Click on image to go to Author Website

Friday 8 December 2017

How To Cook Fava Beans

By Carl Hill


The plant called fava is a great source of various minerals, for example magnesium and potassium, as well as fiber, proteins and B vitamins. The taste is really interesting, and it is also possible to buy a flour made of it. They have to be cooked first, in order of using them in your favorite recipes, and you first have to learn how to cook fava beans.

There are several ways of preparing them. If you have freshly picked pods, you have to remove them from these pods first. You will find four or five of them in each pod. You should put them into water and bring the water to boil. Cook them for 30 to 60 seconds. Drain them immediately and place into a bowl of ice cold water.

They have waxy and hard shell that has to be peeled of first. It looks like it will take a lot of time, but it is actually quite easy and the shell will simply fall of under your fingers. Shiny and lovely green, once peeled they will find place in various salads and other dishes, and can also be additionally cooked or steamed to become softer.

Dried fava is brown, and comes in small and large variation. Both need to be prepared and peeled first. Soaking them in a large quantity of water overnight or longer, up to 24 hours, is for the best. After that, when they double their volume, drain and rinse them. It's always for the best to peel them, even if some people say that small ones don't have to be peeled.

If you don't have enough time to soak these dried beans so long, there is a much quicker way for doing this. You should put them in a pot, cover with enough water, because they will at least double their volume, and cook them for a few minutes. Cover the pot and let the beans soak for an hour or so. After that, it's time to peel them.

When you finish peeling them, it's time to place them all in a pot with salted water, to simmer until they become soft enough, but you don't want them to become mushy. This takes for about 45 minutes or so. After that, they can be used for preparing various dishes or for replacing some ingredients in dishes you usually prepare, for example peas.

Fresh, green ones can be used on several interesting ways. With the addition of a garlic, lemon and olive oil they can be used as a delicious spread for your bruschetta, for example. They could become an interesting addition to your side dish or salad. They can also be bought already peeled and frozen, as well as in cans.

Fresh ones should be kept in your freezer, already cooked and peeled. Dried ones can be stored as they are, although you could also soak, cook and peel them first, and keep them deep frozen. Considering the time needed to preparing them when they are still dried, preparing larger quantities and storing them this way may ease the future meal preparation.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment