Monday, July 4, 2016

Simple. Fresh. Local. No Compromises.


Recently a friend remarked that he had enjoyed reading my post on chicken and dumplings, and then followed with . . . the recipes on your blog sure are complicated.
 In a world saturated with television shows, cook books, and internet sites dedicated to sidestepping the art and craft (and, I would argue, great pleasure) of cooking in favor of slapdashery, my hope is to inspire you to find joy in spending an occasional weekend afternoon creating something spectacular for your family and friends.
   
Now don't get me wrong.  On a summer weeknight when Phil and I don't walk in the door from work until 7:30pm, we've got to get dinner on the table.  But that doesn't mean compromising by opening cans or packages. After our weekly visit to Farmers' Market, we have the building blocks of simple meals on hand in the best local, seasonal produce, and we treat it with care.

For a super fast dinner I'll chop up a bowl of fresh heirloom tomatoes and sprinkle them liberally with awesome Jacobsen Kosher salt while Phil mixes a cocktail.  The tomatoes sit and give up their juice while I bring a pot of salted water to a boil and throw in the fresh pasta from Providore we always have in the freezer.  While the pasta cooks and we both sip our drinks, I peel a clove of garlic and run it through a press into the bowl with the tomatoes, chop two big handfuls of arugula and basil, add a hearty glug of olive oil, and stir.  Sauce done.  Reserve 1 cup of water from cooking the pasta, then drain the rest in a colander.  Return pasta to pot, with the reserved cooking water, toss with tomato sauce and thick shavings of Parmesan.  Serve pasta in warm bowls, topped with torn fresh mozzarella or burrata.  Dinner on the table in 15 minutes. 
Fava Beans, Shelled and Blanched, Ready to Peel
Right now fava beans and arugula are available at Farmers' Market, so we're also making a simple fava bean puree with arugula, mint (from planters on my deck), and Parmesan.  It's vibrantly green, healthy, and satisfying.  Spread it on garlic toast or water crackers.  Add a half clove of minced garlic to the recipe and thin it out a bit more with olive oil and you've got a great sauce for rigatoni, or to dollop on grilled salmon or chicken.  Yes, you have to peel the favas, blanch them and peel them again, but you'll get into a pleasant rhythm.  After that the rest of the recipe whirls together in a snap. 

Recipe Adapted from Gourmet Magazine | May 2009 
2 pounds fresh fava beans in the pod
1/4 cup good olive oil, plus additional for drizzling
2 cups arugula divided
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Manchego
Grated zest of 1/2 lemon 
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 cup mint leaves slivered

Optional (1 garlic clove, peeled) 
Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil.  Snap the top off the fava bean pod and pull down on the "strings" to open a seam.  Slide your finger inside the pod to fully open it and remove the beans.  Cook fava beans in boiling water, uncovered, until tender, 3 to 4 minutes, then drain and transfer to an ice bath to stop cooking.  Pinch off a very tiny bit of the bottom of the fava beans and gently squeeze to remove the soft inner bean. Discard shells and pods.  
Pulse fava beans in a food processor until very coarsely chopped, then transfer half of mixture to a large bowl. Add olive oil, 1 cup arugula, cheese, lemon zest and juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper to favas in processor and purée until smooth. Add to bowl with favas. Coarsely chop remaining cup arugula and gently fold into fava bean mixture.

 Spoon fava bean mixture onto serving plate, drizzle with more olive oil and sprinkle on mint.