Bulgur Wheat and Fava Bean Salad with Feta Cheese, Lemon Basil, and Mint

You know warm weather is coming when fresh fava beans show up at the farmers market. I feel that fresh fava beans our one of our last truly seasonal vegetables. By this I mean that you will almost never find them available in a grocery store or super market out of season (like we do tomatoes, asparagus, and artichokes).

The first of the season fava beans are the best. Even the large beans are tender, requiring only 3-4 minutes of blanching. If you have ever worked with fava beans, you know that they require affection and patience to work with. Only people who love favas actually cook with them. Fresh favas come in large, thick, hairy green pods. These pods must first be split open to reveal the beans inside. These beans then need to be dunked in boiling hot water for a few minutes (depends on their size and age) to make them tender, and to soften their leathery outer skin. This skin then needs to be peeled off (its easy, just pop the beans right out) before the bean can be used. All in all, fava beans have about an 80% loss when all is finished. 1 1/2 pounds of beans in pods will yeild roughly a cup of peeled beans. Fava beans are like artichokes; a bit of a hassle to work with, but sooooo worth the effort!

Fava beans go wonderfully with wheat, salty cheeses, fresh spring herbs, potatoes, artichokes, peas, and even early tomatoes. My favorite herbs to go with fava beans are tarragon, chives, parsley, basil, mint, chervil, and thyme. I have a mini basil garden going, and my lemon basil is flaunting a few beautful,leafy sprigs, which I decided to use in my first fava bean recipe of the year; Bulgur Wheat and Fava Bean Salad with Feta Cheese, Lemon Basil, and Mint. If lemon basil is not available, then any early basil will do. I really love the mint in this recipe as well. The salty and creamy feta cheese really ties the chewy bulgur wheat and tender favas together, while chopped walnuts add a nice toasty crunch. This is a really nice side dish. I used a full 3 tablespoons of exceptional extra virgin olive oil and the juice of two juicy lemons. If you feel the salad is too dry, add more oil or lemon juice if need be.

Bulgur Wheat with Fava Beans, Feta Cheese, Lemon Basil, and Mint Serves 4-6 as a side dish
Spring, Early Summer

-1 cup bulgur wheat
-1 ½ pounds fresh fava beans
-1 small shallot lobe, minced
-1 tablespoon minced fresh lemon basil
-1 tablespoon minced fresh mint leaves
-2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
-1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese*
-Juice of 2 lemons, or to taste
-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, or to taste
-Handful toasted and chopped walnuts
-salt and fresh ground white pepper to taste

Place the bulgur wheat in a 2 quart pot and cover with 1 ½ cups water and a large pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer, cover, and turn the heat down to low. Cook the bulgur wheat until it has absorbed all the water. Let rest ten minutes, off heat. Uncover, and fluff with a fork. Refrigerate the bulgur if not using with in the hour.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Remove the fava beans from their thick green pods. Add the fava beans to the boiling water. Blanch until the beans are tender and their skins slip right off, about 3-4 minutes for young, first of the season beans, a little longer for later season beans. Drain and immediately run under cold water until cool. Peel the fava beans. They are now ready to use.

Combine the bulgur wheat with the fava beans, minced shallot, lemon basil, mint, parsley, and a little salt and fresh ground white pepper. Stir to combine. Add in the feta cheese, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, and chopped walnuts. Stir well to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary with salt, fresh ground white pepper, lemon juice, and extra virgin olive oil.

*Note: If your feta cheese is very moist and creamy instead of dry and crumbly, add it at the end of mixing, after you have adjusted to taste, otherwise, this dish will get soggy and the feta will disappear into the bulgur wheat.

Penne Pasta with Multi-Colored Cauliflower and Gorgonzola

One of my favorite produce items to show up at the Spring market is multi-colored cauliflower. Purple, orange, light green, and white, these cauliflowers are stunning to look at, leaving you baffled by Mother Nature's ability to make food naturally beautiful.

