In Your Box This Week

Small Box

Spinach 1 bu
Fava Beans  1.25 lb
Romaine Lettuce  1 hd
Garlic Scapes  1 bu
Broccoli, medium head
Cherries  3/4 lb from PDQ Farm, Zillah, WA
Baby Dill  1 bu

Standard Box

Spinach 2 bu
Fava Beans  1.25 lb
Red Butter Lettuce  1 hd
Garlic Scapes  1 bu
Broccoli, large head
Cherries  3/4 lb from PDQ Farm, Zillah, WA
Baby Dill  1 bu
Rainbow Chard  1 bu

Fava Beans

The biggest complaint we hear about fava beans is that they are time-consuming to prepare. This may be true, but there’s no bean that can equal its buttery taste.

If the beans are very young, the whole bean can be chopped up and used, pods and all. Otherwise you need to shuck them. There is a whitish skin around the bean itself, which can be eaten or discarded.

Sauté shucked beans with peas and mushrooms, or with shrimp and thyme for a delicious and elegant summer supper. Toss them into soups, stir-fries or pasta. Roast them with garlic, olive oil and salt to taste, or use them raw, whole or chopped into salads. Puree favas with sautéed cut up garlic scapes for an alternative green base to pizza or pasta. Boil and mash them, and spread the paste on crostini.

Shucking favas

Remove the beans from the pod. To remove the second skin, make a small slit with a knife along the edge of the bean to pop the bean out.

You can also blanch them for 1-3 minutes, then submerge them in ice cold water. Squeeze them out from their skins and use as directed in any recipe of your choice. Check our Recipe Blog for some good ones.

Broccoli pesto? Definitely!

3 full cups broccoli florets
4 cloves garlic
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup walnuts
1/3 cup parsley
2/3 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Broccoli plant

Blanch broccoli in boiling water until fork-tender, then immediately plunge into ice water. Once the broccoli is cold, remove it from the ice water and drain on paper towels. Squeeze the excess water from the broccoli before adding it to the pesto.

Add all the garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, walnuts and parsley to the food processor and pulse until chunky. Add the dry broccoli florets and pulse until the mixture is completely combined. It should look like very dry pesto at this point. Add the olive oil and process until completely creamy. Season with salt and pepper and mix again.

We thank Nourish Restaurant in Sequim for this delicious recipe.

Cherries

Cherries, which are members of the same family as peaches, plums, apricots, and almonds, are often regarded as a dessert fruit for use in pies or jams.

But they have a healthy side too, because they are rich in powerful antioxidants and many other health-promoting compounds.

Bing cherries contain quercetin, which is among the most potent of antioxidants. They also contain fiber, vitamin C, carotenoids, and anthocyanins, each of which may help play a role in cancer prevention.

Cherries have been known to help reduce inflammation caused by gout and arthritis. They also contain natural melatonin, a powerful antioxidant and free radical scavenger that helps “cool down” excess inflammation and associated oxidative stress. It also plays a vital role in sleep and bodily regeneration.

Sweet Cherry Feta Quinoa

1 cup uncooked quinoa
1/2 cup peach or apricot jam
1/4 cup white wine or apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp. Dijon
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp. water
1/2 cup fresh cherries, pitted, quartered
1 cup shucked fava beans, outer membrane removed, and steamed to al dente
1 celery stalk, chopped
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds, toasted

For the dressing, place the jam, vinegar, olive oil, Dijon, salt, and water in a small jar. Screw on the lid and shake until thoroughly blended and emulsified.

Rinse the quinoa and drain well. Bring 1 1/4 cups water and the quinoa to a boil in a large pot, cover, and then reduce to a simmer. Cook 10-12 minutes or until all the water is absorbed and the quinoa is just tender but still a little firm. Once cooked, remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork, and then drizzle about 1/2 of the vinaigrette over the quinoa and toss to coat. Allow to cool.

Add the cherries, favas, celery, onion, herbs, and feta to the quinoa. Toss to combine and refrigerate until ready to serve. Before serving, sprinkle with toasted almonds and drizzle with additional vinaigrette.

We thank fountainavenuekitchen.com for this delicious recipe.