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 Favorite Spring recipe sent in by Dennis, Santa Rosa, CA
"The original recipe, Habas a la Catalana, is from the Time/Life “cookbooks of the world” series. This is my adaptation of the recipe, enhanced by a delightful meal of Habas a la Catalana in Barcelona during the 1992 Olympics."
Ingredients
1 lb Spanish Chorizos (see Note below for substitute)
1 T Olive Oil
½ cup Scallions, finely chopped
1 tsp Garlic, finely chopped
½ cup Dry white wine
½ cup Water
1 T Mixture of fresh thyme and oregano, finely cut
1 Small bay leaf, crumbled
½ tsp Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 cups Cooked fresh fava beans (see Note below for how to prepare & cook)
2 T Chopped parsley
1 14 oz can Diced tomatoes or a couple of diced fresh tomatoes
Note: If Spanish Chorizo is hard to find, I will substitute with pancetta and Hillshire Farms smoked sausage. I saute them until crispy.
Note: If mixture is too thick, thin it out with some chicken stock.
Note: How to prepare and cook fava beans: Shell the beans, blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds, then submerge in ice water to stop the cooking process. Remove the skin from each bean by squeezing until the bright green interior of the bean pops out. Use a sharp knife to pierce the skin to make it easier for the "meat" to pop out. It takes about 1 lb of fava beans to produce about 1 cup of shelled beans.
Directions
- Prick the sausages in a few places with the point of a sharp knife.
- In a heavy 3- to 4-quart casserole add 1 T of olive oil.
- Saute the sausages (and pancetta, if using) until crispy.
- With a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain.
- Add the scallions and garlic to the pan.
- Cook until scallions are soft, but not brown.
- Add the wine, water, sliced sausages (and pancetta, if using).
- Add the thyme and oregano mixture, bay leaf, salt, and a few grindings of pepper.
- Bring to a boil over high heat.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer partially covered for 20 minutes.
- Add the beans and parsley. Simmer uncovered, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes, or until the beans are heated through.
- Taste for seasoning.
- Serve as an appetizer with crostini or as a side dish.
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