Cauliflower in general is considered royalty in my cooking repertoire. When truly farmers market fresh (I have never met a large chain grocery store cauliflower I liked), this sweet and slightly nutty vegetable can be served raw in a crudites spread, with pasta, gratin style, sauteed, and anything else you can imagine. The trick is to not over cook it! I think boiling is bad for almost any vegetable, but especially cruciferous ones that tend to let off that unpleasant, old cabbage smell. So steam or blanch quickly.

Cauliflower loves the company of strong, salty flavors such as black olives, gorgonzola, capers, curry, and red chili flakes. I decided to go with rich and creamy gorgonzola cheese, which, when mix with a little cream, makes a terrific sauce, filling each little penne tube and perfectly covering each cauliflower floret. Make sure to cut the cauliflower about the same size as the pasta. I taught this pasta at my Mediterranean Harvest cooking class at Edna Valley Vineyards. Someone suggested a little tarragon as a garnish to this pasta. I tried it tonight, along with parsley and chives, and it was fantastic!

Penne Pasta with Multi-Colored Cauliflower and Gorgonzola

Serves 4

-8oz dry, short style pasta such as Pipe Rigate, Fusilli, or even orzo
-2-3 cups chopped multi-colored cauliflower
-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ yellow onion, diced
-1 large clove garlic, minced
- ½ cup heavy cream
-3 ounces crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
-Salt and fresh ground white pepper to taste
-Chopped flat leaf parsley, chives, and a little tarragon to garnish

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta to al dente. Remove the pasta from the water with a slotted spoon (save the boiling water), toss with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to prevent sticking, and set aside. Bring the pot of water back up to a boil and blanch the cauliflower until tender but still firm to the bite. Drain, rinse under cold water, and set aside.

Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. When hot, add in the diced onion. Sauté the onion until it begins to soften around the edges, about 3-4 minutes. Add in the garlic and sauté one minute more. Pour in the cream and bring to a simmer. Let simmer about 1-2 minutes to slightly reduce. Whisk in the gorgonzola to create a smooth sauce. Add in the cooked pasta, and cauliflower. Heat through and season to taste with salt and fresh ground white pepper. Garnish with minced fresh Italian parsley, chives, and a small amount of fresh minced tarragon.

Our Favorite Summer Dinner

This beautiful platter of summer vegetables and feta cheese has become one my husband and I's favorite summer dinners. It is so easy to do and tastes wonderful. This is a great way to showcase all those amazing heirloom tomatoes available right now at the farmers market. Make sure you use a good quality feta cheese. The one I use is a sheep milk feta made in Israel. I buy it at Trader Joe's, and it is delicious (and free of hormones, even better!!). The secret here is to keep it simple and to season to taste, that is why there is no recipe, just guidelines. Let the vegetables and cheese speak for them selves. I consider items such as high quality extra virgin olive oil and good vinegars to be seasonings, so they should be added to personal taste. We usually eat this with toasted baguette, toasted whole grain country bread, or with whole wheat pita bread. You can put the platter together ahead of time, just do not season the tomatoes until last minute, including the drizzle of olive oil.

Our Favorite Summer Dinner

For the Tomatoes

-Heirloom tomatoes of all kinds, sliced or cut into wedges

-Chopped fresh basil

-High quality extra virgin olive oil

-Salt and fresh ground black pepper

Decoratively place the cut tomatoes onto a big platter. Drizzle with good extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with chopped fresh basil, salt, and fresh ground black pepper.

For the Feta

-1/2 block of sheep milk feta, sliced

-High quality extra virgin olive oil

-Sprinkling of red chili flakes

Place the feta slices next to the tomatoes, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with red chili flakes.

For the Green Bean and Cucumber Salad

-Steamed green beans, cut into thirds (probably about 1/2 pound)

-1 cucumber, thinly sliced

-1/4 cup of quartered kalamata olives

-Drizzle of red wine vinegar (probably about 2-3 tablespoons)

-High quality extra virgin olive oil (about 3 tablespoons)

-Salt and fresh ground pepper

Toss the green beans, cucumber, and olives together. Drizzle with red wine vinegar and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and adjust vinegar and olive oil to desired taste.

