Spring is ending and with summer just around the corner, fava beans are again at their peak. I spotted them today at the farmer’s market and knew right away at $2.50 a lb now was the time to buy. They are a bit pesky to prep, but as I was googlin’ I read a post on a foraging site that said that if you add a lil baking soda (1 tbsp for every quart of water) your Fava beans will be super easy to peel. Thought I would pass that awesome tidbit of info along. I think seasonal cooking is much easier in that it take less ingredients to make a dish, if you use a few great veggies in season, a lil cooking, and a touch of sea salt you basically have today’s recipe. I prepped my favas by shelling them, blanching in a bit of water with baking soda, peeled them and added a touch of sea salt. The color alone on these favas was so beautiful, serving them crushed on a slice of baguette would be enough. I roasted one bunch of baby carrots, I just cut them down the middle, no need to peel since they are so small and fresh, coated them lightly in olive oil, and roasted for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees till just fork tender, on the same pan as the carrots I roasted my cleaned morels, for about 10 minutes…so easy! The mushrooms are earthy and hearty. These ingredients together are a wonderful introduction to what our summer bounty has to offer, with minimal oil and salt needed the vegetables own natural flavors and aromas become the star, and not only is this dish delicious it is healthy and can be eaten at any temperature, which makes it easy for a summer barbecue or potlock and can be enjoyed by everyone, including those with dietary restrictions. Add ease to your life by eating seasonally, great ingredients are the key to being a great cook.
Spring Asparagus flatbread with Marcona Almonds
Asparagus season is full bloom! Aside from all the nutritional value, asparagus is beautiful and the perfect way to celebrate the blooming of spring and end of winter (I’m over it). My go to way to serve asparagus is to just use a lil olive oil, salt, pep, and roast them, sometimes, though you may just want to make something a little more special without a bunch of time consuming prep work…here in Portland, when the sun shines you get out in it as much as you can! Well yesterday was “meatless” Monday so totally inspired by a flat bread that I had at New Seasons market, I decided to make my own version. I usually don’t drive during the week so I walked down to the Wholefoods and picked up some ingredients. I love the fresh made whole wheat pizza crust at Wholefoods, it has five ingredients, and it’s delicious and a bargain at $3! Honestly, it’s made in house and knowing that it’s made with good ingredients makes it a great short cut and saves me a load of mess and time, some pizza joints will sell you dough, or of course you can make your own…but avoid anything that pops in tube….full o’ nasties. I got some asparagus from Cali at the grocery outlet for 99cents on Sunday (that place is a goldmine!) and I had some Spanish Marcona almonds, pecorino, olive oil, and red pepper flakes at home.
Preheat oven to 450.
Roll out your dough into a rectangle, or the shape you like, you can even make individual flatbread if you so choose. Brush the dough with some olive oil, add asparagus (raw), almonds (press them into the dough), sprinkle with pecorino or parm (I like the tang and saltiness of the sheep milk pecorino, it’s a romano cheese and I think you can use a lot less and get a lot more flavor, add fresh ground pepper and throw it in the oven for about 15 minutes or until golden. When it done use some citrus zest to add a punch of freshness! Seriously who knew almonds and asparagus were so delicious together? Easily made vegan friendly without the cheese and still delicious! It will look like you slaved away in the kitchen, does anyone remember that rice crispy treat commercial from the nineties, where the mom put a bunch of flour on her face so it looked like she had been slaving over the no bake treat? Kinda like that but way better! Enjoy!
