Notes from Debbie's Kitchen
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This week we're going to have piles of fava beans and LOADS of beautiful spinach. Tom says he has a bumper crop of the spinach; whee! - Debbie

First off is a really fabulous sounding recipe from a blog called "101 Cookbooks" by Heidi Swanson which was forwarded to me by member Sandi Gaertner.

Grilled Fava Beans
Serves 2 - 4

The beautiful photo, above, is Heidi's (she's a photographer as well as food writer). In Heidi's blog she talks about being served grilled favas at a little restaurant in Japan, where "I knew we were in for a great meal when chef Koichi Nakajima started our night with two deeply charred fava beans served on a piece of paper. We split the pods open with our fingers, slipped each fava bean from its skin and popped them in our mouths one after another. It doesn't get much better - simple, smoky, perfectly cooked, and fun to eat. If you haven't tried grilling fresh favas, you must! You can make them on the grill or in a grill pan, then toss them out onto a newspaper where people can dive in and make a bit of a mess with the pods and skins." She goes on to say, "Here's the secret: any seasoning you put on the pods will stick to your fingers. In a good way. Toss the pods with a few glugs of olive oil and some sea salt before placing them on the grill, you can certainly play around with ideas beyond that. I sometimes add crushed red pepper flakes to the olive oil, or finish the favas with lemon zest or freshly chopped dill (or chives) after they come off the grill. The key is getting the grill (or pan) the right temperature - too hot and the pods char before the beans have time to steam in their pods." I certainly like the way she thinks! Okay, here's the recipe:

1 pound of fresh fava beans, still in their pods
a couple glugs of olive oil
a few pinches of salt

optional: crushed red pepper flakes, lemon zest, and or chopped fresh herbs.

In a large bowl toss the fava bean pods with olive oil and salt. Arrange them in a single layer on a grill over medium-high heat. If you're using a grill pan, you may need to cook them in batches. If I'm using an outdoor grill I don't bother covering the favas, but when I use a grill pan, I typically cover the pan with a flat baking sheet to keep more of the heat in the pan and circulating. Grill until blistered on one side - 4 to 5 minutes, then flip and grill for a few minutes more on the other side. If you aren't sure when to pull them off, take a pod off the grill, open and taste one of the beans. You want the fava beans to be smooth and creamy when you pop them out of their skins - not undercooked. But keep in mind that they'll keep steaming in their pods for a few minutes after they come off the grill, unless you eat them as soon as you can handle the pods without singing your fingers - which is what I encourage you to do :) Season the grilled favas with a bit more salt (if needed) and any herbs or lemon zest if you like. To eat: tear open the puffy green pods, take a fava bean, pinch the skin and slide the bright green fava from its slipper. Eat them one at a time and be sure to lick your fingers.


I wanted to talk about simply sauteed spinach, as it is such a great way to go when you have lots of it! This makes a great side dish with any number of things (meat, fish, chicken, beans) and I really love it. I see I wrote about this back in a 2005 newsletter, so I'll excerpt from that here:

Sauteed Spinach and Garlic
The most important thing to remember is that spinach cooks way down, so use lots!

Prep and wash your spinach (if you haven't already). In a large skillet or pot add a clove or two of garlic (crushed or minced) [or chopped up green garlic!] to some olive oil and heat until sizzling. Throw in spinach handfuls at a time and stir/toss to coat with garlic/oil. (If you have more greens than will fit in the pot initially, cook down part of them then add more as space becomes available.) You have to add a splash of water if the spinach is dry (if recently washed and water is still clinging, that should be sufficient). Keep stirring/tossing/poking around with your wooden spoon until the spinach is just wilted but still bright green. Turn off heat. It's ready! Serve with optional vinegar in a little pitcher, which diners can then add at the table (along, of course, with salt!). The reason for waiting to add vinegar until at the table rather than in the pan is purely visual: the vinegar starts to turn the spinach olive-colored in short order as the acid reacts to the greens. The spinach will keep its beautiful green color a lot longer if you don't add vinegar until you eat it. (Plus some folks like it without!)


This next recipe was sent to me by member L. Peter Deutsch, who says, "I make this recipe almost every week with whatever greens are in the bag. It doesn't work with really bitter greens (like dandelion greens), but it is foolproof with *anything* else, from beet greens to leeks to Brussels sprouts. The cooked greens store and reheat well, too.  (Slightly adapted from 'Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian,' one of my two favorite cookbooks.)"

