Recipe provided by Austin Personal Chef: Carlos CruscoIngredients
1-2 cups fava beans – fresh and shelled from the pod
1-2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 small shallot – roughly chopped
1 garlic clove – roughly chopped
2-3 stems fresh rosemary
5-6 tbsps. extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon – cut into segments
Coarse Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 baguette – cut into 1/3 inch slices on the diagonal
1/2 cup fresh Basil – chiffonade cut
Aged Balsamic Vinegar
Directions
Prepare the fava beans: Add 1 tbsp. salt to a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Meanwhile take all the fava beans out of their pod and set aside. Once boiling, add the beans and cook for 2-3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or spider, add the beans immediately to a bowl of ice and water to stop the cooking.
Once cool, remove the beans (one by one) and make a slit in the side. Press the skin and the bright green bean will pop out. Set aside in a bowl and continue with all the fava beans.
In a saute pan, heat the butter and once foaming, add the shallot, garlic, rosemary and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and caramelized. Season with salt/pepper.
Add the fava beans and some water and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the fava beans are soft and tender. Remove from the heat and set aside. Take out the rosemary stems.
Add this mixture to a food processor and pulse. While the motor is running, add 4 tbsps. olive oil until almost smooth. Taste and season with salt/pepper if needed. Scrape into a bowl and mix in some lemon juice.
Turn broiler on in your oven. Brush the leftover oil onto the baguette slices and place onto a sheet pan. Place into the oven and brown the toasts. Turn over and repeat the process. set aside.
To serve, add the fava bean puree into a serving bowl and garnish with basil. Place the crostini onto a plate and spread the fava bean puree onto the crostini. Top with the basil strips (chiffonade) and then garnish with a light drizzle of Aged Balsamic Vinegar. Enjoy!
