Make Ahead

Lacinato Kale and Fava Beans

by:
January 25, 2011
4.5
4 Ratings
Lacinato Kale and Fava Beans
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

This is typical of an Italian inspired side dish or salad. It can be served luke warm or room temperature and is best served this way. It is simple to throw together and, quite simply, is delicious.
After having purchased dried fava beans and staring at them for a month this salad came to mind and it is the perfect fit. Many salads like this use white beans or garbanzo beans but neither of these two legumes are as satisfying as the fava.
The dried fava you are looking for is blanched of its outer shell and then dried. What this does is makes it possible to cook these beans in no time. No soaking is required and in the end you get a bean that is mealy in a good way.
The favas become a sponge for any flavor you toss them with, so, add a healthy dose of really good extra virgin olive oil, this is where good oil shines like the Tuscan sun, and then add some fresh herbs and you are done.
Many times recipes for this kind of dish include rapini, a type of brassica more closely related to the turnip, instead of kale. Rapini is very bitter and many can’t get past it’s bitterness. The lacinato kale becomes the perfect substitute.
Served with a simple pasta tossed with sage and brown butter and another side and you have a wonderful dinner for a weeknight.
—thirschfeld

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 cup dried fava beans, the outer shell should have been removed
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons chives, minced
  • 2 bunches lacinato kale, rinsed and cut into 1 inch strips
  • good extra virgin olive oil
  • sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
Directions
  1. Rinse the beans and then place them in a sauce pan. Add enough water to cover the beans by 3 inches.
  2. Place the pot over high heat and let it come to a boil. After one minute remove the pot from the heat, cover it and let it sit for 2 hours.
  3. Test a bean. It should be very tender. If it is not cook them longer over medium heat but be careful. The fava beans will fall apart easily if they are overcooked.
  4. Place a large pot of salted water over high heat. Once the water comes to a boil add the kale. Let the water come back to a boil and cook the kale until tender. Depending on the age of the kale it could take anywhere from 3 to 8 minutes. Test a piece and see if it is tender to your liking.
  5. Drain the kale and cool it down with cold water. Bunch the kale into a ball and squeeze out the excess water. Keep the kale in a ball and chop it again.
  6. Toss the beans with olive oil, the herbs , salt and pepper. I like lots of pepper, then add the kale and toss again. Place on a platter and drizzle with more olive oil and season with a sprinkle of salt and more pepper. Serve.
  7. Note: the salad can be done in advance keeping the seasoned beans and the kale separate in the fridge. Remove them from the fridge and let them come to room temperature then then toss them together and season them with the oil, salt and pepper.
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  • Anitalectric
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8 Reviews

Anitalectric
Anitalectric January 27, 2011
Wait, so no presoaking beans? Just boil 1 minute and let them sit? That sounds too good to be true. (Tell me isn't!)
 
thirschfeld
thirschfeld January 27, 2011
I almost always start beans this way any more. While most still need additional cooking the favas would only take 45 minutes to cook over heat anyway. Just make sure the fava has been blanched of it's outer shell.
 
Stockout
Stockout January 25, 2011
Rapini is not a type of broccoli. Although it has broccoli's name, broccoli raab is not related to broccoli. It is, however, closely related to turnips which is probably why the leaves look like turnip greens.
 
thirschfeld
thirschfeld January 25, 2011
you are right, it is in the brassica tribe but a subspecies closer related to the turnip. Either way I often find it bitter unless it is extremely fresh and usually only after a light frost.
 
thirschfeld
thirschfeld January 25, 2011
oh and thanks and correction has been made and duly noted. I am constantly learning things here and always appreciate new knowledge
 
thirschfeld
thirschfeld January 25, 2011
Thanks. I think you could but I don't think it would be the same. The dried favas after cooking are sort of the texture of garbanzos out of the can, a little crunch but soft.
 
healthierkitchen
healthierkitchen January 25, 2011
I will just grab some dried ones then!
 
healthierkitchen
healthierkitchen January 25, 2011
This looks delicious! These beans resemble the dried gigante beans I've been buying at my local Mediterranean market. I bet they'll also have these. I bought a bag of really pretty frozen fava beans there recently and haven't yet figured out what I want to do with them? Do you think this might work with frozen ones too?