During the time I spent in Lisbon over the past year, there was a noted dearth of fresh vegetables in my diet. The food in Lisbon is wonderful, but it’s not particularly fresh. One night I stumbled upon a tapas restaurant that served a fava bean salad and it quickly became my go-to vegetable dish when I was craving something light. It was a cold, simple salad of favas, tomatoes, olive oil and herbs. I couldn’t tell you exactly what was in it, but it hit the spot.

I tried to recreate this salad for this week… and totally missed the mark. But, what I did make turned out wonderful. Nothing like that particular tapas dish, but delicious nonetheless. It has a lot of Spanish flavors – smoked paprika, jamón, tomatoes – that all meld together in a warm, homey dish. It ended up being my favorite of all the fava dishes I’ve made for this week, a total surprise hit. Try it with a few slices of crusty bread or a bowl of pasta for a comforting spring dinner.

Like what you just read? Subscribe to Katie at the Kitchen Door in the box on the right, on Feedly or Bloglovin‘, or follow along on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Thanks for reading!

More Fava Bean Recipes…

Avocado Toast with Fava Beans and Pecorino

Fava Bean Soup with Mascarpone, Mint, and Pancetta

Fava Bean and Mascarpone Ravioli with Truffle Butter Sauce

Spanish Fava Bean Salad with Tomatoes and Jamón

A warm tapas dish of sauteed fava beans, fresh tomatoes, and jamón. 

• Author: Katie at the Kitchen Door
• Yield: 4
• Cuisine: Spanish

Ingredients

• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1 small red onion, peeled and chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 cups of shucked and peeled fresh fava beans
• 2 TBS fresh lemon juice
• 1 medium heirloom tomato, roughly chopped
• 1/2 tsp smoked Spanish paprika
• 2 thin pieces of jamón serrano or prosciutto, torn into bite size pieces

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes more, stirring frequently. Add the peeled fava beans, lemon juice, tomato, and smoked paprika. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have broken down and the fava beans are tender.
2. Push the beans to one side of the pan to expose the bottom of the pan. Add the pieces of jamón to the bottom of the pan and fry for 1 minute, just to crisp up. Mix the jamón into the beans and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm with crusty bread or warm pasta.

The post Ingredient of the Week: Fava Beans // Spanish Fava Bean Salad with Tomatoes and Jamón appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

The Book: When I first heard about Melt, I was pretty skeptical about the concept of a book written entirely about macaroni and cheese. I love a cheesy bowl of pasta as much, if not more, than the next girl, but I had a hard time thinking of more than 5 interesting versions of it. Then, I met Garrett, one of the authors, during an afternoon of wine tasting at IFBC, and since he was toting around a copy of the book, I took a peek, and was genuinely impressed. Not only are all 78 recipes sufficiently interesting, the book is well thought out, well written, and packed with detailed information about dozens of different cheeses. The cheeses covered here go way beyond swiss, cheddar, and mozzarella – be prepared to be introduced to cheeses like Red Hawk, a mellow triple-creme; Idiazabal, a smoked Spanish sheep’s milk cheese; and Meadowkaas, a smooth, young Dutch cheese. For that matter, the concept of mac’n’cheese also goes way beyond what you might expect, and any dish that has both pasta and cheese qualifies – from light, fruit-filled pasta salads, to classic stovetop macaroni dishes, to a baked pumpkin stuffed with noodles, sausage, and, of course, lots of cheese. As might be expected, most of the dishes are quite rich, and you probably won’t be able to resist cooking them, so consider yourself warned. I should note, I love a cookbook where the introductory chapter actually teaches me something, and this one passes – from the differences between cow, goat, and sheep’s milk, to how different cheese types are produced, I learned a lot (and we make cheese). And I kept learning as I flipped through the book, since every recipe includes a list of alternative cheeses, wine pairings, and food pairings for the featured cheese in that recipe. I’m so glad that I didn’t let my initial skepticism keep me from this book – it’s a good one.

The Food: In general, mac’n’cheese is a pretty likable food, but I’ve had a lot of sub-par homemade versions. The Petit Basque with Roasted Garlic, Shallots, and Gemelli is not one of them. In Trevor’s words, it’s not “punch-you-in-the-face cheesy,” but it’s incredibly rich and thick and flavorful. The sweet, slightly burnt flavor of the roasted garlic cuts the tang of the cheese and makes for a very satisfying, very indulgent lunch. Trevor sounded like he was getting the best massage of his life while eating it, if that helps you imagine how tasty it is. The only downside? This mac’n’cheese is not cheap. The 10 oz. of Petit Basque set me back $16, which is more like what I expect to spend on two nice steaks, but if you treat it like the indulgence it is, I think it’s totally worth it. Scroll down for the recipe.