Foolproof Universal Greens Recipe
3 Tbsp cooking oil
4 oz onion (1 medium), peeled and sliced into fine half rings
1-2 fresh chiles (jalapeno or serrano), split in half lengthwise, and in half crosswise if large
1 lb any kind of greens, minus any coarse stalks or ribs, cut into fine shreds
3/4 to 1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp turmeric
2 Tbsp unsweetened dried coconut, or 1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar

Heat oil in a large wok or frying pan over medium-high heat.  When hot, put in the onion and green chile.  Stir and fry until the onion has browned a bit, about 5-10 minutes.  Add the shredded greens, salt, and turmeric.  Stir and cook until the greens have wilted somewhat.  If the bottom of the pan appears dry, add a little water.  Cover, lower the heat, and cook 10 minutes, or until the greens are tender.  Uncover, add the coconut or brown sugar, and stir.  Turn off the heat and serve.


This next recipe is one I've had in my email file since two years ago! It was sent in to me by longtime CSA member Lauren Thompson, who says, "It's a great way to use up a lot of spinach in one pass. The flavors of sweet potato and coconut milk together are a must try!" The only drag is that we don't grow sweet potatoes. Tom says it's not quite hot enough here in the coastal zone, but they can be sourced fairly locally so that's good!

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes with Spinach and Coconut Milk
from A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen, by Jack Bishop
serves 4 as a main course

4 sweet potatoes (10-11 ounces each), scrubbed
2 tbsp. canola oil, plus more for rubbing on the potatoes
2 tbsp. minced gingerroot
2 tbsp Thai red curry paste
1 1/4 pounds flat-leaf spinach, stems removed unless very thin, leaves washed, shaken dry to remove excess water, and chopped (about 8 C)
salt
1/3 C unsweetened coconut milk
3 tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro leaves

1. Move an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly rub each potato with a little oil. Place potatoes on a foil lined baking sheet and bake until the skin is crisp and a skewer slides easily through the flesh, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven and set the sweet potatoes aside on a rack to cool for 10 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees. [Since you're going to be halving the potatoes later, I find that they're easier to cook that way from the start: I cut the raw potatoes in half lengthwise, coat 'em lightly with oil, then bake face-down in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes to an hour. They get all buttery-soft and succulent that way!]

2. While the sweet potatoes are cooling, heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Add the ginger and the curry paste and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the damp spinach, cover, and cook, stirring once or twice, until completely wilted, about 5 minutes. Add salt to taste and set the spinach mixture aside.

3. Using a folded kitchen towel to hold the hot sweet potatoes, cut each one in half lengthwise. With a spoon, scoop the flesh from each half into a medium bowl, leaving a 1/4 inch of the flesh and skin in each shell. Arrange the empty sweet potato shells on the baking sheet.

4. Mash the sweet potatoes in the bowl with the coconut milk until smooth. Stir in the spinach mixture and cilantro. Adjust the seasonings, adding salt to taste.

5. Mound the sweet potato filling into each shell. Bake until the top of the filling is firm and slightly crisp, about 15 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and cool the sweet potatoes on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Serve. (Be careful: straight from the oven, the potatoes are unbearably hot to eat.)


Lastly, here's yet another blog-sourced spinach recipe, from a blogger named "Evil Jungle Prince" who says he's been "worshipping flavorful Asian, Korean, Greek and Mediterranean foods since 2005." http://www.desertmodernism.com/blog/india/

Spinach and Chickpea Curry
Per Mr. Jungle Prince, "This recipe is such an obvious match flavor and consistency-wise, I could almost kick myself for not thinking of it before spotting it in Das Sreedharan's Indian cookbook: chickpea curry with fresh spinach. So easy and satisfying!" He, also, had a photo, which I am sharing with you here. Recipe is below.



1. Use a mortar and pestle to combine 1-2 hot green chilies and knob of fresh ginger. Add a spoonful of water and grind. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in a wok and fry 2-3 garlic cloves. Now add 1 peeled and minced onion. Next add 1 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp ground coriander, chili-ginger paste, and 2 tsp tomato paste. Fry for 2 mins.

3. Pour in 1 1/4 cup water and bring to a boil. Stir in chickpeas along with a pinch of salt. Simmer for 5 mins, then add fresh spinach just before serving so that the spinach retains its bright green color.

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