Weekend Homebody

[xraytheenforcer]

So, this weekend's trip to the farmers market yielded FAVA BEANS.
Oh mighty Cthulhu, do I love fava beans. But when they are fresh, they are a pain in the ass to deal with. First, you shell them. Then you skin them. And only then are they ready for cooking.

I also nabbed a dozen eggs, various fresh herbs (peppermint, cilantro, parsley, dill), red russian kale, some mixed green salad, a pint of strawberries and a 4-lb chicken.

Today will be consumed by shelling the fava beans, making strawberry ice cream, roasting the bird, chopping various things for a salsa, cooking black beans to go with the chicken (and great for leftovers), and cleaning the pesthole that our apartment has become because the summer heat always makes me lazy.

Had a really great beer yesterday. Actually, had four really great beers. Local beer joint was doing a tasting of Ola Dubh: a very dark beer matured in casks formerly used to age Highland Park whisky. Beer was served from both cask and keg, and the differences were pretty interesting. Also tried the Du Pont Biere de Miel, which was 5 kinds of awesome, and Orval, which was a let-down after the three prior tipples, but still good. 

Comments

[nobleds.livejournal.com]

this is easily the most wonderful thing I have read in months! Oh, how I love to spend the day cooking! Oh, how I love great beers!
can I come to boston and be your maid?

[xraytheenforcer.livejournal.com]

Awesome! First thing: the shower needs scrubbing. (also, once you get to Boston, turn south, because we're actually in Brooklyn. But the commute ain't too bad!)

[rudbekia.livejournal.com]

I was gonna say... 'cause if you are living it up in style in Boston I *will* get a piece of that action.

[catrionamacnair.livejournal.com]

Highland Park Beer.. Oooh.

So much yum food. I hide my supermarket-bought fallafel in shame.

[xraytheenforcer.livejournal.com]

bah. if it tastes good, it does not matter where it came from!

[addienfaemne.livejournal.com]

fava beans! we should have a potluck one of these days. i'll bring the chocolate?

[xraytheenforcer.livejournal.com]

hells yes. It'll have to be after the next ship, though. My time will not be my own for a couple of weeks. :(

[yagathai.livejournal.com]

I tried Ola Dubh this week for the first time myself. Tasty!

[xraytheenforcer.livejournal.com]

Indeed!

[peadarog.livejournal.com]

In Irish it means, "Black Oil". Strange. Or it could derive from the verb ól, meaning to drink. I wonder what it does to your insides when mixed with fava beans?

[xraytheenforcer.livejournal.com]

I wonder. on the website it says it was named after "oil" but I wonder if there wasn't a bit of the dual-meaning also implied...

[zollo-the-fat.livejournal.com]

Interesting, taking into account that "Öl" means beer in Swedish and "att Öla" (small o, but my keyboard is playing up) is loosely translated as "to beer" or "to booze".

[peadarog.livejournal.com]

Hurray! A verb meaning to beer!

[meh-of-munich.livejournal.com]

Freaky! I cooked favas least week too (puree with olive oil, on bread with rucola and something similar to pecorino). I blanch and then skin -- I think that might be easier. We've been eating a lot of artichokes. They are a pain in the ass to clean but I am getting faster at it.

[xraytheenforcer.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I did the blanch-and-skin trick, too. incredibly easy, just a bit tedious. :)

and I'll be making a puree of mine as well to serve on pita, but with lemon, garlic, olive oil and cumin. :)

[limecat-lotn.livejournal.com]

All this talk of fava beans and beer is making me supremely jealous.

[xraytheenforcer.livejournal.com]

Can Limecat -- the Greatest of All Time -- even *be* jealous of the plebes?

I THINK NOT.
:p

you make it down here someday, we'll feed you ridiculous amounts of beer.

[gcbella.livejournal.com]

I really miss the farmers markets in Florida. You just cant find good ones here. Crazy but true. *curses Missouri*
Well there is that creepy old man with the withered tomatoes in the Wal-mart parking lot, between the broken down cars for sale and the free puppies.

[xraytheenforcer.livejournal.com]

Is that like a buy one, get one free deal? Buy a tomato, get a puppy?

[gcbella.livejournal.com]

I think it is more like, "Buy a withered tomato get the creepy withered man free, and the puppy wants to watch".

Yep I grossed myself out on that one.

[terraprime.livejournal.com]

There's a Shanghai dish involving fava beans that's absolutely great. You need pickled cabbage (buy it in a can, it's called xue cai), dried tofu cubes, and fresh fava beans. Stir fry together. Simple, yummy, great for you. :)

And, as with posts concerning pr0n, it's no good without pictures. :p

[xraytheenforcer.livejournal.com]

I keep meaning to take pictures, but my apartment is still chaotic. maybe next weekend. :)

I will have to try that dish, though. I've looked for xue cai before, but I can never be sure if that's what I'm buying because I can't read the characters. :(

[terraprime.livejournal.com]

Next time I buy a can, I'll photo it for you. :)

The characters are 雪菜, by the way. Now you know, in case you spot it on some unsuspecting white-dude who thinks it means "Strength" or something.