Fava Bean & Potato Potage
I grew up in Chicago, with a father of Eastern European (Ukrainian) descent and a mother from North Africa (Morocco). This was my good fortune in many ways, but particularly during the Jewish Holidays, when I would enjoy culinary traditions from both cultures.
Today's focus is on the holiday of Passover, aka the feast of unleavened bread, April 1-April 9, commemorating the story of the Exodus, when the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt. Many of you probably can't imagine a Passover dinner without matzo ball soup, which I loved very much when the Seder was at my father's sister's house. But because we more often than not celebrated the holiday at home, it's my mother's fresh fava bean and potato soup, redolent with turmeric and saffron, that best represents Passover to me.
Starting with a classic French mirepoix (Morocco was a French protectorate during World War II) of onion, carrots, and celery, in a 2:1:1 ratio, these aromatics are slowly cooked in olive oil until their flavors meld together, and this base is ready to accept the rest of the ingredients. Garlic, turmeric, and saffron are stirred in to take the aromatics to another level, followed by the vegetable broth, bay leaves, and thyme. The soup is brought to a boil and then the heat is reduced to a medium simmer, and the cover is loosely placed on top. You want to continue cooking the soup until the potatoes and fava beans are tender, about 20 minutes.
One of the things that makes this different from most other vegetable soups is that the potatoes give off some of their starch, adding a bit of body to the soup. And to go a step further, you will remove some of the potatoes to a bowl, mash them up into smaller pieces, and then return them to the soup, stirring to blend. At this point, you will season the soup to your personal taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper, following the remaining directions below for finishing before serving.
Whether or not you celebrate Passover, or just crave a really delicious, slightly chunky, aromatic, very filling, healthy soup, give this recipe a try sometime. And don't forget to enjoy some matzo ball soup too.
Fava Bean & Potato Potage
Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups yellow onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 1/2 cups celery, chopped
Salt & fresh ground black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh turmeric, grated
1 1/2 tablespoons saffron
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups Yukon gold potatoes, cubed
2 1/2 cups fresh fava beans, shucked, blanched & peeled*
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
1 1/2 quarts vegetable broth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Chopped cilantro for garnishing
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
*First, prepare the fava beans. In a pot of boiling water, add the shucked beans and blanch for 2 minutes. Remove the beans from the pot and place them into ice water until they are cool enough to handle. Peel off the outer shell and set aside.
In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil to medium heat.
Add in the onions, carrots, and celery, plus a pinch each of salt and pepper, and sauté 5-6 minutes until the onions are golden and the carrots and celery are tender.
Add in the garlic, turmeric, and saffron and stir to coat.
Add in the potatoes, fava beans, bay leaves, thyme, and vegetable broth, and bring the soup to a boil.
Lower the heat to a medium simmer, loosely cover the lid, and continue cooking another 20 minutes or until the potatoes and fava beans are tender. Turn off the heat.
Remove half the potatoes to a small bowl and mash with a fork, leaving slightly chunky. Return the chunky mashed potatoes to the soup along with the lemon juice and stir to combine. Season again with salt & pepper. Garnish with fresh cilantro, drizzle with olive oil, and serve.
