Dried Fava beans

I needed fresh fava beans for a paella, but was only able to find dried. Can these be reconstituted and used in place of fresh? Soak? Simmer?

Bill/SFNM

Bill/SFNM wrote:I needed fresh fava beans for a paella, but was only able to find dried. Can these be reconstituted and used in place of fresh? Soak? Simmer?

Bill/SFNM

Bill:

I would have to say 'no', dried favas will not reconstitute in such a way as to give you something that resembles fresh favas in a satisfactory way. My inclination would be just to use fresh green peas (which are in the same ball park as fresh favas both with regard to flavour and (less so) texture (and are, of course, delicious in their own right) and/or some other fresh bean. But peas would be my first choice.

'Fresh' favas can also be gotten in jars and I recently used such a product which is bottled in Spain. Of course, they are not nearly as wonderful as genuinely fresh favas but they are nice and in a relatively complex dish, they can work well enough in a pinch.

Concerning dried favas, I must say that I am not a fan of the dried whole type. On the other hand, the dried split favas, which both are handled and behave like split peas, are among my favourite dried legumes. The dried, split favas can be seen here:
http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=31943#31943

I've made arròs amb faves a few times since I bought my paëlla last summer, including with the bottled 'fresh' favas, and it is they who appear in the version illustrated here:
http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=54150#54150

If you can get the bottled ones from Spain (they're not cheap and are of pretty good quality for what they are), I'd use them OR I would just substitute peas. Paëlla valenciana is, of course, precisely the sort of dish that has no set list of ingredients (though there certainly are respected parameters) and naturally is adapted to fit what is available seasonally and at the moment. And as far as I know, fresh favas are by no means a necessary ingredient in this dish. Fresh peas and maybe some nice little fresh French green beans will do the trick. In fact, a couple of Catalan-language recipes I've seen call for these in paëlla valenciana and not fresh favas, though I know I've seen recipes that do include favas.

Antonius

Thank you so very much, Antonius, for such an informative reply. I bought the dried, whole favas, habas enteras, at the local Spanish Table. Strangely, the beans are from Peru. They did have an assortment of jarred beans, but no favas.

My "Paella al la Esperanza" also calls for peas, so maybe I'll just double the peas or add some green beans. I agree that paella is a great dish for winging it, as long as the rice is adequately cooked, not mushy, and with a nice crust on the bottom. Overloading with ingredients can be problematic, especially at this altitude where it takes longer for the rice to cook.

The menu for the meal tomorrow is:

Assorted tapas
Confit of Piquillo Peppers in their own Juices with rounds of fresh-baked bread
Paella
Orange flan

Bill/SFNM

Bill/SFNM wrote:Assorted tapas
Confit of Piquillo Peppers in their own Juices with rounds of fresh-baked bread
Paella
Orange flan

Wow, that sounds like a hell of a meal! And I've heard tell that what you cook up and bake doesn't just sound and look great... (personal communication, Choey, Dec. 2005)...

Please post some pics, if you have a chance (I'm especially interested in the orange flan)...

A

Antonius wrote:

Bill/SFNM wrote:
(I'm especially interested in the orange flan)...

A,

The orange flan is a no-brainer. I simply add some Boyajian Orange Oil to my favorite vanilla flan recipe and decrease the amount of vanilla a bit. The basic recipe I use is Bayless's Rich and Commanding Flan from One Plate at a Time . I add 1/2t of orange oil and decrease the vanilla to 1t. This flan benefits from resting in the fridge for a day or two and also from the use of contraband Mexican vanilla.

I'll post pictures tomorrow or Monday.

Bill/SFNM

Bill/SFNM wrote: also from the use of contraband Mexican vanilla.

I was not aware that Mexican vanilla is contraband. Please elaborate. Should I be expecting a knock on my door?

My guess is a friend of Bill's (wink wink nudge nudge) smuggled some across the border without declaring it, thus saving all of the markups involved in buying it from, say, the spice house.

by the way, the spice house sells a very lovely orange extract that could probably go tsp for tsp with the vanilla. Decrease vanilla by 1/2tsp, add 1/2tsp of orange extract.

