I Ate His Liver with Some Fava Beans

Lately, I've noticed that many restaurants like to pair the meat of entrees with artisanal, heirloom beans. The beans soak up the flavor of the stock they're cooked in and have a creamy texture similar to potatoes. They're the perfect accompaniment to lighter proteins, such as seafood, chicken and veal. Since I'm making salmon, I decided to give fava beans a swirl. 


Recipe
1 pound large fava beans
1 medium onion
2 medium carrots
4 celery stalks
4 cups chicken stock
4 bay leaves
1 cup Marsala wine
5 slices of bacon
salt and pepper for taste



It's very important to soak the beans overnight. Pour the beans in a large bowl and fill it to the top with water. These suckers will expand and absorb all the water. I used dried large fava beans because that was the most interesting bean that I found in the store. Cannellini beans, or giant white kidney beans, would work well too. The rule of thumb is to use which ever large, fancy bean that you could get your hands on. Drain the beans when they're rehydrated.

Rehydrated beans

Slice the bacon, dice the onions, carrots and celery. Heat a pot on medium high heat and brown the bacon. Once most of the fat are rendered out of the bacon and they're starting to crisp up, around 3 minutes, add the mirepoix. In case you're wondering, that's the French term for the above three aromatics. Saute on medium high for around 5 minutes, until the vegetables soften. Turn up the heat and deglaze the pan with the marsala wine and let the alcohol cook off. I swear, marsala wine makes everything taste expensive and exquisite. It's fast becoming my favorite cooking condiment. 

Browning the bacon

With the mirepoix

Once most of the alcohol has evaporated, add the bay leaves, pour in the chicken stock, preferably home made (it makes a world of difference) and the drained beans. Season with salt and pepper. When the stock starts to boil, turn down the heat to simmer, put on the lid and slow cook for 2 hours. This could also be accomplished in a crock pot in the oven at 300º for 2 hours. At the end of 2 hours, most of the liquid should be absorbed into the beans and any left over stock should be thickened by the starch from the beans. If the stew is too runny, turn up the heat and cook uncovered for 15 minutes to reduce the sauce.

Before the 2 hours

The finished product

Reflections
I am very please with this recipe. I'm just starting to work with dried beans recently and they've turned out great every time. It's vital to use a good stock to cook the beans since that's where most of the flavor will come from. If you're a grass muncher, skip the bacon, use vegetable stock and turn up the seasonings/veggie quotient -- add red bell peppers for sweetness or fennel for that pepperiness. No matter how you cook it, when done right, beans are a great addition to any meal.