Olive Oil & Garlic

Photo courtesy of Mari & Nacho

Now is the time of year when we start to see fresh broad beans in the garden and in the markets.  Also known as fava beans, they are popular in Spain and Portugal, among other places.  This is a simple dish that you’ll find in a lot of restaurants in Spain, and housholds as well.  Spanish cured ham is hard to find in the United States, but  its italian cousin, prosciutto, is much easier to obtain, and makes a fair substitute.

Broad Beans with Ham

Ingredients

2 cups fresh broad beans

1/3 cup diced cured ham

1 large clove of garlic, chopped or crushed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 onion, sliced (optional)

salt

Method

Heat the olive oil over medium heat and saute the onion, garlic and ham for a few minutes.  Add the broad beans, turn down the heat and cover, simmering the beans for about 10-15 minutes until they’re soft.  Serve hot.

photo courtesy of eflon

This is a great recipe to keep on hand when you start to harvest chard from the garden or when it arrives in the weekly produce delivery.  I also make this with spinach when I don’t have Swiss chard on hand.

Ingredients

1 large bunch of Swiss Chard

1 1/2 – 2 cups cooked chick peas (Garbanzo beans)  Canned is ok too

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 small onion, sliced

olive oil

salt

Method:

Wash the Swiss chard leaves well to remove dirt and sand.  Cut off the stems and save them for another recipe (coming soon!). Coarsely chop the leaves and place them with 1/4 inch of water in a pot or large sauce pan.  Heat to water to boiling and steam the leaves for 5-8 minutes. Drain well.  In a saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the onions and garlic.  Saute for a minute and then add the chard and chick peas.  Reduce the heat and cover, stirring occasionally until it heated through.  Serve hot.

Learn more about:

Swiss Chard

http://www.flickr.com/photos/zordor/ / CC BY 2.0

This is a traditional dish from central Spain that makes a great side dish.  I have also seen it served as a tapa in bars.

Pisto Manchego

3-4 tablespoons olive oil

1 green pepper

1 red pepper

1 medium onion

2 small zucchini

2 cloves of garlic

4 cups of peeled and chopped tomatoes

1 small bunch of chopped parsley (about 2 tablespoons)

Chop the onion, peppers, zucchini into 1/2 inch pieces and mince the garlic.  Heat the oil over medium heat in a saute pan or an earthenware cazuela.  Saute the vegetables for a few minutes, and then add the tomatoes.  Cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes, until the stew has a very thick consistency.  It is often served with a fried or hard boiled egg on top, as shown in the photo.