With fava beans hitting their peak this April, this Chilled Fava Bean Soup recipe is sure to be a spring favorite!
(Ken Hively, Los Angeles Times)
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 2 cups shelled fresh fava beans
- 1 small leek, white & light green parts only, thinly sliced, about ¾ cup
- 2 small shallots, thinly sliced, about ½ cup
- 1 small garlic clove, rough chopped
- 2 cups cold vegetable stock, divided in half
- 2 table spoons fresh chopped flat leaf parsley
- Kosher Salt to taste
- Fresh Ground Black Pepper to taste
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil, something on the fruity side
Place the olive oil in a medium stockpot and heat over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the leeks & shallots and cook until they are soft and tender, stirring frequently, 10 to 15 minutes. Don’t allow the leeks & shallots to color. When they’re soft, add the garlic and fava beans; cook for 2 minutes, making sure not to burn the garlic. Add 1 cup of the vegetable stock to the pan and cook until the fava beans are just tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Try not to overcook the favas or they will lose their color. Transfer the soup to a blender and purée until smooth, gradually adding the remainder of the chicken stock. Strain the soup through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl, discarding the solids. Place the bowl in an ice bath to chill the soup quickly and preserve its bright color. If the soup is too thick, add more vegetable stock. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve the soup chilled, drizzled with olive oil and garnished with a sprinkling of fresh parsley.
Side Note: Because there are so few ingredients, it’s important to make sure your fava beans are of the highest quality and fresh. You can also complement this soup with some poached or grilled shrimp too.
See this LA Times article for a quick run-down on fava beans.
Recipe by our very own Executive Chef, Jimmy Olang