Recipe Shortlist: Humboldt Fog with Grilled Peaches and Orzo; Asparagus Salad with Ricotta Salata, Fava Beans, Mint, and Farfalle; Penne with Etorki Cream Sauce and Asparagus; Mexican-Style Macaroni and Cheese; Lincolnshire Poacher with Cotija, Chorizo, and Penne; Pastitsio with Kefalotyri and Lamb; Three Cheese Macaroni Casserole with Broccoli, Pancetta, and Sweet Pugliese Topping

The Craft Beer Cookbook

The Book: Jackie Dodd, the woman behind the genius blog, The Beeroness, knows how to cook with beer, arguably better than anyone else, ever. It may sound like an exaggeration to claim that, but every single recipe on her three year old blog has beer in it, and every single one looks amazing. If I were her, I would have run out of creative ideas after about two months, but her three most recent recipes – Chocolate Stout Candy Cane Cake, Salted Beer Caramel Sauce, and Beer-Brined Paprika Chicken – prove that creativity is not a problem for Jackie. Needless to say, I was pretty excited to see that she was releasing The Craft Beer Cookbook, a cookbook full of her clever beer-infused recipes (and Trevor was excited that we were going to buy more beer). It’s a cute little book, unassuming and accessible, with dozens of recipes starring bold, rich flavors. Some of my favorite guilty pleasures are included – chipotle cream, cheese sauce, carbonara – all somehow imbued with beers ranging from pale ales to chocolate stouts. A lot of the recipes are for what might be considered “football food,” and they certainly tend toward the indulgent, but the occasional lighter choice, like IPA Watermelon Ceviche or Strawberry Pale Ale Popsicles, mixes things up. Since I’m not much of a beer-drinker, I like that this book forces me to think about beer at a deeper level – what flavors are present, how heavy is it, how carbonated is it? – in order to successfully incorporate it into food. And I think it would be a perfect gift for anyone you know who loves beer and is mildly interested in cooking, as the recipes are pretty straightforward and highly craveable.

The Food: Although it was hard to choose whether we wanted to indulge in Chorizo Stout Sloppy Joes or Croque Madames with Beer Cheese Sauce to review this book, we went with the Croque Madames. Croque Madames are a simple French sandwich of ham, swiss, and a fried egg, often served with bechamel sauce. Jackie turns the bechamel sauce into a rich beer and cheddar sauce that gets drizzled over the sandwiches, and takes the whole thing over the top. I loved how easy these were to make – you just whiz the cheddar, milk, flour, and cornstarch in a blender with your choice of blonde ale, then heat with melted butter until thickened and spoon over your grilled sandwich. The beer gave the cheese sauce a noticeable and pleasant tang, making it far too easy to eat a few extra “test” spoonfuls, and I would absolutely make it again… I have the feeling it might be the recipe we turn to the next time we had a few too many beers the night before. Scroll down for the recipe.

Recipe Shortlist: Pale Ale Corn Waffles with Scrambled Eggs and Smoky Beer Cheese Sauce; Drunken Carbonara Couscous; Porter Black Bean Soup with Avocado Cilantro Cream; Mushroom Stout Sliders with Chipotle Cream; Beer-Braised Pulled-Pork Tacos with Beer-Corn Tortillas; Stout and Stilton Beef Empanadas; Stout and Cheddar Pot Pie; Chocolate Porter Fudge Cookies; Chocolate Stout Mousse with Stout-Soaked Cherries

Disclaimer: I received a review copy of these cookbooks from Little Brown and Company and Adams Media free of charge, but was not otherwise compensated for writing this review.

Recipes

Petit Basque with Roasted Garlic, Shallots, and Gemelli

Recipe from Melt. Serves 4. 

Note: Alternate cheeses for the Petit Basque include Barinaga Ranch, Abbaye de Bel’loc, or another caramelly Basque-style cheese.