Summer Corn and Vegetable Soup

Sorry everyone about the long pause in between postings. It may be like this for the next couple of weeks as my husband and I reach our last month of pregnancy. We are about to start month 9 and I'm finding it a little bit harder to stay focused. I have also been working on my book quite a bit, as well as a few other things, so my next couple of postings may just be recipes and not much else. Anyways, the recipe I'm posting today was something I made quite quickly with a whole lot of extra veggies I had in the refrigerator. This soup is a great way to use up all the extras that come from gardening friends. The list of ingredients is a little long, but it is very easy to make and delicious. I used my stripped corn cobs to make a light stock for the soup, but any vegetable stock can be used. Just make sure your stock is not salted. You want to do the seasoning, not the company making the stock. I also like to scrape the corn cobs once the kernels have been removed. Scraping removes the extra bits of corn still attached inside those little individual cells on the cob, and also removes a very tasty sort of corn cream that comes along with the little pieces. This step really makes a differenc in the end product, so don't skip it.

Summer Corn and Vegetable Soup

For the Corn Stock

-3 ears sweet corn, kernels removed and set aside, cobs saved

-1 yellow onion, roughly chopped

-4 cups water

Scrape the corn cobs with the back of your knife to remove the hidden bits of leftover corn kernels, as well as the creamy corn milk. Place with the reserved corn kernels. Put the cobs into a large soup pot along with the chopped onion and the water. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes. Strain and set aside to use for the soup. This should make 3 - 3 1/2 cups stock.

For the Soup

-1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or butter (butter is best when it comes to anything involving sweet corn)

-1 medium red or yellow onion, diced small

-2 medium sized Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced small

-reserved corn kernels from cobs, or about 2 cups

-3 - 3 1/2 cups corn stock or vegetable stock

-1 crookneck or Gold Bar squash, diced small

-1 zucchini, diced small

-1 cup thinly sliced green beans

-1/2 cup green peas, defrosted if using frozen

-1 ripe tomato, diced small

-1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

-1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

-salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat the extra virgin olive oil or butter in a soup pot over medium heat. When hot, add in the onion and cook until it begins to slightly soften, about 3 minutes. Add in the potatoes and cook about 3-4 minutes more. Add in the corn and the stock. Bring to a simmer, and gently cook until the potatoes become tender. Remove from the heat. Transfer half of the soup to the bowl of a food processor fitted with an s-blade. Roughly puree and add back to the pot with the other half of the soup. Alternately, smash half of the soup with a potato masher until you obtain a rough consistency, or even use a hand held blender to puree half of the soup in the pot. Return the pot to medium heat.

Bring back to a simmer and add in the green beans, squash, and fresh green peas if using. Cook about 3-4 minutes, or until the vegetables become tender. Add in the defrosted green peas (if using instead of fresh), diced tomato, and fresh herbs. Heat through and season to taste with salt and fresh ground pepper. Serve hot.

Red Oak Leaf, Nectarine, and Goats Cheese Salad

I could devour a big plate of salad every single night. Salads filled with greens, vegetables, fruits, and nuts are the perfect vehicles for all foods seasonal and fresh. Every season offers fantastic choices for composing a great salad. Farmers markets overflow with all kinds of beautiful and interesting salad greens, from red leafed lettuces, butter cos, romaines, loose leaf, and arugula.

At my central coast farmers market, red and green oak leaf lettuce is in full swing. Oak leaf lettuces look exactly like their name, like large, long oak leaves. The red variety is actually almost purple in color, with the leaves becoming green the closer you get to the heart of the head. I believe salads should be simple so that the true flavors of each vegetable stand out. This also means using a simple olive oil based dressing as well. The salad below was truly inspired completely by what was available at the farmers market. The first nectarines showed up at our market about a week ago and I just had to use them. I always try to include something crunchy in my salads such as a lightly toasted nut or seed. I lightly toast nuts and seeds to preserve their precious oils and flavors. The Sherry Vinaigrette makes a great all purpose dressing.

