Dandelions and Fava Beans - Cicoria e Fave

Wild dandelions

As Italian children, who among us has not been in the meadows with their parents or grandparents to collect wild dandelions (cicoria)? 

Those days are gone and so are the meadows due to roads and housing.

Today, we grow chicory (Catalogna variety)  
in our vegetable garden.  

Not only they are visually beautiful, but their bitterness goes well with strong summer flavors. 

All photos - Copyright - ©2011 - La Casa e Il Giardino – picasaweb

The Catalogna variety is known as Italian dandelion.  It is dark green and it has toothed leaves.  It’s a “cutting” chicory in one of its most wildish forms.  The inner tender leaves I use in salads and the outer leaves I cook with fava beans or other mixed greens like Swisschard.

Mixed salad

 

Ingredients for 4 people

Dandelions – 2 lbs. (available in most supermarkets and farmers' markets)

Fava beans – 2 lbs. fresh (1 lb. frozen)
Chili – one dried one, chopped
Garlic – 2 cloves
Olive oil – 1/3 cup
Salt and pepper to taste

Cicoria e Fave

Wash the dandelions well, cut them up roughly and put them to boil in plenty of salted water. Boil for 15 minutes or until the thicker bits are soft.  Drain.  In another pan of water, cook fava beans until tender.  Drain.  In a pan, heat the oil on a low flame and add the garlic roughly cut into quarters, the chili pepper, salt and pepper to taste.  After a few minutes add the dandelions and cook slowly for another 10 minutes.  Add the cooked fava beans into the dandelion mixture and mix well.

Italian Flat Green Beans with Garden Fresh Tomatoes

Every year in our vegetable garden, we grow two varieties of beans – String beans and Italian flat beans.  Italian flat beans are also known as Italian Pole or Romano beans.  They are broad, flat podded, green snap beans with 5 to 6 inch pods.  

 Italian flat beans can be eaten in two forms. The first green ones are eaten whole, pod and all. They are crispy and crunchy, with a mild beany flavor.  Italian flat green beans can also be found in farmers' markets.






Dried beans

All photos - Copyright - ©2011 - La Casa e Il Giardino – picasaweb

We also allow them to mature on the vine so that we have dried beans. They have more nutritional value but require a long cooking time to soften . They are great for soups and casseroles. 

We plant the flat beans seeds directly               

into moist soil in mid-spring and they      

mature in the summer.

                                                                       

Beans on vines

                           

Seeded flat beans


We provide support for the bean vines

to climb and grow.

Italian Flat Green Beans with Garden Fresh Tomatoes

Ingredients

2 lb. Italian flat beans
3 fresh tomatoes chopped
Sprig of basil and parsley
2 cloves of garlic whole
1/4 cup olive oil
2 hot peppers (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Add oil in a pan and saute' garlic until golden.  Add the chopped tomatoes, basil and parsley. salt and pepper and simmer gently for 20 minutes.

In the meantime, in a pot of salted water, cook the flat beans until tender.  Do not overcook.  Drain beans, mix with sauce and serve.

Snapper Fishing with Family

Today, we went snapper fishing at the New Jersey shore. It is a fun and easy pastime for the entire family, young and old.







We also caught some crabs.
(How to clean and cook crabs.)

In NJ, snapper fishing starts in August and is full swing by Labor Day or mid September. The last two weeks of August and the first 2 weeks of September are prime time for snapper fishing.

All photos - Copyright - ©2011 - La Casa e Il Giardino – picasaweb

Snappers are baby bluefish. They are fun to catch and delicious to eat.  Once they’re on the hook they can't get away.  Many people don't like the taste of bluefish and therefore, will not eat snappers.  But because snappers are baby bluefish, they do not taste fishy as the adult ones.  The meat is white, finely textured and delicious. 

Snappers are cleaned like any other fish.  First cut the fins with old scissors.  Then scale the fish with a knife against the grain, gut them and remove the head.

Snappers are good on the grill or floured and fried. I simply coat the snappers with flour and fry them in vegetable oil until golden. Be careful not to overcook them.

Eat around the bone. The fish meat will separate from the bone by simply lifting it with a fork.  

Now, go and give snappers a try.

Burger all'Italiana

      Last year, McDonald introduced a new line of burgers in Italy appropriately named McItaly.  In the vegetarian version, they use an artichoke spread and Asiago cheese and in the beefy one, onions and smoked pancetta.  I would like to suggest McDonald my version of Burger all’Italiana. 

All photos - Copyright - ©2011 - La Casa e Il Giardino – picasaweb

Burgers cooking on a cast iron grill

Green, white and red (colors of the Italian flag)

Instead of a spread or sliced tomatoes, I use roasted peppers seasoned with extra-virgin olive oil, fresh parsley and minced garlic served on crusty bread baguette.

Burgers

720 g / 1 1/2 lb lean ground beef (I prefer ground chuck)
1 bread baguette, cut in half
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat the  barbecue.  No barbecue, preheat a seasoned, cast iron grill.
Lightly oil the barbecue grill or the cast iron grill and cook the burgers for about 8 to 10 minutes on each side.   Not sure if done, check the internal temperature of the meat with an instant-read thermometer. It is done when the temperature is 70°C / 160°F. 
Cut the baguette into 4 pieces.  Cut each piece in half horizontally.  Place the burger in the baguette and pile on the roasted peppers.

       

Not only it's delicious, it's healthy.