Fava bean spread

It is the end of the Fava bean season, at least at my local organic market. These eccentric beans take some time to free from their shells but are well worth it. I created a fava bean spread for our block party last weekend, it was a hit!

I tried to pick Fava beans with less bruising on them, but found that the appearance of the outer shell had very little impact on inner bean.


The key to cooking with Fava beans is to buy more than you think you need because so much of the bean is shell.

- 1 cup shelled fava
- 3 cloves garlic
- teaspoon chopped shallot
- half of lemon juiced
- olive oil (for cooking and finishing)
- salt and pepper to taste

Shelling is the most time consuming part of this recipe, put on some music and make yourself comfortable…

Shell fava beans while bringing pot of salted water to a boil. Boil shelled favas for one minute. Then drain and submerge them in ice water, this will help with the next shelling phase. Remove beans from translucent inner shell – often you will need to use your finger nail to free the beans.


Add the beans, some olive oil, a few tablespoons of water, crushed garlic and chopped shallots to a hot pan and sauté for 5 minutes. Then poor contents into food processor and blend, adding lemon juice, salt and pepper and olive oil to balance the consistency.

My favorite way to serve this spread is on toasted fresh baguette topped with parmesan cheese

... Next time I will have a photo of the finished product! we were so excited to eat we forgot to take a picture.

persimmon salads

Finally! The first few persimmons are ripe enough to eat, and I can't help biting into the whole fruit, like I am eating an apple.


Next I combine one with figs and blue cheese for a refreshing and complex Fall salad. I truly think this is the most perfect combination. The flavors explode on your tongue at different moments, complimenting each-other with sweet-dry, sharp-pungent, and cool-base.

persimmon season has begun

This weekend the persimmons were taken off the tree and our home was re-decorated by their varying shades of orange. I particularly love persimmons because I end up living with them as aesthetic objects as they ripen on every window sill, waiting sometimes more than a week until I can eat one.

The Hachiya variety must be taken off the tree before it becomes ripe as to avoid falling off on its own which damages this soft delicate fruit.

Once off the tree they need to change in color and consistency to then be eaten, if they are eaten prematurely they are terribly astringent and may scare you away from the fruit for years (right mom?).

To ripen persimmons it is best to lay them on the window sill so they can have sun, but not be exposed to the Fall elements. They must turn from this lighter orange color, similar to Fiesta Ware's classic Persimmon color to a saturated orange with a strong red hue. They should also become very soft, almost gel like under their delicate skins. A ripe persimmon is very delicate and can easily be punctured or smushed.