Red Oak Leaf, Nectarine, and Goats Cheese Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette

Copyright by Correne Quigley, 2007

-1 head Red or Green Oak Leaf lettuce, roughly chopped or torn, washed, and spun dry

-2 nectarines pitted and sliced thin

-2-4 oz chevre style goats cheese, crumbled
-1/2 cup lightly toasted pistachios

Sherry Vinaigrette

-1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
-1 tablespoon raw honey
-5 tablespoons sherry vinegar
-9 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
-Salt and pepper

In a large bowl or on a decorative platter, place the chopped and cleaned greens in a mound. Decoratively arrange the nectarine slices, and crumbled goat's cheese on or around the greens. Top with a scattering of the lightly toasted pistachios. Alternatively, toss all ingredients together in a large bowl. Be careful not to smash all the goat cheese crumbles. Make the dressing.

Combined the mustard, honey, and vinegar in a glass jar fitted with a lid. Shake well to combined. Pour in the oil and season with salt and pepper. Replace the lid and shake again to combined. Drizzle a few tablespoons of the dressing over the salad, and serve the rest on the side.

Berries n' Cream Steel Cut Oatmeal

Breakfast has always been a bit of a challenge for me, actually eating it that is. I am now finally in the habit of eating breakfast every morning. One of my most favorite breakfast foods is steel cut oats, which are more nutritious than quick cooking oats, and definitely more nutritious than instant packaged oatmeal. The more you process a food, the less nutritious it becomes. But, instant oatmeal is always better than a sugar cereal, so I am not denouncing it.

If you have the inclination, and time, steel cut oats are worth it. They make a substantial breakfast, have a wonderful chewy texture, and sweet, true oat flavor. They are not hard to prepare by any means, they just need to cook for about 20 minutes with occasional stirring. Steel cut oats, or Scottish oats, are whole oat groats that have been cut into two or three pieces. Oats are great for helping to lower cholesterol (as is any whole grain), are high in soluble fiber (which helps to remove cholesterol), have good amounts of B vitamins, calcium, and protein. Oats are good anytime of the day depending on how they are prepared. In countries where oats are an important food source, places such as Ireland and Scotland, oats are eaten as a simple porridge just flavored with a little salt and fat. Oats have a natural affinity for many foods. Examples are berries, bananas, apples, pumpkin or butternut squash, nuts and seeds, cinnamon, and root vegetables. Berries happen to be my favorite, and since organic strawberries have shown up at the market, I can't seem to get enough of the following recipe; Berries n' Cream Steel Cut Oatmeal. I don't actually use cream, but you can if you like, it will be much richer than my version. I like to use a thick, homemade almond milk, or full fat soy milk. If this was to be prepared on a weekend, say for company, I would set out a basic, piping hot pot of cooked steel cut oats and put all the garnishes on the side, like a buffet, and let everyone make their own. It's hard to say how much milk and sweetener a person likes in their oatmeal, it's quite personal actually.When finished, this oatmeal turns a beautiful purple and smells heavenly with berries. This oatmeal is a great start to any day. The below recipe serves two if you have a hungry husband and are yourself pregnant, or 4 with other foods along side, like toast or scrambled eggs.

Berries n' Cream Steel Cut Oatmeal

-1 cup organic steel cut oats
-3 cups water
-pinch of salt
-4 cups of berries, fresh or frozen (defrost before hand)
-soy milk, almond milk, cow's milk, or even real cream (you will need much less if using real cream)
-real maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, or brown rice syrup

Place the oats, water, and salt in a 4 quart saucepan and bring up to a simmer. Simmer the oats, stirring often, until quite tender and the oatmeal is very thick, about 20 minutes. Set up a large bowl of the berries, a pitcher or two of chosen milks, and a bowl of chosen sweetener/s. Ladle the very hot oatmeal into each bowl and let everyone garnish their own. Alternatively, add the berries to the oatmeal and stir in while still on the heat to slightly soften the berries. Serve as above. I like to add frozen blueberries and blackberries to the oatmeal while still on the heat, stir in to defrost and soften, stir in strawberries and maple syrup off heat, and then top with a good pouring of fresh, homemade almond milk.