• 2 whole heads of garlic
• 4 TBS olive oil, divided
• 8 oz. gemelli or rotini pasta
• 1/2 c. diced shallots (2 bulbs, peeled and roots removed)
• 1 1/2 c. milk
• 2 TBS butter
• 2 TBS flour
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 10 oz. Petit Basque, shredded
• 1 TBS chopped fresh chives

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Peel off most of the outer paper of the garlic heads, but leave the heads in one whole piece. Trim off the top 1/4 inch of the garlic with a sharp knife, slicing to reveal the tops of the cloves. Place the heads in a small baking dish, drizzle with 2 TBS of the olive oil, and cover with tinfoil. Roast for 1 hour, or until garlic is soft. Once garlic is cool enough to handle, remove from the oven and take the cloves out of the skins (they should separate easily, or you can squeeze them out). Mash the garlic cloves up and set aside in a bowl.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook the pasta until al dente according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
3. Heat the remaining 2 TBS of olive oil in a small saucepan. Add the diced shallots and cook until golden-brown, about 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the saucepan and add to the bowl with the garlic. Add the milk to the saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until it just begins to steam and bubble, then pour into a bowl and set aside.
4. Melt the butter in the saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook until nutty-smelling and golden brown, about 2-3 minutes, stirring the whole time. Slowly pour in the warm milk, whisking to incorporate as you do. Cook the milk, still whisking, until is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the garlic and the shallots. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then stir in the shredded cheese until completely melted. Toss with the cooked pasta and serve immediately, sprinkling each bowl with chives.

Croque Madame with Beer Cheese Sauce

Recipe from The Craft Beer Cookbook. Serves 6.

• 1 c. blonde ale
• 2 c. shredded white cheddar
• 1 c. whole milk
• 2 TBS flour
• 2 TBS cornstarch
• 2 TBS butter
• 6 focaccia or ciabatta buns
• 1 pound cooked ham, sliced
• 7 oz. sliced Swiss cheese
• 6 large eggs

1. Add the beer, cheddar, milk, flour and cornstarch to a blender, and process until smooth. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then add the blended cheese mixture to the pot. Cook, whisking continuously, until the cheese sauce has thickened to a spoonable consistency, which should take about 6-8 minutes. Once the sauce has thickened, remove from the heat and set aside.
2. Split the buns in half and evenly divide the ham and Swiss cheese between the sandwiches. Close the sandwiches and cook on a panini press or bake in a 375°F oven until the cheese has melted (about 5 minutes in the oven). In the meantime, fry the eggs over medium heat in a frying pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray, removing the eggs from the heat when the whites have set but the yolks are still runny.
3. Slice the sandwiches in half on the bias, then place on a plate and serve topped with generous spoonfuls of the beer cheese sauce and a fried egg. Serve immediately.

The post Book Club: Melt + The Craft Beer Cookbook appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

The Book: Wild Rosemary & Lemon Cake is a new Italian cookbook that explores recipes from the Amalfi Coast, that beautiful strip of sparkling blue water and dramatic rocky coastline that brings thousands of people to Southern Italy each year. The authors, Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi, are the owners of several Italian restaurants and a cooking school in England, and have created a beautiful book to document their knowledge of the food of Southern Italy. I love the clean, bright design, the bold typefaces, and the inviting travel photos, not to mention the delicious snaps of pizzas, pastas, and seafood. The book is very cohesive and does a great job capturing the warmth and light of Southern Italy, giving it a strong sense of place – it’s a pleasure to flip through. The recipes are heavy on tomatoes, anchovies, and other seafood, and I was pleased to find several recipes that were completely new to me (I own a lot of Italian cookbooks). I do have to note – one of the recipes we tried never listed an oven temperature, just a baking time. We defaulted to 350°F, and it came out fine, but that’s the kind of omission that could throw a new cook for a serious loop, and disappointing to find in an otherwise great cookbook.

The Food: So far, I’ve made two recipes from Wild Rosemary & Lemon Cake – the day I received it, we made “Enza’s Aubergines,” a roast of anchovy-topped eggplants served with cherry tomato sauce. Having just harvested a bunch of eggplant, tomatoes, and garlic, the recipe caught my eye and we immediately gave it a try. It was a good eggplant recipe, and one I could see myself repeating when we have an abundance of eggplant, but the flavors were nothing revolutionary. For this post, we made Ravello-Style Stuffed Crespelle – olive oil crepes, stuffed with a mix of sausage, ham, and three kinds of cheese, rolled up, stuck in a pan, and baked. It’s like a luxurious take on lasagna, and everything you want Italian comfort food to taste like – meat, cheese, and pasta. We served them plain, but I think they would also be great with a very smooth, classic tomato sauce. Given the ingredient list, it’s no surprise that these were delicious, but I liked that the concept was new to me, and I would definitely make these to impress company. Also, we’ve tried a lot of crepe recipes and this was a great one – the crepes were tender and thin without tearing, and they crisped up nicely. Scroll down for the recipe.

