Saturday 8:30 AM. I’ve barely opened my eyes when Michal and I are already on our way to the market in
Tira. “It’s not a real market”, she warns me, meaning it’s not a fruit and vegetable market. I find it entirely satisfying except for the guard at the entrance telling us no cameras are allowed!
On the way in we encounter an old man with a few upside down cardboard boxes. He has small oranges with faded peels that taste like heaven and beautiful fresh young fava beans. They both come home with us.
The market itself is a jumbled mix of plastic containers, pantyhose, soccer balls and slippers. We eat Turkish Burekas with lots of hot sauce and a hard-boiled egg. And then we find enough stalls of fresh fruit and vegetables to make me happy. Freshly picked produce with clumps of earth still on the roots – beautiful meaty artichokes and bunches of fresh greens. Best of all, fragrant piles of fresh garlic, heaven for garlic lovers like us.
At home, though we both have other things to do, we steal time together. We haven’t eaten for a whole hour (!) so Michal chops up some fresh cilantro with hot red chilies, adding lots of olive oil and salt. The three of us (the Man has now joined us) dip fresh pita bread in it, standing at the counter. It’s the smell of old times when we used to eat together a lot and a combination of tastes that’s worth every ounce of accumulating body fat.
And even though time is short, Michal makes us delicious pot of rice, laced with fresh fava beans and greens, just like her mother used to make for her years ago. Later, eaten with fresh yogurt mixed with fresh chopped mint it will make everyone happy!
Note: when fava beans are young and very fresh, they don’t need to be shelled before cooking! The pod is delicious.
Fresh Fava Beans and Rice
Can be made with brown rice: 1 1/4 cups rice + 2 cups water + 55 minutes cooking time
1 ½ cups jasmine rice
2-3 cups fresh fava beans, cleaned
olive oil
fresh salt and pepper
2-3 garlic cloves – sliced thin
1 bunch cilantro
a handful of fresh mint
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
2 – 2 ½ cups water
Prepare the fava bean pods: If they’re young and thin slice them between the beans. The older thicker pods need to be peeled and you only use the beans themselves.
Heat the coriander seeds in a pan, until you smell a mild coriander scent. Remove from heat. Be careful not to burn them! Crush using any method you want.
Chop the cilantro and fresh mint.
In a pot, heat the garlic and fava beans in a generous serving of olive oil. Cook for a minute or so and add the rice, spices and herbs. Cook for a couple of minutes. Add the water, bring to a boil and continue cooking, covered, on low heat. It’s best to start with 2 ¼ cups of water and add more if needed. It should take about 20-30 minutes. The rice should be soft and fava bean flavored when done. Letting the pot stand wrapped in a kitchen towel at the end of cooking always improves flavors and textures.