A True Vegetable of Spring; Fresh Fava Beans

Ahh, fava beans, one of the last truly seasonal vegetables. Every spring their thick pods begin to overcrowd the market stands. I'm a lover of fava beans and have high anticipation every spring for their arrival. I say they are one of the last truly seasonal vegetables because you would be hard pressed to find a fresh fava outside of its spring season. Unlike foods such as watermelon, tomatoes, and asparagus, fresh favas cannot readily be found year round. But this fact is what makes them so spectacular and worth the effort. When we eat seasonally from farmer's markets we soon begin to appreciate a food for what it's really worth. If you have to wait for tomato season, or watermelon season, your going to respect and treat that food with nothing but integrity, knowing you have waited all year for the best a season has to offer. One of the greatest concepts of a seasonal farmer's market is what it can't provide; year round promises of tasteless, inferior produce.

If you have ever prepared fresh fava beans, you know they can be a bit of work. Their thick pods must first be removed to reveal the light green, kidney shaped beans inside, which then need to be quickly steamed or blanched to remove their leathery outer shell. These de-podded and de-shelled beans are what we normally consume as fresh favas. Fava beans can also be left on the vines to grow large and yellow, and then dried to be used year round. Most favas are eaten in this form, but I prefer the fresh version more. I have heard and read recipes using the pods of the fava beans, but have never found one I really enjoy. I don't like wasting food, and fresh fava beans have a waste percentage of about 80%, so I typically compost my pods, which seem to break down quite fast and add a good amount of greens to the compost pile. If the beans inside the pods are small an naturally tender, then their leathery outer shell does not need to be removed.

Since fresh fava beans take some effort to prepare and are only around for a short amount of time, I like to prepare them as simply as possible. I actually prefer to prepare most of my foods in simple ways, letting their true flavors, colors, and textures speak for themselves. I believe there is great genius in simplicty. One of the tastiest ways to prepare fresh favas is to serve them with a good bread, sheep's milk cheese, and cracked black pepper. I decided to go with this theme for my first fava preparation of the season, but switched out sheep's milk cheese for goat's (only because that is what I had on hand). I also had a bunch of beautiful red spring onions, so decided to incorporate those as well. Spring onions look sort of like overgrown scallions, with bulbs that get bigger as the season progresses. If you can't find spring onions, then use scallions instead, or even an equal amount of minced shallot. For the favas, first remove the beans from the thick pods. Drop the beans into a pot of boiling water and blanch for about 1-2 minutes if they are to be sauteed later, or until tender if being used right away. For this recipe, they will be sauteed later, so blanch quickly to avoid overcooking them. Once blanched, shock in cold water to stop the cooking process and set the color. Slip the favas out of their leathery skin and set aside. Now they are ready to use. You will need about 1 1/2 pounds of fresh favas in their pods to get 1 cup of ready to use beans.

Fava Bean, Spring Onion, and Goat's Cheese Crostini

-8-10 slices whole grain baguette or other sturdy, crusty bread
-4 large cloves garlic, papery skin still on
-4 oz chevre style goat's cheese at room temperature
-1/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
-2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
-1 cup shelled and peeled fresh fava beans
-3 small spring onions, bulbs and 1 inch of green top, sliced (about 1/2 cup)
-salt and fresh ground black pepper
-fresh chopped parsely

Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush each slice of whole grain bread with a small amount of olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake until slightly browned on the edges and crunchy, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. These toasts can be done up to a day in advance. While the toasts are baking, wrap the whole garlic cloves up in a small piece of foil and bake until very soft, about 20 minutes. Squeeze the garlic out of its skins, chop fine, and set aside.

Lightly mash the goat's cheese with a fork in a bowl. Mix in the roasted garlic, minced rosemary, and a little salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Set aside.

In a medium sized saute pan, heat the 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium heat. When hot, add in the fava beans and sliced spring onions. Season with salt and a little ground black pepper (don't overdo the pepper!). Stir often, adjusting the heat as neccessary to avoiding burning, until the onions have wilted and fava beans are just tender, about 5 minutes. Add a splash of water or vegetable stock, about 1-2 tablespoons, and stir to mix. This gives a little moisture to the mix, which may be quite dry. Taste and adjust seasoning. Stir in the fresh chopped parsely.

Spread each toast with some of the goat's cheese spread, top generously with the sauteed fava beans, and a little more fresh chopped parsely if desired. Great with a salad of seasonal greens and fennel, and maybe even a poached egg.