Fava bean and garlic scape spread
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Keywords: appetizer low-carb fava beans garlic scapes cheese spring
Ingredients (serves 6-8)
- 1 1/4 lb. fresh fava beans in their pod (about 1 1/4 cup shelled)
- 2 1/2-3 oz. [70-85 g] garlic scapes
- 1 teaspoon fresh winter savory, optional (see note above)
- 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 3 tablespoons freshly grated fiore sardo
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Fine sea salt, to taste
Instructions
Shell fava beans and blanch them for one minute, drain them and plunge them into a bowl of cold water. Drain them again, then remove the skin from the beans to bring their bright green core to light. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Cut thinner portion of garlic scapes (above the bulge); if they've yellowed, discard. Spread all the scapes onto a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat and sprinkle with olive oil and a bit of sea salt. Bake for 12 minutes, then remove the thinner pieces. Bake the rest for another 3-4 minutes. Let cool slightly, then coarsely chop scapes. (This seems complicated, but the top of the scapes ends up charred and I am trying to avoid that. If it still happens, snap off the charred portion and discard it before proceeding with the recipe.)
Put fava beans and scapes in the food processor and pulse to chop. Add herbs and process some more, then add the cheese and process briefly. While pulsing, dribble the oil into the feeding tube, then the lemon juice. Finally, sprinkle a bit of salt and process to a smooth paste by pulsing for several seconds at a time.
I have found that it is better to allow the ingredients to influence each other for a bit before changing the balance, so let the spread rest for 20 minutes or so, then taste and adjust seasoning (salt, lemon juice). Refrigerate until ready to use and take out of the refrigerator in advance, so that the spread in not cold when you serve it.
