Thursday, May 10, 2012

In season: Spring peas and beans

CPE_garbanzos3_Mar2010

Some of our favorite spring vegetables are greening up local markets now: peas, fava beans, and in some areas fresh garbanzos. Read on to find out how to make the most of fava beans with none of the fussy work, what to do with fresh garbanzos if you're lucky enough to find some, and a fun way. Hit up the links with each for the full post and recipe.


It was love at first sight when I spotted these beautiful little beans at my local market — but I had no idea what to do with them. Apparently I'm not the only one who needed to learn how to treat them right: Our post on pan-roasting fresh garbanzos is one of the most popular recipes on Cook Play Explore.

CPE_garbanzo_Mar2010


I avoided cooking with fava beans for years, hating the time-consuming process of peeling and shucking each individual bean. Discovering I could grill them and devour them whole was a game-changer. I used to yank up the soil-enriching fava bounty in my garden to make way for summer vegetables; now I'm dragging out the harvest, trying to eat as many as I can. Toss them on the grill, sprinkle with a bit of lemon zest, and savor! (For another way to make easy work of fava beans, check out Chow's how-to on using the freezer to make shelling easy.)

100430_CPE_fava2


I adore this simple dip. I thought the bright green color might win over the kids, but they're fooled. This has peas! And spinach! No way! Ignore them. Make this. If they don't want any, more for you.

110315_springdip2



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