Each Tuesday I will share an easy, nutritious recipe so you can join me in the home-cooked self-care.
I’m thrilled to announce that Teacher Goes Back to School has its very first GUEST POST!
Today’s recipe and divine food photos are from Vanessa over at The Beet Goes On and Good Things Come to Those Who Wait.
The Payoff
I’m all for food that is easy to prepare. Maybe not so much the frozen pizza rolls, exactly, but more like a hunk of bread spread with soft goat cheese and topped with strawberry jam. Or roasted vegetables, which require so little preparation aside from a few swipes of the knife and a dousing of olive oil and salt before they go into the oven. A roasted chicken. Perfectly ripe strawberries that require that you do nothing but wash and savor.
You get the idea.
So when it comes to fava beans, a most delicious reason to love spring, I sometimes hesitate buying them. Each little prized nugget is wrapped in its own protective little sac, and then those little sacs, say 5 or 6, are nestled into a large, leathery, fibrous pod. Getting to the sweet bean itself requires some combination of peeling, shucking, poking, cutting, squeezing, prodding, tearing, pulling, pinching, and extracting.
It’s not difficult work, but it’s repetitive and can take a while. It’s the kind of project to tackle when you have a podcast of “This American Life” you need to catch up on or when you’ve got someone who can lend another set of hands and some conversation. I usually slip into a quasi-meditative state as I hit my shelling rhythm– but only if I’m not hungry when I start out, or all I can think about is shoving handfuls of favas into my mouth.
An armful of the whole pods might yield just a few cups of beans, but those beans are worth all the effort that go into them. They’re firm but kind of creamy, buttery but kind of green and bright. And though not the most convenient of foods, the reward for the work is big– and delicious.
Here’s a simple recipe that really allows the favas to shine. This method of roasting the beans whole and then shelling them is a little easier for me than shelling the beans raw– with the skins softened a bit, they’re a bit easier to manipulate.
Fava and Ricotta Crostini
makes 4 large pieces or 8-12 smaller pieces
2 pounds fresh fava beans in pods (to yield 1 heaping cup of cooked, shelled beans)
extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
juice of one lemon
1/4-1/2 teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
firm, sturdy bread, such as a whole grain sourdough loaf, baguette, or batard cut into slices about 3/4″ thick
1 cup fresh ricotta
Preheat oven to 425ºF.
Rinse and dry the fava beans. Put them on a rimmed baking sheet large enough to lay them out in a single layer. Toss them with about 2 tablespoons olive oil.
Roast the beans, tossing them once during cooking (tongs are helpful for this), for about 10 minutes or until the shells begin to wilt. You don’t want too much color on them– just a slight change in texture. Plus the residual heat will continue to cook the beans after they’re out of the oven.
still in the pod
Remove the tray from the oven and allow beans to cool until they can be handled with bare hands. Remove the pods from the shells. Then remove the beans from the pods and set aside in a bowl. (I usually pinch off a tiny piece of the shell on the seam and squeeze the fava bean out.)
a coming out party
Season the favas with the lemon zest and juice, sea salt, a few grinds of black pepper, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Toast or grill the bread. Evenly distribute and spread the ricotta over the toasts, then divide the favas evenly over the ricotta.
ready to eat!
Drizzle with a little more olive oil.
Eat. Enjoy the payoff.
beautiful
(P.S. It’s really a treat to be Tami’s guest blogger, especially on Recipe Tuesday! Many thanks for sharing your patch of the internet with me, Tams!)
Editor’s Note: I totally appreciate V3 as she’s known around here, sharing her deliciousness with my readers. <3
What are your go-to healthy foods? How do you change your diet based on the season? Send me your recipe and you may find yourself featured here!
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Today’s yoga brought to you by the restorative home practice. I am home with a cold today and already using my Hugger Mugger bolster under my knees. <3
Today’s music is Infinite Light by Lightning Dust.
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Yoga Teaching Update:
FREE Fridays at 4:30 with the new It’s All Yoga teachers (21st and X in Sacramento) – you’ve got to sign up online www.itsallyoga.com.
A big thanks to those who came to my and Donna’s class last Friday! Always an honor to practice with you.
These classes are for every body – level 1/2. Bring your friends!
I’m teaching with Erin – May 28th!
I’m also scheduled to teach July 9th!
Office Hours with Michelle are on Fridays from 3:30-4:30, so come on by the studio before class and say hi!
Teacher Goes Back to School 