Crostini Of Fava Bean Puree Fresh Ricotta And Morel Mushrooms Recipes

Steps:

• Bring a pot of water to a boil; prepare an ice-water bath. Blanch the snow peas for 30 seconds in the boiling water, then transfer to the ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain thoroughly and set aside.
• In a medium saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Toast the baguette slices in the pan until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side; drain on paper towels. Season with salt and pepper. While still warm, rub the sides of the toast with the garlic cloves to season.
• Combine the ricotta and lemon zest and juice in a small mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Divide the ricotta among the toasts.
• Combine the snow peas with the almonds, mint, vinegar, shallots and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and divide among the toasts.

Steps:

• Bring a medium pot of well-salted water to a boil and set up a bowl of well-salted ice water. Drop the peas in the boiling water, let the water return to a boil and cook the peas for 2 minutes. Scoop the peas out of the water and plunge them immediately into the ice water. When the peas are cool, remove them from the ice water and reserve. Repeat this process with the fava beans. When the favas are cool, peel off the tough outer layer and reserve the beans.
• In a food processor, pulse the peas to make a coarse paste. In a large bowl, combine the pea paste, ricotta and parmigiano; mix well, season with kosher salt (about 1/2 teaspoon) and taste to make sure it's delicious. In a separate bowl, toss the favas with the olive oil, mint, lemon zest and a pinch of kosher salt. Set aside.
• Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Brush both sides of the bread slices with olive oil and grill, flipping, until lightly charred, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
• Spread about 1 tablespoon of the pea-ricotta mixture onto each crostini. Top with the favas, a final shaving of parmigiano, a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt.

Steps:

• Shell the favas and discard pods. Drop beans into boiling salted water and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and immediately plunge into ice water. Drain again and remove tough outer skin from each bean. Place beans in a bowl.
• Serve with slices of good fresh cheese, a drizzle of olive oil, 1 to 2 drops of lemon juice, freshly ground pepper and a few grains of salt along with a slice of good crusty peasant bread.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Add the peas and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain, put them into a food processor and pulse until chunky. Add the ricotta and pulse to combine. While the processor is running, pour in the oil in a slow steady stream. Transfer the puree to a serving bowl, then stir in the mint and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Arrange the bread on a lined baking sheet and drizzle with some garlic infused olive oil. Toast in the oven until light golden, about 5 to 7 minutes.
• Spread the pea puree over the toasts and serve.

Steps:

• Shell the fava beans from the large long pods in which they are encased. This will reveal the beans in their thin skin from which they must also be removed. Do this by bringing a pot of water to a boil, add the beans to the pot and blanchcook for 2 to 3 minutes before straining the favas and shocking in an ice bath of cold water. The thin skin can now be peeled entirely off by hand to reveal the sweet fava bean. It is now ready to be added to any dish and only requires a few moments of additional cooking time.
• Clean the morels carefully and trim off the bottom of the stem. Remove all dirt and debris by soaking them in several changes of clean cold water. Next, lay the morels out on paper towels to absorb the excess moisture and air dry. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
• In a saute pan, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the morels and saute 3 to 4 minutes. Add the shallots and cook for 3 additional minutes. Add the fish stock and braise the morels for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the fava beans and white wine to the morels and continue to cook another 3 minutes. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper and add the fresh thyme leaves. Swirl in the cold butter to allow the butter, which adds a creamy texture to the dish, to melt but not separate. Remove promptly from the heat and place the morels and fava beans on a warm serving platter. While the morels and fava beans are cooking begin to cook the whitefish by seasoning the fish with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining olive oil in a second saute pan. Add the fish fillets to the hot oil, skin side down and cook the fillets 2 1/2 to 3 minutes on each side, before removing and placing on the serving platter with the morels and favas.

Steps:

• Cook fava beans or lima beans in medium saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender, about 1 1/2 minutes for fava beans or about 4 minutes for lima beans. Drain. Rinse under cold water; drain well. Peel fava beans if using; set aside. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Arrange bread pieces on baking sheet; toast in oven until light golden, about 12 minutes. Rub 1 side of each bread piece with cut side of 1 garlic half, pressing firmly to release juices into bread. Top each bread piece with 1 heaping tablespoon ricotta cheese, then fava beans, dividing equally. Place 2 bread pieces on each of 8 plates. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Garnish with sliced basil and serve.