Recipe Shortlist: Anchovy-Pesto Stuffed Peppers; Potato Croquettes with Smoked Cheese; Borlotti Bean and Pasta Soup; Smoked Cheese and Prosecco Risotto; Homemade Fusili; “Rabbit from Ischia”; Lemon Domes filled with Lemon Cream; “Sunset in Amalfi” Sundae

Le Petit Paris: French Finger Food

The Book: Le Petit Paris is a cute little book containing a collection of 40 classic French recipes that have been downsized to finger food treats, perfect for your next cocktail party. I love the book’s small format and the pretty color photos that accompany almost every recipe – and at only $14 on Amazon, I kind of think it would make a fun hostess gift. Since the recipes included really are classics (think fondue, French onion soup, crepes, and madeleines), French cooking aficionados won’t find much new here besides a few interesting twists (like the foie gras burgers), but newer cooks trying to replicate their favorite flavors from a trip to Paris will be thrilled. It would also be the perfect book for putting together a French-themed dinner or cocktail party – most of the recipes seem simple to put together yet highly craveable, making for a high result to effort ratio when you want to entertain a group.

The Food: I had initially planned to make the chocolate eclairs, but I was thrown off by the need to purchase fondant, so I moved to the eclair’s choux pastry cousin – profiteroles. Unfortunately, we struggled a little bit to get this recipe to work – the batter definitely needed a rest in the fridge to firm up before it would pipe correctly, and the chocolate sauce had a tendency to break. We eventually got both parts to look/taste pretty good, and the final product was super yummy, but this made me a little nervous about the rest of the book. Of course, French pastry is challenging in general, so perhaps it was just user error on our part. Scroll down for the recipe.

Recipe Shortlist: Mini Croque Monsieurs; Foie Gras Burgers; Pissaladiere Tartlets; Creme Brulée Teaspoons; Champagne Granita with Strawberries

Recipes

Ravello-Style Stuffed Crepes

Recipe from Wild Rosemary &  Lemon Cake by Katie & Giancarlo Caldesi. Serves 6-10.

• 6 eggs, divided
• 1 1/2 c. flour
• 4 TBS olive oil, divided
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 3/4 c. whole milk
• neutral oil (such as canola or sunflower), for frying
• 1 medium white onion, finely chopped
• 14 oz. Italian sausage
• 1/3 c. white wine
• 14 oz. ricotta
• 3 1/2 oz. cooked ham, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 1/2 oz. grated Parmesan (about 3/4 cup)
• 7 oz. smoked mozzarella, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• black pepper to taste

1. Make the crepes: whisk together 4 of the eggs and the flour, then gradually whisk in 2 TBS of the olive oil, the salt, and the whole milk. Beat vigorously to make a very smooth batter. Heat a little canola oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, spoon about 1/4 cup of batter into the pan. Swirl the pan to spread the batter evenly around the bottom, cook for about 1 minute, until edges of crepe are beginning to curl and bottom is golden brown, then flip and cook on the other side. Transfer to a plate and continue with the rest of the batter.
2. Make the filling: heat the remaining 2 TBS olive oil over medium heat in a large non-stick frying pan. Add the chopped onion and cook until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Remove the meat from the sausages by squeezing out of the casing into the pan, chopping up with the back of a wooden spoon. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes, then pour in the wine and let reduce for 2-3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and spread the meat on a large baking sheet or plate to let cool. Once cool, transfer to a bowl and stir in the remaining 2 eggs, the ricotta, cubed ham, grated parmesan, and cubed mozzarella. Season to taste with black pepper.
3. Assemble and bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F and generously butter a 9×13 baking dish. Spoon about 1/3 cup of filling into each crepe, then roll up and cut in half. Fold the non-cut side of the crepe loosely over the bottom, then place the crepe halves snuggly in the pan with the cut-side facing up. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and crisp on top. Serve warm.

Ice Cream Profiteroles

Recipe from Le Petit Paris by Nathalie Benezet, Hardie Grant 2013. Makes about 20.

