Fava Bean And Cactus Soup Recipes

FAVA BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over medium heat and set up a bowl of well-salted ice water. Add the shelled fava beans to the boiling water. Once the water has come back to a boil, cook the beans for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove them from the boiling water and immediately put them into the bowl of salted ice water. Once the beans have cooled completely, strain them from the ice water. Peel the tough, light green outer layer from the beans. You will be left with a delicate, lovely vibrantly green tender fava bean. MMMMMM! Reserve these little lovelies.
• Coat a large saucepan over medium-high heat with extra-virgin olive oil. Add the bacon (if using, if not just start with the onions and celery) and once the bacon has started to become brown and crispy and is very aromatic, add the diced onions and celery. Season with salt, to taste, and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Cook the onions and celery until they become translucent and are very aromatic. Add the smashed garlic cloves and the diced potato, stir to coat with the oil and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in 2/3 of the reserved fava beans and 4 cups stock. Taste for seasoning and add salt, if needed. Bring the stock to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, about 20 to 30 minutes.
• When the potatoes are tender enough to slide easily off a fork when cooked, puree the soup in a blender* until smooth. You probably will have to do this in batches. Return the soup to the pot, and add the remaining fava beans. If the soup is too thick, add some the remaining stock to adjust the consistency. Taste the soup to check the seasoning and reseason, if needed.
• Ladle the soup into serving dishes, give them a little sprinkle of grated Parmesan and a drizzle of big fat finishing oil.
• Fava beany-weany delicious!

FAVA BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Saute onion in olive oil. Season with salt. Stir in chicken stock. Bring to a simmer. Add fava beans. Simmer until tender. Stir in Parmesan. Puree. Season with lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

MOROCCAN FAVA BEAN AND VEGETABLE SOUP

Steps:

• Skin the fresh favas: bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Fill a bowl with ice water. Drop the shelled fava beans into the boiling water and boil 5 minutes. Drain and transfer immediately to the cold water. Allow the beans to cool for several minutes, then slip off their skins by pinching off the eye of the skin and squeezing gently. Hold several beans in one hand and use your other thumb and forefinger to pinch off the eyes, have a bowl for the shelled favas close at hand and this will not take very long.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven and add the leeks, onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are just tender, about 5 minutes, and add the turnips, potatoes, favas, water or stock, salt and bouquet garni. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are very tender. Remove and discard the bouquet garni.
• Purée the soup using a hand blender or a food mill, or working in batches, in a blender, making sure that you place a towel over the top of the blender and remove the inner part of the lid to avoid hot splashes. Return to the pot, add the pepper, turmeric and chopped cilantro and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Turn the heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring often, for 30 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Serve in wide soup bowls, garnished with cilantro leaves and with a drizzle of olive oil over each serving.

FAVA BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Soak beans in water for 2 days in refrigerator.
• Drain, and put in a large saucepan with 8-10 cups water.
• Bring to a boil, and boil for 10 minutes.
• Add onion, garlic, carrot and celery, and bring to boil again.
• Turn heat to simmer.
• Cover, and simmer for 1 hour, or until beans are very soft.
• Puree soup in blender (do this in batches).
• Return soup to saucepan.
• Add oil, cumin, salt and pepper.
• Bring to boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes, adding a little water if too thick.
• Serve garnished with chopped parsley, and a sprinkling of lemon juice.
• Excellent with warm pita bread.

FAVA BEAN SOUP WITH CARROT CREAM

Steps:

• For soup:
• Cook fava beans in large pot of boiling salted water 5 minutes. Drain. Cool. Cut off tip of each pod and squeeze beans into medium bowl. Peel skin from each bean (to yield about 3/4 cup beans).
• Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add beans, potato, carrot, broth, 1 1/2 cups water, and wine. Cover and simmer until vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes. Cool slightly. Stir in parsley. Working in batches, puree soup in blender. Return to pot. Stir in cream. Season with salt and pepper. (Soup can be made 1 day ahead; cover and chill.)
• For carrot cream:
• Puree all ingredients in blender. Transfer to bowl. Chill at least 15 minutes and up to 3 hours.
• Strain carrot cream into medium bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Using electric mixer, beat carrot cream until soft peaks form. Bring soup to simmer. Ladle into bowls. Top with dollop of carrot cream.

FAVA BEAN AND MINT SOUP

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan.
• Add onion and garlic, saute 2-3 minutes, until soft.
• Add potatoes, cook, and stirring, for 5 minutes.
• Stir in beans and stock. Cover & simmer for 30 minutes.
• Remove a few veggies from the pot (about ¾ of a cup...or more if you prefer to have a chunkier soup), set aside.
• Place the remainder soup in a food processor / blender. Process until soup is smooth.
• Return soup to saucepan; add the reserved vegetables and mint.
• Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
• Garnish with mint springs & unsweetened yogurt.

FAVA BEAN SOUP WITH MINT

Steps:

• Drain the favas. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes, and add the garlic. Stir together for a minute, until fragrant, and add the tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes have cooked down slightly, about 5 minutes, and add the beans, 2 quarts water, another 2 teaspoons salt, and the mint. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 2 hours, or until the beans have begun to fall apart and thicken the soup. Stir from time to time to make sure the beans are not settling at the bottom of the pot and sticking.
• When the beans are soft and falling apart, remove the bundle of mint, and using tongs, any stray mint leaves. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup. Taste and adjust seasonings.
• Serve, garnishing each bowl with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkling of slivered mint leaves, and a pinch of red pepper flakes.

FAVA BEAN AND CACTUS SOUP

Steps:

• Put the fava beans in a large saucepan. Add 4 1/2 cups water and the salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring frequently, until the beans are soft and falling apart, about 1 hour. When the beans are tender, add the tomatoes, cactus, oil, thyme, and pepper. Cook, uncovered, 10 minutes. Adjust seasoning. Serve sprinkled with cilantro.From "1,000 Mexican Recipes." Copyright 2001 by Marge Poore. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.