It Might as Well be Spring

Or so, the calendar says.   Could have fooled me.   The next line to "It might as well be Spring", is, "I'm as restless as a willow in a windstorm".  That's it.   It seems as if we're just being blown around - teased beyond comprehension.  Basta.  I want the weather outside to be friendlier.  The reminder that Spring really and truly is about arrive is the appearance of green vegetables from sunnier, warmer climates: artichokes and fava beans.    I've had a thing for fresh fava beans ever since I ate them for the first time in Italy, decades ago, where they appeared, of all places, piled in a bowl alongside the fresh fruit that was served after dinner with cheese.  What a concept.   The nut-like, slightly farinaceous, fresh fava beans turned out to be just the right company for cheese - especially soft, fresh pecorino - sheep's milk cheese.  However you prepare fava beans - make sure that once they're removed from their plush pod you slip their pale green skin from the bright green bean.

INSALTA CON FAVE E PECORINO
Fava Beans with sheep's Milk Cheese

In the Italian regions; Tuscany and Emilia Romagna, the arrival of fave happily coincides with the arrival of fresh pecorino, a young sheep's milk cheese.   This simple combination can open or close a meal.

Serves 4

4 pounds fava beans, shelled
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 pound fresh pecorino cheese (not the aged pecorino used for grating)
 a baguette from Bonfiglio and Bread in Hudson - or a loaf of the best Mediterranean-style bread available

1.   In a large pot of boiling water, cook the fava beans for 2 minutes.  Immediately plunge them into ice water to halt the cooking.  Slip the skin off each bean .   Put the beans in a large bowl and add the olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.  Toss together.
2.   Divide the fava beans equally among 4 plates.  Divide the cheese among the plates.  Serve at room temperature with the bread.

note:  If you can't find first-choice fresh favas, it's possible to find frozen ones in some Mediterranean and Middle Eastern grocery shops.  Follow package directions for cooking and removing skin.

FRITTELLA
Spring Vegetable Medley

I tasted frittella for the first time, in the early spring, in Sicily, when I was a guest at the agricultural estate, Regaleali.  In addition the  world-class wines that the estate produces, the land grows the food that supplies the large Tasca d'Almerita family, and the cooking school founded by the Marchesa Anna Tasca Lanza.   One day, Anna served frittella, made with the stars of the springtime harvest - artichokes, fava beans and peas.   The flavor - sweet, sour, and salty, and texture of the dish were instantly pleasurable.

Serves 6

2 artichokes, about 1 1/2 pounds total weight
1 lemon
1 1/2 cups shelled fava beans (about 2 1/2 pounds in their pods)
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 pound peas, shelled, or 1 cup frozen petite pois
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
2 tablespoons freshly ground white pepper
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar

1.   Prepare the artichokes: cut the lemon in half.  Squeeze both halves into a large bowl filled with water.  Work with one artichoke at a time.  Remove the outside leaves from the artichoke by bending them backward and pulling down.  They will snap at the "meaty' point of the leaf.  Pull away the leaves until you see only pale green ones.  Cut away the remaining leaf tops.  Cut the artichoke in half and use a sharp paring knife to remove the fuzzy choke.  Place in the lemon water.   When both artichokes are prepared, thinly slice each half and return the pieces to the lemon water.
2.  In a large pot of boiling water, cook the fava beans for 2 minutes.  Immediately plunge them into ice water to halt the cooking.  Slip the skin off each bean.
3.  In a large skillet or sauté pan over medium heat, sauté the onion in the olive oil until translucent, about 3 minutes.  Add the fava beans and cook for 5 minutes.  Drain the artichokes and add to the pan.  Stir to combine and cook for 5 minutes.   Add the peas, water, salt and pepper.  Cover and cook, Stirring occasionally, until all the vegetables are tender, 15 - 20 minutes.
4.   Add the vinegar and sugar, and stir to dissolve the sugar.  Remove from the heat and serve hot or at room temperature.

SUSANSIMONSAYS:

Whenever you spot baby artichokes, grab a bunch. They are so easy to prepare - just pull off a few of the tough outside leaves, cut off the spiky ends of the leaves, and cut in half.  They shouldn't have a fuzzy choke, so they're ready to cook.  Braise them, steam them, cook them into a risotto or, my favorite, roast them.   Heat the oven to 350 degrees F., rub some olive oil and flaky sea salt on them and roast 'til crispy, about 15 minutes.   I recently enjoyed roasted artichokes crowded on top of fresh, creamy goat's milk cheese that was smeared on matza.  Oy, so good.

