the hummus ingredients in a food processor and blend to desired coarse/smooth consistency, adjusting salt to taste
2. Tempering: Heat the oil in a small pan, add the cumin and caraway seeds, allow to crisp and brown gently, then add the Pequin peppers and turn off heat
3. To serve, garnish the hummus with the tempering, stir if preferred.
4. Serve with Chipotle Coconut Flour Flax meal Roti, or Chipotle and Sun-dried Tomato Tortillas, or, Ube Purple Yam and Chipotle Naan, or, Mint Olive Greek Pita,  or Kohlrabi-stuffed Kale Fennel Naan...

Bean Bash: Broad Beans (Vicia faba)

Thanks to comparison to rabbit droppings, Chinese Broad Beans is not a staple in my kitchen (also, possibly due to certain health concerns). I buy them in dried form occasionally and use them in some interesting recipe and then am done... until the next time a bag of these large dry beans come home from a charged-up shopping trip when all I want to buy is things that are not on my list.

Typically, I soak them for about 24 hours (maybe more) - they swell up a bit - and then pressure cook them till done but not too mushy.

The three recipes here are inspired by flavors from different cuisines, and as always, I've adapted them to my taste.

Fresh Fava Beans (Vicia faba), being seasonal, are quite a treat when available. All three recipes here can be made with fresh Fava Beans instead of dried broad beans.


Spicy Moroccan-inspired Warm Broad Bean/Fava Bean Salad

Chinese Broad Beans cooked in a sauce with Moroccan-inspired flavors makes a delicious warm salad.

Ingredients
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
1 tsp ground paprika
1 Tbsp chopped garlic
1 Tbsp Harissa or other hot chili paste
salt to taste
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup cooked Broad beans

1. Heat the oil in a pan, add the onions, garlic, tomatoes, paprika, chili paste and some salt, sauté till onions turn translucent
2. Stir in the cooked broad beans or fava beans and continue to sauté till flavors meld
3. Garnish as preferred and serve warm

Foul Mudammes-inspired Broad Bean Spread/Dip

Much like the more popular hummus, this dip is not quite the authentic Egyptian staple.

Ingredients
1 Tbsp Tahini
1 Tbsp Almond and Flax Butter (optional - I have it handy as Trader Joe™'s Almond Butter)
1 Tbsp Sambal Oelek (or other hot sauce)
4 Tbsp lemon juice (adjust to taste)
1/3 cup cooked Fava beans or Broad beans
1/2 tsp cumin powder
4 Tbsp olive oil
water as needed
salt to taste

Combine the ingredients and blend to a fine paste; add water to adjust dip consistency.

I like it fairly thick, like hummus, and enjoy scooping it up with corn and vegetable flax seed chips.


Scafata-inspired Stew

A combination of chunky vegetables, spinach, and Broad beans are simmered together in spicy sauce to make this wholesome stew.

Ingredients
Chunky vegetables - fresh or frozen - baby potatoes, pearl onions, carrots, celery
1 cup cooked spinach
1 cup cooked Fava or Broad beans
1 tomato diced
1 Tbsp garlic
chopped fresh (or dried) herbs - parsley, oregano, thyme, rosemary, marjoram
1 tsp ground paprika
1 tsp Madras curry powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp cayenne pepper powder
4 cups vegetable stock
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt to taste

Heat the olive oil, add the onions, tomatoes, garlic, saute a bit; then add the rest of the ingredients, cover and simmer over medium low heat