Bluefish with Fava Beans, Corn, Tomatoes and Fresh Herbs. Photo: Rebecca Flint Marx
Let's face it: ever since Hannibal Lecter sung their praises in "The Silence of the Lambs," fava beans haven't enjoyed the greatest associations -- particularly where Chianti and liver are involved.
And that's a shame, because they're some of the most flavorful and versatile treats that summer has to offer. In season for a few precious weeks, favas -- which have been enjoyed throughout the world for about 5,000 years and are packed with so much protein they've been called "the meat of the poor" -- can be used in everything from salads and purées to soups and pasta dishes.
When the flat, wide beans are shelled and blanched, they adopt a vibrant grassy hue and buttery texture that enriches any meal, and their rapid cooking time makes it easy to incorporate them into a quick weeknight dinner -- or into lunch the following day. While stringing and shucking the beans (which, unshelled, are about five inches long) is a bit labor-intensive, it's one of those activities that's all but made for summer, particularly if you have a porch, some time on your hands and a glass of something cold by your side.
I love garlic. I grew up on it. In my house, there were two things always on-hand to season a dish -- pepper and garlic powder. (My family almost never used salt!) I can't do without either, and that also means that I eat a lot of garlic-flavored dishes, like garlic mashed potatoes. (Good to keep the vampires away, and the mens.)
But now I have a new beloved mashed potato flavor -- chives and parsley. Wanting something fresh and light to go with my Lamb Hunter-Style, I found this recipe on Epicurious for Chive and Parsley Mashed Potatoes. It's not quite as easy as throwing a little garlic into the mix, but the effort is worth the great flavor.
The trick to the green and tasty taters -- an herb olive oil. Just puree 1 cup of fresh chives, 3/4 cup fresh parsley, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and just over 1/2 a cup of olive oil. Once it is smooth, push it through a metal sieve. Take the remaining oil and pour some, to taste, into your potatoes. Since nothing is cooked, you get that fresh and light herb taste, which makes the potato a great addition to any rich and heavy meat dish.
Okay ... I have to admit that I cheated just a little and sprinkled some garlic-flavored sea salt on top, which made it even more delish!
You worked so hard to keep that luscious herb garden at its finest this summer; don't stop now! Don't know what to do with all your leftover herbs and afraid the first frost is going to destroy them, try freezing them!
This past weekend, I visited my boyfriend's uncle's garden in New Jersey. It certainly lives up to its nickname, The Garden State. We tasted a wide assortment herbs and vegetables. The one that left the longest impression on my palate was the parsley. Perhaps, it was because I just recently purchased the most incredible tabbouleh from Sahadi's while in Brooklyn.
Normally, we use parsley as a garnish. This shiny green herb that originated in Iran is in season and could be the focal point of many dishes. During the oppressive August heat, I find it to be deliciously refreshing. Although, we tend to use this herb to enhance flavors in soups, casseroles, sauces, and salads, we can also use it as the centerpiece of a meal. Below are eight recipes that will make parsley shine:
Some of the herbs are well known to have medicinal uses, like turmeric and cloves, but did you know that onions (and other vegetables related to onions) have been used for centuries as medicines? Apparently they have anti-inflammatory properties. Also, rosemary, cinnamon, and parsley (great for detoxifying carcinogens from cigarette smoke) are just some of the surprising (to me) herbs on the list.
There is no way this list can be complete, though. If you study a natural product long enough, you're sure to find lots of healthy qualities. Does anyone have any herbs they'd like to add? If you disagree with this list, I'd love to read about that, too.
According to conventional wisdom mothers have fought to get their little ones to eat veggies since before the earth was cooling. Cruciferous varieties, like broccoli and Brussels sprouts are often cited as particularly challenging.
Last week at my nephew's tenth birthday party, I was reminded of his surprising appetite for a particular green. It's not broccoli, kale, spinach, or even broccoli rabe, my Sicilian father's favorite. I don't know where the little guy stands on those. The object of his appetite isn't even a vegetable. It's an herb. He goes gaga for fresh parsley.