I'd imagine you could also use something like cointreau or grand marnier, no?

I'm sorry, but I can't resist:
I enjoyed his kidney with flava beans, and chardonay. (Though, of course, Dr. Lector would always use fresh flava beans.)

Is the vanilla imported from Mexico far superior to, say, the vanilla extract I use in most of my cooking?

Rob wrote:Is the vanilla imported from Mexico far superior to, say, the vanilla extract I use in most of my cooking?

Matter of taste. I have more bottles of vanilla than I could ever use in a lifetime because relatives from Mexico frequently bring me them as gifts. The best bottle I have in terms of aroma is one I picked up in the Merced market in Mexico City. In addition to the expected vanilla aroma, it also has a marked floral and tropical scents. But to be completely honest, I'm not sure any of this is detectable after baking.

Bill/SFNM

Antonius,

Here are the photos you requested (freshly-baked bread/piquillo confit, paella, flan)

stevez wrote:

Bill/SFNM wrote: also from the use of contraband Mexican vanilla.

I was not aware that Mexican vanilla is contraband. Please elaborate. Should I be expecting a knock on my door?

Hate to inject a downer note here, but:

Mexican Vanilla
Vanilla purchased at a wonderful price in Mexico may not be the same as the vanilla in our local grocery store. In fact, Mexican vanilla may be hazardous to our health. Most Mexican vanilla is actually coumarin extract made from the tonka bean and has been prohibited by the FDA since 1954. Coumarin is poisonous and has been found to cause damage to various organs, particularly the liver in test animals.

Vanilla made from vanilla beans and sold in the US is made to exacting federal standards to produce a safe and flavorful product. There are some reputable manufacturers of Mexican vanilla in Mexico.

To be sure you are buying safe Mexican vanilla check to see that the label says coumarin free and coumarin is not listed on the ingredient label. If there is little information on the label or no ingredient list, do not buy the vanilla.

Source: Washington State University

I've seen references to this elsewhere, previously, this was just the first one google turned up tonight - sounds fairly authoritative.

It is fairly easy to smell the difference between high-quality Mexican vanilla extract and artificial stuff made with coumarin.

Bill/SFNM

Bill/SFNM wrote:It is fairly easy to smell the difference between high-quality Mexican vanilla extract and artificial stuff made with coumarin.
Bill/SFNM

I'll be in Mexico in a week or so; can you tell me what's on the labels of the high-quality vanilla extracts you have? In the past I've avoided all vanilla extracts made in Mexico just to be on the safe side, and I don't think I've ever seen one labeled coumarin-free, although I know there are a good number of US producers who feature Mexican vanilla.

Hi,

When Camilla Massey visited Culinary Historians a few months ago, I got the impression vanilla as a cash-crop is in the decline in Mexico. If this true, then one is more likely to get the fake vanilla than the real.

Coumarin is also used for laser dyes (as if anybody was interested) or at least the name.

Personal to Giovanna: Camilla hates it when people rhyme her name with vanilla.

Regards,

Bill/SFNM wrote:

Rob wrote:Is the vanilla imported from Mexico far superior to, say, the vanilla extract I use in most of my cooking?

Matter of taste. I have more bottles of vanilla than I could ever use in a lifetime because relatives from Mexico frequently bring me them as gifts. The best bottle I have in terms of aroma is one I picked up in the Merced market in Mexico City. In addition to the expected vanilla aroma, it also has a marked floral and tropical scents. But to be completely honest, I'm not sure any of this is detectable after baking.

Bill/SFNM

I'll agree that Mexican Vanilla is quite good (and somewhat variable between brands). Bringing back a large supply of vanilla is de rigueur for me during every visit to Mexico. That is why I asked the question regarding contraband. I particularly like Azteca brand (the one with the beige label).

Azteca Vainilla

Bill/SFNM wrote:I needed fresh fava beans for a paella, but was only able to find dried. Can these be reconstituted and used in place of fresh? Soak? Simmer?