Bucolic,defined

If the dictionary definition of  bucolic - an idyllic rural life - were to be actualized then the example should be Turkana Farms in Germantown, NY.  The spectacularly beautiful 39 acre farm is hidden away off route 33 surrounded by other farms.   Farmers Peter Davies and Mark Scherzer came to farming a bit late in their lives, but like everything they do - they've built their property carefully, thoughtfully and with aplomb.  Davies, an academic with a lifelong interest in Turkey- so much so that he was one of the first sellers of the quintessential Turkish carpet, kilim, in this country, and now leads very particular tours to the country, and Scherzer, an attorney specializing in health care, are considered small scale farmers but the breadth of what they do is huge. They breed a considerable selection of heritage breed livestock - pastured and fed locally produced grains and never given antibiotics  -  and a wide assortment of vegetables and berries - grown without chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides.  

Three week old Toulouse geese will enjoy a wonderful late spring, summer and fall in the garden before they become the centerpieces of  delicious holiday meals for some lucky diners.

The farm raises four varieties of turkeys: Bourbon Reds, Spanish Black, Holland White, and Narragansett.  The birds are the farms' claim to fame.  Reserve your Thanksgiving bird in time (I'll be sure to give you a reminder).

The Karakul sheep add scenery and comic relief to the farm.   They live for their "teatime" snack - a bit of grain added as a treat to their otherwise grass fed diet.   They hear Mark pour the grain into their trays and literally tap their hooves in anticipation waiting for the barn door to open and let them at it.

The sheeps' unusually fat tails are a source of cooking oil and the fat that puts the shish in shish kabob.

Guinea hens are called faraona in Italian - and doesn't this white one look like a pharaoh?

That very handsome bull, called Titan,  a British White breed is the "husband"  of the seated cows, Daisy and Roxy and the dad to those beautiful chalk white calves - one of whom got close to him for protection when it saw us approaching.

A very beautiful peacock, and peahen live in a lovely fenced in area - on their own.

The leaf, peeking through the straw is a kind of Romaine with a rosy blush called, forellenschluss.

These fava beans are just about ready to harvest and be cooked using one of Peter's favorite recipes.

TURKISH WHOLE FAVA BEAN PODS IN OLIVE OIL
For 1 pound fava beans

.    Add 1/3 to 1/2 cup olive oil to a heavy cast iron skillet or heavy enamel pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium heat.
.    Add a couple of cloves, peeled, of garlic.  When they're soft add the fava beans.  Toss in the oil to fully coat.
.     Lower the heat, cover tightly and cover in the oil (stirring once or twice) for 10 to 15 minutes, until the pods begin to turn a little yellow.
.    Add boiling water to cover, the juice of one lemon, a tablespoon of sugar, salt and pepper to taste.
.    Simmer, uncovered, on low heat for about 1 - 1 1/2 hours, until the beans are soft and the liquid turns to a syrupy consistency.
.    Let cool to room temperature - or something near that.
.   Serve with chopped dill as a garnish.    
The above recipe comes in a bag with the favas, dill and recipe.  It's for sale at the farm.  Contact them to reserve.

Gooseberries.  Almost ripe.  Ripe.
  

Mark and Peter enjoying a much deserved refreshing drink at the end of a very busy day.  Wait.  I think Mark just said he had to go feed the pigs - Ossabaws, who have their special diet made for them by Lightening Tree Farm in Millbrook, NY - and Peter who had some of last season's guinea hens primed for his fine culinary touch - dinner.   Whose work is never done?

SUSANSIMONSAYS:

PLEASE DON'T MISS THIS EVENT AT THE HUDSON, NY FARMERS' MARKET ON SATURDAY, 23RD JUNE -  10:30am - 12:30pm - HAVE LIBBIE SUMMERS PERSONALIZE A COPY OF HER BOOK FOR YOU - OR SOMEONE WHO'LL ENJOY IT AS A BIRTHDAY PRESENT, OR CHRISTMAS GIFT

Authors Libbie Summers will be on hand signing copies of her book "The Whole Hog Cookbook"