SKINNY DIPPING: FRESH FAVA BEAN DIP

It's no secret that I love dips... eating them and making them. I have a few standard, no-fail, go-to dips for parties or just having around at home for snacking. As most things I like to cook, the dips I make are seasonal. This is one of my favourite springtime dips! Beautiful colour, fresh tasting, herb-y...

... and fat-free if you don't add olive oil. I often don't add oil because I find the fava beans creamy enough, and I always have olives around, which go well with the dip and bread/vegetables. Or I have a chunk of feta with it all. If I am not serving olives or feta with the dip, I do add the olive oil because the flavour of olives and fresh fava beans is heavenly! 

Fresh Fava Bean Dip

Servings: makes 1-1/2 cups

- 1-1/2 lbs. (~1 kg) fava beans/broad beans, shelled (about 1-1/2 cups shelled beans)
- 3/4 - 1 tsp. salt, I used Himalayan pink salt
- 2 medium cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
- 1/4 tsp sugar, or less, or none
- 2 tsp. minced fresh mint leaves, or 1 tsp. dried

- 1 tsp. fresh dill, or 1/2 tsp. dried
- juice of 1 small lemon or lime

- 1 tbsp. water or more, as needed to blend or process into the desired consistency

- 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (optional - I don't usually add it)

Serve with:
Bread of any type, baked pita chips, roasted potatoes, skinny fries, raw carrots, zucchini, cucumbers, or as a side with baked/grilled fish

1. Boil enough water to submerge the fava beans up to 1 in. 

2. Add the fava beans and cook for about 5 minutes.

3. Drain and rinse under cold water until cool. Or, drain and let the fava beans cool on their own for about 15 minutes.

4. Using your finger-tips, remove and discard the pale green outer skins and put the bright green fava beans in a bowl.

5. In a food processor or blender, add all the ingredients including the beans.

6. Process/blend to the desired consistency. I like it smooth, not coarse.

7. Refrigerate and remove from the fridge 30 minutes before serving to allow the dip to come to room temperature.

8. Really good the next day, when the flavours have melded!

Notes:

1. Since fava beans, mint, and dill are springtime produce, the flavours are exceptionally complementary. But you can use other herbs like cilantro/coriander or parsley. Or a combination of herbs of your choice. I definitely don't recommend rosemary or any other fall/winter herbs.

2. As always, adjust salt and red pepper to taste, or use freshly crushed black/white pepper.

CHILES EN ESCABECHE: PICKLED FRESH CHILES (WITH VEGETABLES)

It's no secret that I love pickled vegetables! Of all kinds, from all cuisines. I grew up eating a slew of them, nearly always seasonal. Some that have to be left alone for months before eating, some that you can eat right away. When I was a kid, I ate SO much of our traditional athaanu (Gujarati pickled raw mangoes) with every Gujarati meal, that mum had to put a stop to it - no pickles for me for many months. A variety of pickled stuff would always be at the table during meals, but I couldn't eat any of it. It was tough, really, it was. I love pickles that much.

Even now, the only thing I ask mum to bring me from India is homemade athaanu. I seldom eat the athaanu because Indian food doesn't taste the same here in the US so I don't make it unless someone's asked me to make it for them. But I just feel good having athaanu around and knowing mummy's made it.

Pickles are so old-world, delicious, and I love the progressive transformation of young, fresh, bold, sprightly vegetables thrown in together, into a cohesive, mellow, unified entity in a bottle. It's a bit like growing up together with siblings and cousins.

Anyway so on to the ubiquitous Mexican chiles en escabeche (in Spanish escabechar = to pickle/marinate). I was having friends over so I made these a few days before, to give the vegetables time to get into it a bit. For dinner I'd made enguacatadas (like enchiladas but with an avocado sauce rather than chile sauce), black beans, rice, and probably something else that I can't recall. Perhaps dessert. Who knows... but the pickled chiles and vegetables I really enjoyed making. They're super with everything... beans and rice, in soups, with grilled meats, in sandwiches, chopped and mixed with sour cream as a dip, whatever else you can think of.

Chiles en Escabeche: Pickled Fresh Chiles (with Vegetables)

Servings: makes 1/2 quart

- 1/2 lb. carrots, cut into 1/2 in. slices on the bias

- 1/2 lb. white onions, quartered or cut into eighths

- 1/4 lb. or more, fresh jalapeno or Serrano chiles, or both

- 1/4 lb. or more, cucumbers cut into 1/2 slices on the bias
- 1 head garlic, separated into cloves and peeled

- 3 bay leaves

- 1/4 tsp whole black peppercorns

- 3/4 tbsp. dried Mexican oregano (Italian will do)

- 3 sprigs fresh thyme

- 3 sprigs fresh marjoram

- 1 tsp. salt

- 1 cup white vinegar

- 1/2 cup water

- 1/4 cup olive oil

1. Combine the vegetables and spices in a large glass jar.
2. Bring the vinegar and water to a boil, remove from heat and add olive oil, stirring to combine.
3. Pour pickling mixture over the vegetables in the jar, mix well, cover and marinate 4 days before using.

4. After the 4 days, keep pickled vegetables in the refrigerator for longer storage.