Bill/SFNM

Back to dried fava beans, I've been having a hankering for Pugliese fava puree with bitter greens but haven't had any luck locating the raw materials.

Any thoughts on where to find dried peeled favas? The Middle Eastern bakery on Foster would be my first thought.

And to Bill/SFNM's original question, boiling dried (peeled) favas will turn them to mush right at the point where they become tender enough to eat...

Are canned favas unsuitable for some reason? Or is Bill just not able to find 'em?

I know basically nothing about favas, so I'm just curious

I could not find canned or jarred favas. This is a small town.

Apologies to all who PM'ed me about resizing the photos. Please let me know if they are still too big.

Bill/SFNM

Bill:

Many thanks for the pictures. All three dishes and the loaf of bread look really delicious... kind of hard to decide which looks most tempting...

***

fillay:

Dried favas are easily found and peeled, split dried favas are also readily available. Middle Eastern and other markets up in Albany Park such as Al Khayam, Sahar II, Andy's, all have them. In addition, Greek stores carry them, as do most Italian specialty shops. I buy my fave sgusciate at Graziano's:
http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=25595#25595

Many, if not all, serious Mexican grocery stores also carry dry, split favas (though I think the Italian ones are generally better, albeit also more expensive), as well as fresh favas in season.

In the thread that started with my longish post on favas, there is discussion of various fava-related topics, including the Pugliese dish you mention, which Choey describes there:

• Fave Fresche etc. (Fresh Favas):
Fave: cacio e baccelli, pasta con le fave fresche, e il "macco magnificato"
http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=31943#31943

The greens for that dish can be easily got at Caputo's on Harlem in Elmwood Park (they always have broccol di rape and dandelions and often also cicoria). I'd offer you some of my home-grown friariegli but we ate them all up...

• Ri Friariegli (‘e friariellë)
http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=52520#52520

***

Gleam:

As a bean addict, I eat canned favas now and again, but of all the beans in the world, I think they are the ones that fare most poorly in tinned format. As substitutes for fresh favas, they won't work, at least not any of the ones I've so far encountered. Indeed, fresh favas are a beautiful thing unto themselves. Young, fresh favas that are peeled and bottled, such as the Spanish ones I mentioned above, are good and can be had at:

• Deli-Berico: Spanish Delicatessen
http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=6143

Antonius

fillay, I was at Joseph's Foods on west Irving Park today and they had plenty of dried fave, both shelled and not. Like you, I get a serious jones for pure di fave con cicoria. This is inspired, I think, by the best version of the dish I ever had, in Lecce at Trattoria Casareccia. They add diced potato (about half of the fave, by weight) to the boil. They also add croutons to the top of the pure (made of a rustic bread, pan-fried in olive oil with garlic, then seasoned with salt and pepper). I still prefer this dish with fresh fave, but the dried ones with potato make an interesting alternative for the winter months.

Choey,

So if I can get my hands on some fresh favas for pure, would I use only the innermost portion? Would I cook them, remove the shell and then make the puree?

Bill/SFNM

Bill/SFNM wrote:Choey,

So if I can get my hands on some fresh favas for pure, would I use only the innermost portion? Would I cook them, remove the shell and then make the puree?

Bill/SFNM

I would use only the inside, unless they are really young and even the outside shell is very tender.

A

Antonius/Choey - thanks for the suggestions on tracking down dried favas. I'm going to pass along the homegrown friariegli suggestion to Mrs. Fillay (the gardening half of the household) - maybe I can convince her to plant some seeds for me...

Bill - Depending on their size, blanch the whole bean for 1-2 minutes - no more. Then pinch the side of the wrinkly skin and out pops the interior meat. Taste one and you'll know where you're at - later in the season they can get kind of starchy and may need a little extra cooking.

Has anyone ever tried the frozen versions? I used to see them in the Portugese supermarkets in the Ironbound in Newark but never got around to trying them. I've seen similar looking frozen "broad beans" in Asian grocery stores - the same product?

Fillay