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March 2009
Fresh Fava Beans with Bacon
Fèves à la Tourangelle
photo by France Ruffenach
Fresh favas are a
favorite big bean, one of the first arrivals in early spring. They
have one fault: a thick skin that needs peeling. It is a fiddly
job but the bright green, slightly crunchy bean that emerges is
ample reward. Even better, when fresh lima beans are in season,
they can replace favas without needing to be peeled. Both types of
bean are delicious prepared à la tourangelle, in the
fashion of Tours, the famous city on the Loire. With roast veal or
spring lamb, they are unbeatable.
Serves 4 to 6
- 3 cups/330
grams/12 ounces shelled fava beans (about 3 pounds/1.35
kilograms favas in the shell)
- Salt and pepper
- 3 tablespoons/45
grams/1 1/2 ounces butter
- 4 thick slices
lean bacon (about 4 ounces/110 grams), diced
- 24 baby white
onions, peeled
- 2 tablespoons
chopped fresh chives
- 2 tablespoons
chopped fresh chervil or parsley
Bring a pot of
salted water to a boil, add the beans and simmer until tender but
still slightly crunchy, 2 to 7 minutes depending on their age and
size. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup/125 milliliters/4 fluid ounces of
the cooking liquid. Rinse the beans with cold water and drain
thoroughly. Peel them by pinching open the stem end of each bean
with your thumbnail and popping the bean into a bowl. Set them
aside.
For the onions,
melt the butter in a frying pan, add the bacon and fry over medium
heat until lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the bacon with
a draining spoon and set aside. Add the onions to the pan, cover
and cook over low heat until they are lightly browned and nearly
tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Shake the pan often so they brown
evenly. Replace the bacon, add the reserved cooking liquid and
simmer 5 minutes. Stir in the beans, chives and chervil, taste and
adjust the seasoning. The beans can be prepared ahead and stored
up to a day in the refrigerator. Reheat them on top of the stove.
Excerpted from THE COUNTRY COOKING OF FRANCE
by Anne Willan, Chronicle Books, 2007.
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