For Fava Bean Lovers Fresh Fava Beans With Dilled Rice

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Fresh Fava Beans With Dilled Rice

 

1 pound shelled fava beans

salt

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons sunflower or light vegetable oil

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 teaspoon sugar

2 1/2 cups long-grain rice

A very large bunch of dill, finely chopped

3 ounces butter, cut into pieces, or 4 tablespoons light vegetable oil

 

Cook the fava beans separately, because you never can be sure how long they

will take. In the spring, when they are very young, they cook in hardly any

time. As they get older, they can take up to 1/2 hour. You now can sometimes buy

them already shelled in supermarkets, but they are easy enough to shell. Most

people do not bother to remove the white outer skin, although it is considered

more refined without. Boil the beans in a small pan in salted water until tender

and drain.

Fry the garlic in the same (dried) pan in the oil until the aroma rises. Add the

lemon juice, sugar and beans and cook, stirring, a minute or two, so that they

absorb the flavors.

In the meantime, in a large, heavy-bottomed pan, boil plenty of salted water.

Throw in the rice, stir, and let it boil hard for about 10 minutes. While the

rice is still underdone and a little hard, throw in the dill, stir, then quickly

drain in a colander. (A little of the dill will run out with the water but most

will stick to the rice, and you will have a beautiful speckled effect.) Pour the

rice back in the pan, and stir in the beans and the butter. Put the lid on and

steam on a very low flame for about 20 minutes, until the rice is tender. Be

careful that it does not burn at the bottom.

Variations:

Add 14 ounces quartered frozen artichoke hearts, defrosted (or the weight of the

package).

For a Persian version, put 1/2 teaspoon saffron powder in the rice water before

you throw in the dill. Serves 6 to 8.

 

 

 

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