What reminded me of his parsley passion, was the birthday present his Aunt Dawn gave him: two fresh bunches of parsley. Ever since he had it in a salad his grandmother made for him when he was six he's been a parsley fanatic. Besides wanting to make her nephew happy, one of the reasons for Aunt Dawn's gift is that he once ate the better part of her parsley patch before anyone noticed.
By now you're probably wondering why this kid likes to eat what many regard as mere garnish.Taking a break from his hectic Lego-building schedule he provided me with the following quote: "I like it because it doesn't have much of a taste. How can you dislike something that has no taste. And it's healthy."
As for me, I was never into fresh parsley as a kid. I was too involved with my own food quirks, like slicing a notch in apple and stuffing it with a slice of bologna.
For most of yesterday, it was sort of chilly and overcast in Philly (it got sunny and warm in the late afternoon). The cool breeze that came through my window all morning made me thinking longingly of fall and want to put on a sweater. It also inspired me to make soup. However, since it is still summer, I wanted something that wasn't long-simmering or heavy. So I flipped to a soup that my mom made a lot when I was growing up, although back in those days, I always turned my nose up at it. These days, I can't get enough of it, especially when I had a weekend that was chock full off barbecue, desserts and beer.
Since it's Friday, I was thinking that a double-dose of food porn may be just the thing to get us in the mood for the weekend. In my recent quest of searching for fresh, Spring-worthy dishes, I came across this delicious-looking recipe by Haalo at Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once.
The zucchini, salmon, and parsley alone are enough to inspire an array of appetizers, but with the addition of whatever pasta you happen to have on hand, the dish is hearty enough to serve as a main course. Fresh, simple, delicious - perfect for Spring.
Dill is a member of the parsley family and was originally found throughout the eastern
Mediterranean and western Asia, though now it is grown all over the world, in places from California to Australia. The
leaves and the seeds are edible and used as spices, flavoring everything from fish to pickles. Dill has a flavor that
is a mixture between onion and caraway, but is quite unique. The flavor is most widely used in German,
Russian and Scandinavian recipes, as well as being a favorite ingredient in pickling liquids.
Dill weed is the common term for the leaves of the dill plant. The plants themselves are tall with feathery leaves.
The leaves can be chopped, kept whole or dried and added to any variety of dish or sauce. Fresh dill has a stronger
flavor than dried, so much less is needed to flavor a dish. Dried dill has a distinct advantage for the home chef
because it can be stored for several months.
Dill seeds look very much like caraway and have a strong flavor, much stronger than that of the dill leaves. They
are most commonly used whole, not ground, and are often used as an accent, rather than as a main flavor, when
they are included in cooking. The strong flavor makes them a preferred ingredient in pickling liquids, as it is the
dill seeds that give dill pickles their name. And, as a bit of trivia, 1 tablespoon of dill seeds has as much
calcium as a glass of milk, though most people are not sitting around and eating dill seeds specifically for their
health.
If you have never used dill, start by adding some dried dill to equal parts sour cream and mayonnaise, with
splashes of pepper and lemon juice for an easy dip. Or try one of these recipes featuring dill.
I love garlic. I grew up on it. In my house, there were two things always on-hand to season a dish -- pepper and garlic powder. (My family almost never used salt!) I can't do without either, and that also means that I eat a lot of garlic-flavored dishes, like garlic mashed potatoes. (Good to keep the vampires away, and the mens.)
According to conventional wisdom mothers have fought to get their little ones to eat veggies since before the earth was cooling. Cruciferous varieties, like broccoli and Brussels sprouts are often cited as particularly challenging. 
Dill is a member of the parsley family and was originally found throughout the eastern
Mediterranean and western Asia, though now it is grown all over the world, in places from California to Australia. The
leaves and the seeds are edible and used as spices, flavoring everything from fish to pickles. Dill has a flavor that
is a mixture between onion and caraway, but is quite unique. The flavor is most widely used in German,
Russian and Scandinavian recipes, as well as being a favorite ingredient in pickling liquids.
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