Frantic for Fava Beans!

Today I met Antonello Losito and Laura Giordano of Southern Visions Travel. They are working together with Amy Riolo, my mentor, to promote a culinary trip to Puglia, Italy in June of this year.  So the plan for the day was to cook the food at Sheilah's, go to the television station, and tell the world as much as possible about the food and culture in Puglia in just three minutes.


What a crazy day.... it started with a drive around Potomac and Rockville at 8 am looking for ingredients. We went from the Giant to Whole Foods searching for fennel, fava beans, and broccoli rabe. We obtained everything but the fava beans, so I continued searching. Shoppers Food Warehouse didn't have them. I called around to other supermarkets, but many weren't even open at that time! I got the address for a little Mediterranean supermarket called Yekta . They didn't open until 10:00, but I stood at the door and begged for special treatment. I would like to thank the wonderful people at Yekta market who let me in to purchase the coveted fava beans.

With fava beans finally in tow,
I tried to defrost them using my car's
sensational heating system. 

We met back at Sheilah Kaufman's house where Laura prepared the dish. Bowls, forks, knives, towels-it seems like we borrowed nearly half of Sheliah's belongings to take with us to the station! Looking back it may have been a little excessive, but it was good for us to be prepared. 

 This beautiful display was done by me :)

The side table on the set was set up with ingredients in the recipe and other products that Puglia is known for; leeks, ricotta salata, green onions, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, broccoli rabe, fennel, lima beans, and pasta.

This is the first picture taken of me on a television set kitchen.
I promise you all, it will not be the last. 

Laura and Antonello preparing the set.

The energy on the set was something I've wanted to feel my whole life, but never knew it. It felt natural to me (even though I wasn't even the one going on camera!) Everyone at the station was so welcoming and nice! They really made us feel comfortable and even important! I'm hoping that this is the beginning of a great friendship with both the Italians and the Channel 9 News crew.  

Laura and JC Hayward

It's so hard to know what to say in the moment, the three minutes just fly by! Laura did an amazing job. Here's the video of the interview. I know there is a lot more that she wanted to say, but it must feel so pressured up there! She's a natural, though. It was very clear that she was in her element and ready to talk about the culinary school. Antonello got 3 minutes on with JC for himself.

Though this segment wasn't televised live, it should be

up on  JC Hayward's website in the near future. 

JC Hayward and Antonello

The Final Product:
Orecchiette Pasta with Fresh Fava Beans and Sun-dried Tomatoes

Here's the recipe that Laura made today. I have to say, I've never in my life tasted anything like this. Use high quality olive oil, it makes a huge difference. Try to use high quality pasta, too. The brand that Antonello and Laura used is one that they partner with, Benedetto Cavalieri, and it truly changed the way that I think about pasta- the way it absorbs the oil, the texture- it really does make the dish! 

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds fresh fava beans
• 1 pound Orecchiette Cavalieri
• extra-virgin olive oil from Il Frantoio
• 1 bunch of fresh onions, cut into narrow strips
• 5 or 6 sundried tomatoes, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups of grated ricotta salata, plus more for passing if desired

Method:

1. Blanch the fava beans in boiling water for a couple of minutes.
2. Drain from the water and slip off the outer skin.
3. Place the sundried tomatoes in a bowl and add 2 cups of very hot water.
4. Allow tomatoes to soften (5 minutes) and cut into strips.
5. Heat the olive oil in a large pan and cook the onion until it’s soft.
6. Add the fava beans to the onions and cook for about 5 minutes: the beans have to be nice and tender.
7. Add the tomatoes and stir well.
8. Cook the orecchiette “al dente” (always taste the pasta while it’s cooking), drain the pasta and save 1 cup of the cooking water.
9. Mix the pasta with the fava beans, the onions and the tomatoes in the cooking pot with a light flame on.
10. Add the ricotta salata and the water and keep stirring.
11. Serve HOT.

Don't they look great!?

When we finished at the station, we went back to Sheilah's house, where we discussed the afternoon, looked through cookbooks, and I finally got a chance to meet Sheilah's editing partner, Paula Jacobson. 

Paula, me, Sheilah, Antonello, and Laura. 

Check out the Puglia Itinerary. It really is going to be an amazing trip, I really hope I get a chance to go! Laura and Antonello are wonderful, passionate people and I feel extremely honored to have been able to spend this time with them.


Laura and Antonello are doing a tasting of wine from Puglia on Wednesday, February 22 at Schneider's of Capitol Hill. 


Here's the link to Laura's blog: 
A Pinch of Italy

Diving into the Cuisine of Cyprus- CHoW DC

I attended my first meeting of the Culinary Historians of Washington last Sunday. 
I met with Amy Riolo at her mentor's house, Sheliah Kaufman, where I also met Beyhan Trock, a lovely woman who is working on promoting her first book. I felt so honored to be in the same room with these smart, beautiful women who do things I only dream about doing with my life.
The guest speaker was a man named William Woys Weaver. 

William Woys Weaver

He was an exquisite speaker, and I learned a lot about Cyprus that I'd never known. Ok. I'll admit- before this, I really couldn't even tell you where Cyprus was located or what language is spoken there. Now I have a wealth of knowledge, no only about the cuisine, but the history as well. Here are some of the things that I learned:

The Republic of Cyprus

• Cyprus, officially called the Republic of Cyprus,  is located in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and Lebanon and North of Egypt.
• Cyprus is the 3rd largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. 
• Cyprus is separated into 5 districts; the capital is Nicosia, the largest city. 
• People from Cyprus are referred to as Cypriots
• Much of the trade in and out of Cyprus has historically taken place at the port city of Ayas. Early trade, exotic spice, silk, and rugs, came from Asia. 
• Cyprus is home to 23 species of oregano, the only country in the Mediterranean to boast that.
• Most of the villager's diets are based solely on legumes and plants. 



Halloumi Cheese

• Halloumi is a traditional cypriot cheese made from a mixture of sheep's milk and goat's milk. The cheese is white, with a distinctive layered texture similar to mozzarella, and has a salty flavor. 

Here are some Cypriot food items and terms that I learned:

• Yachni: a method of sweating vegetables with onions- developed among ancient Greeks
• Snails: considered a delicacy among Cypriots, snails are removed from their shells and usually eaten as part of a rice dish
• Stifado: a snail dish cooked with cinnamon, onions and tomatoes. 
• Taro: used since the times of the Roman Empire, it is often stewed with celery and coriander seeds and sometimes tomato sauce. "Baby" taro is called "poulles" on the island of Cyprus and after being fried is stewed in a sauce of crushed garlic and fresh lemon juice and water.  
• Tahine: has been part of the Cypriot diet since ancient times. 
• Sesame oil: is the basic cooking oil used on the island. 
• Skourathes: the Cypriot term for baby leeks, often used in dishes both raw and cooked.

I learned so much about this small country from a mere hour-and-a-half long presentation. I never would have known some of these things if I hadn't just opened my mind to this wonderful group of people. Next month, we are meeting on March 11. The speaker is a man by the name of Warren Belasco, who will be talking about the culinary history of Washington, DC. I urge anyone in the DC/Metropolitan area who is interested in food, history, or simply learning something new, to come join us. Visit the website www.chowdc.org for more information. 

Until next time, keep cooking!