For the choux pastry:

• 1/2 c. milk
• 1/2 c. butter, cubed
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 1/4 c. plain flour
• 5 eggs, beaten together

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.
2. Place 1/2 cup of water in a large saucepan. Add the milk, butter, salt, and sugar, and heat over low heat until the water just begins to boil and the butter has melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the flour, beating hard with a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Return to medium-low heat and cook, stirring strongly the whole time, until the dough begins to thicken and dry, about 2-3 minutes.
3. Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Add the beaten eggs to the dough in four additions, beating well after each addition. Continue stirring until all eggs have been incorporated and the dough is completely smooth.
4. Spoon the dough into a piping bag with a 1/2 inch nozzle. Pipe 1-inch rounds of dough onto the baking sheets, leaving about an inch in between the rounds. If dough seems to thin, let firm up in the fridge for 30 minutes. Bake the profiteroles for 10-15 minutes, until golden and firm. Remove from the oven and pierce the bottom of each with a wooden skewer. Cool on a wire rack with the holes facing upwards. Once cool, cut the profiteroles in half lengthwise with a serrated knife

For the chocolate sauce and assembly:

• 5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 3 TBS butter
• 2 TBS sugar
• 1/2 c. heavy cream

1. Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil. Place a heatproof bowl over the top of it, and add the chocolate, butter, sugar, and heavy cream to the bowl. Heat until chocolate has melted and sugar has dissolved, stirring frequently. Once melted, remove from heat. If sauce is broken (the butter seems to have separated) whisk vigorously to help it come together.
2. Place a small spoonful of ice cream inside each profiterole, then drizzle with the warm chocolate sauce. Serve immediately.

Disclaimer: I received a review copy of both these cookbooks from Hardie Grant Books free of charge, but was not otherwise compensated for writing this review.

The post Book Club: Wild Rosemary & Lemon Cake + Le Petit Paris appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

Starting work has come with some unexpected changes – during the week, time is more structured than it was while I was in school, and I feel like I barely have any free time on weeknights.  On the weekend, however, time is wide open – no homework, or meetings, or school events, just picnics and long runs and parties and catching up on sleep.  Overall, I probably have more free time than I ever did in college, it’s just allocated differently, and it’s taking me a while to get used to it.  One of the effects of this time crunch is that I’ve barely eaten at home in the past few weeks.  OK, to be honest, it’s also partly because it’s the first time I have a real income and because I’m suddenly living in a place where restaurant food is super accessible and delicious and varied.  And also because my job seems to provide me with at least 3 utterly delicious, fully compensated meals a week.  All told, the kitchen and I are a bit estranged.

Hopefully I’ll fall back into a more balanced cooking pattern soon, especially because I can imagine my healthfulness deteriorating quite quickly if I stay on a restaurant-centric diet, but for now I’m kind of enjoying all the new dishes I’ve tried.  Some have been less than memorable, like the delicious-sounding but not-that great blue-cheese and steak dim sum I had in Orlando, or the mediocre sandwiches I’ve had in transit.  Others, however, have been truly delicious, and my two favorites in the past few week were some garlic-crusted soft pretzels with spicy queso dip, and this asparagus, edamame, smoked gouda, and serrano ham salad, which I liked so much that I decided to recreate it for one of my rare at home meals.

I ordered this salad at a get-to-know you lunch with one of my managers, thinking it would be light, not too messy, and easy to eat while talking.  I wasn’t expecting anything special, but oh-man did I enjoy this.  It definitely is very light, but substantial at the same time, and the simple dressing of olive oil and salt allows the flavors of each ingredient to shine through.  At the restaurant it was served with fava beans, but I have only seen fresh fava beans once in my life, and wasn’t keen on spending a whole day searching for them, so I substituted edamame.  I think the favas were a little bit better, as their distinctive almost-bitter flavor played off the salty flavors well, but the edamame was a decent substitution.  In any case, this salad was just as fresh and delicious when I had it at home, and very easy to throw together to boot.  If you’re looking for a change in your salad routine, I’d definitely recommend this one.

Asparagus, Gouda, Serrano Ham, and Edamame Salad

Serves 1.

• 1/2 lb. asparagus
• olive oil
• coarse sea salt
• 1 1/2 c. mixed greens with dill
• 1/2 c. frozen edamame, cooked according to package directions
• 3 oz. smoked gouda, cubed
• 1 oz. serrano ham, pulled into thin slices

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.  Rinse asparagus and trim thick ends by about an inch.  Place on baking sheet and drizzle generously with olive oil and sea salt.  The oil and salt from the asparagus will be used to dress the entire salad.  Roast for 8 mins, until tips are beginning to brown and spears are crisp-tender, then remove and cut spears in half.
2. Toss greens, asparagus, gouda cubes, and cooked edamame together.  Top with slices of serrano ham.  Drizzle with additional olive oil if necessary.  Serve while asparagus is still warm.

The post Asparagus, Smoked Gouda, and Serrano Ham Salad appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.