Fava Beans with Meyer Lemon, The Vegetable Diva

Fava Beans with Meyer Lemons

It's Fava Bean season! It's a bit early (the farmer's market vendor says it has been so hot in Central California that things are burning up and coming up early). The season is pretty short so get them when you see them.

And get them when you are full of peaceful zen and patience.

To me, Fava Beans are vegetable divas. They require TWO peelings. But there is a reason why Mother Nature gave it so much padding - to protect it's yummy center.

Russ Parson's of the Los Angeles Times recommends buying a POUND of fava beans PER PERSON. Serious. There is a lot of organic compostable waste in fava beans.

First, you remove the pods from the bean.

Then, blanch the pods in boiling water for a minute or so.

The pods look milky white. But you aren't done. You need to remove that white layer to grab the beautiful green fava bean.

 

To get the bean out, I split the white layer with my nail. You can't just pop it out. You need to peel/slit the outer cover. Dude, I warned you. DIVA VEGETABLE.

Finally, after getting to the fava, you might be exhausted. So go simple and saute the beans with some olive oil and Meyer lemon zest. Finish with some good sea salt and cracked pepper.

Here are some other pretty things I found at the Farmer's Market. I'll post something I made with these strawberries this week!

Recipe:
Fava Beans with Meyer Lemon

1. Listen to an audiobook and get the fava beans out of the pods.
2. Blanch beans for a minute or so.
3. Remove the outer milky layer to reveal a bright green bean.
4. Saute beans in olive oil.
5. Zest a lemon into the pan, to taste.
6. Top with sea salt and cracked pepper. Serve immediately (well, after you take a photo! :)

Here's some other recipes:
LA Times: 6 Recipes for Fava Beans
The Kitchn: 5 Ways to Cook Fava Beans

Roasted Romanesco Broccoli / Cauliflower

Roasted Romanesco Broccoli/Cauliflower, Potatoes and Carrots

In the last post, I mentioned my Tanaka Farms CSA. Today, I tweeted a photo of this green vegetable found in my CSA box with the questions: what is this vegetable and what should I make w it? 

My twitter friends came to the rescue! Thanks dessertbycandy, misschiffonade, valgriswold, justjenndesigns, janeofmanytrades, michele_james, robinreads, bluechefk for the help!!

Some sources call it the Romanesco Broccoli and some call it Cauliflower. I'm going with awesome looking veggie!

My twitter friends suggested some delicious recipes and I'm saving them for later! Today, I simply roasted it (like I would a cauliflower) with Tanaka Farms carrots and potatoes I picked up at the Farmer's Market.


I love the wonderful design and color of the Romanesco. If you haven't picked one up, please do so.

Recipe:

Roasted Romanesco Broccoli/Cauliflower, Potatoes and Carrots

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. I used the "Convection Roast" setting on my oven...it is wonderful for roasted veggies. Cut veggies to size and toss with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Place potatoes & carrots on a sheet pan and roast for 7-10 minutes. Then add the Romanesco and cook until done (depending on your oven), turning the veggies once or twice. (I started the root vegetables earlier because they usually take longer to roast than the rest of the veggies, but it depends on your preference and size of your veggies.) Next time, I'd like to throw in a handful of pine nuts at the end too. Enjoy!

Ramen California Restaurant (Torrance, California)

I keep reading about Ramen California.
Oishii Eats.
Go Ramen.
Rameniac.
Exile Kiss.
Los Angeles Times Food Section.

Finally, it was time to experience this new place for myself! I met Jun, Yvonne, and Courtney tonight at Ramen California in Torrance, California (Southern California's "cool ocean breeze" South Bay community).

Please, please put aside any ideas you have about Ramen. Especially the 10 cent stuff you had in college. And even set aside the pork ramen in your local Japanese ramen restaurant. When I heard about fresh veggies in ramen, I was a bit skeptical. I'm used to a piece of fatty pork in a rich broth, but after eating here, I'm so converted!

Ramen California is light, filled with fresh farmer's market vegetables and is, simply put, delicious.

Californian Ramen
Check out all those fresh veggies! The broth is light and as you eat it, it gets colored by the red beets.

If you want to read about the background of the chef, his philosophy, and the farmer's market ingredients he purchases...please read the above reviews. Because this is our conversation (verbatim):

Yvonne: Oooh. This is so good.
Jun: This is soooo good.
Courtney: That's my favorite.
Mary: Oh, smell this!
Yvonne: Yummmmm.
Courtney: Delicious!
Jun: Mmmmmmm.
All: [Hands clapping]: Yeah! More bread! Food of the Gods!
Jun: You done with that? Can I have the rest?
Yvonne: When are we coming back?

The noodles are organic and have a lovely texture. I slurped them up!

Bread. Bread. Bread. Rosemary Kasha Bread. It's basically a bao with rosemary and lovely sea salt. And it is my new best friend.

Reggiano Cheese Tofu ramen with seasonal vegetables. The ramen comes in three sizes and we all got the small size ramen.

California Vegetable Mix (Onyasai) with Crispy Anchovy Powder
Oh my goodness. This was my favorite. It was delicious!!!

Masala ramen made with curry. Smelled and tasted great!

Alpine Sausage with Gnocchi in Tomato Sauce
This was good, but it was our least favorite item.

Oysters. Yum.

The peeled, fresh tomatoes were delicious!!!

For drinks, Courtney and Jun ordered the small "taster" wine...and they got a big glass! Our final bill was very reasonable...4 people: $52

If you are boiling in the valley or IE, take a trip to the South Bay and enjoy the cool ocean breezes as well as some delicious ramen and small plates.

Ramen California
24231 Crenshaw Blvd. Unit C
It's in the Torrance Crossroads Plaza (with an In N Out, Home Depot and Vons. Ramen California is located next to Office Depot on the side closest to Lomita Blvd.)
Torrance, CA 90505
tel: (310) 530-2749
fax: (310) 530-4318
Tuesday through Sunday, closed Mondays
Lunch: 11:30am to 2:30pm
Dinner: 5:30pm to 10:00pm

May 2010 Note: I had to close comments on this post because Every Single Day I was getting SPAM comments coming from Japan (strange, huh?) After rejecting what seems like hundreds of comments, I realized I can close comments on a single post. - mary the food librarian