R: garden = food = ?
- Subject: R: garden = food = ?
- From: "helene.pizzi" h*@tin.it
- Date: Sat, 3 May 2003 09:14:15 +0200
Nan's adventure with fava beans has just started!
There are never enough nice things in the garden that are also wonderful
foods. Many plants are attractive (the stately artichokes, curled parsley
and the basils, etc.) and can be cleverly included in borders with
traditional blooms.
Fave.
This is a spring specialty in Italy, and especially in the Rome area. The
beans are served raw, in their pods. Usually they are eaten apart, sort of
a pop-corn serving. It is a great social food. People, friends and family
gather around the table, open the pods, remove the beans and take oiff the
skins (optional), and then eat them with small chunks of 'pecorino' cheese,
which is very similar to that sold in the USA as Romano.
Put a large piece of cheese on a cutting board and let each person dig a
hunk off (there are special tear shaped little knives sold for Parmesan and
'pecorino' cheese, available in specialty stores everywhere) as they please.
'Pecorino' is a sister cheese of Parmesan, only it is made from sheep milk,
is quite salty and white. It is perfect to harmonise with the fresh fava
beans, and perhaps you will serve some fresh crusty 'pane casareccio'
(rustic bread, baked in a wood fired oven if you are lucky to know where one
of these traditional bakers operates), and of course, all this gets washed
down with 'vino locale' - local wine, perhaps an economical, but still good,
dry red wine.
The key to enjoying fave this way is to share the fun with pleasant company.
There should be lots of jolly conversation and laughter.
How is that for a nice springtime fare that requires no work!
Fave beans (shelled) can be used in vegetable soups, and also eaten as a
side dish vegetable. They are particularly good made this way: in a frying
pan, brown some chopped bacon and chopped onion. Add the beans and enough
water to cover. Salt to taste and cook slowly until the beans are tender
and the water has been absorbed. A variation can be made by adding a spoon
of tomato sauce while the beans cook.
'Buon appetito'!
Just a thought, however about the fave. Very rarely, someone is allergic to
them. In the shops here in Rome, there will sometimes be signs at the door
saying the shop sells fave, or none are sold here, as those with allergies
cannot be near them without a choking reaction. There have been cases where
fields of fave have been made illegal because of allergies for people living
nearby. The allergy has a name: 'favismo'. If, by some unfortunate luck,
someone seems to choke or have trouble breathing, get them to a emergency
room as soon as possible and explain what it may be.
Sounds terrible, but better safe than sorry.
Enjoy your fave!
Helene Pizzi
Rome, Italy
----- Original Message -----
From: Nan Sterman <nsterman@plantsoup.com>
To: <medit-plants@ucdavis.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, April 30, 2003 4:04 AM
Subject: garden = food = ?
> A foodie question for my Medit pals:
>
> I grew fava beans this year for the first time but I have no idea how
> to prepare them. I'd appreciate any help you might offer but since
> this is a bit OT, let's communicate off-line.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Nan
> --
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> Nan Sterman Plant Soup (TM)
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