Pappardelle with Fava Bean Leaf Pesto , Salmon, and Shiitake Mushrooms

Pappardelle with Fava Bean Leaf  Pesto , Fava Beans, Salmon and Shiitake Mushrooms

When I did my weekly shopping at the farmer's market, I came upon a treasure I had never used before—fava leaves. I adore and love fava beans, but I don't like hulling and peeling them. A real pain in the tush. Preparing fava beans is a lot of work, but you do end up with a wonderful spring treat. Fava beans (also known as broad beans) are the king of all beans. Their flavor is smoother, sweeter and richer than most other beans. ​

When I spotted  some fava bean leaves in a bag, my cooking antenna went up. "What do you do with them?" I asked. " Pesto" was the answer. That bag of leaves went in my basket faster than a dog chasing a cat.

A chance to  produce the taste of fava beans without all the work . Here I had lived all my life without knowing that you could make pasta out of fava bean leaves! I made the pesto and it was delicious.  ​

The dark green, shiny pesto had a tinge of bitterness with a nutty flavor similar to arugula. I played with it all week. I had it on all my sandwiches and on my leftover veggies, and potatoes.

Grilled Eggplant with Tuna and Fava Leaves Pesto

Bok choy, potatoes, fava bean leaf pesto, and a fried egg

I used some of the pesto to make my pasta dish using Mike's pasta. An ode to Mike and his delicious fresh-made pasta that is light, smooth and to me, the perfect pasta. It is made in Santa Cruz and delivered fresh to several local grocery stores. I fell in love with Mike's pasta many years ago when there was little fresh pasta available. Many a night when I came home from work thinking of making  dinner, I would stop and get some of his tasty raviolis.  I would cook them and add some tomato sauce or some garlic and butter. Within 20 minutes a mushroom, sweet potato, cheese, or tofu ravioli would smoothly slide down my throat delighting my senses. My family and I would enjoy a great meal. What more can you ask for? I use his fettuccine pasta for my seafood pasta.  Mike's pasta has kept the same quality over the years. Nobody talked him into adding stuff, so his pasta would have a longer shelf life. He didn't go public or franchise his business, no sireee, he just kept making perfect fresh pasta. Thank you, Mike, from the bottom of my heart for the many good meals. Disclaimer: I don't know Mike and I'm not getting paid or anything . But I might go visit him one of these days.

I took my last ½ cup of fava bean pesto to the cabin.  We needed to remove potential fire material around the cabin. But it snowed and there was no work to be done outside. Instead we lit a cozy fire and enjoyed the winter scenery. I had brought up some pappardelle from Mike,  some fava beans  and shiitake mushrooms from the Farmer's Market. I had splurged and bought some local wild king salmon that was caught in our bay. This is such a treat but it is becoming very expensive. I prepared a wonderful spring meal in a winter wonderland. We opened a bottle of crisp white burgundy, which was a perfect complement to the meal.

This is a dish where  you can substitute basil pesto for the  fava leaf pesto. Some roasted pine nuts would be a great addition. Instead of fava beans you can use a cup of edamame beans or peas.

Print Recipe

Ingredients
serves 2-4 people

10 ounces pappardelle pasta
 ½ -1 lb salmon
1 lb. fava beans (about 1 cup shelled) 
1  ½  cup sliced shiitake mushrooms
1 TBS butter
1 TBS olive oil
½  cup pesto
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese 
¼ + cup pasta water
garlic salt
juice of ½ lemon



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Fava Bean Leaf Pesto

Ingredients 

4 cups  fava leaves, stems removed and coarsely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped 
½  cup pine nuts, roasted
½ cup grated parmesan cheese 
½  to 3/4  cup olive oil 
1-2 TBS lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Heat a large pot of water for the beans and the pasta. 
Preheat the oven at 375˚. 

Shell the fava beans, put them in the boiling water for about a minute. Rinse under cold water, cool and pop the skin of the beans. Add 1 tsp. salt to the pasta water.

Put the salmon in a pan, dot with a tablespoon of butter and sprinkle lightly with garlic salt. Sprinkle with the juice of ½ lemon. Bake for about 12- 14 minutes (depending on the thickness of the salmon) in the preheated oven. I still want a little pinkness in the center of the salmon. Tear or cut into pieces, discarding the skin. 

While the salmon is cooking, heat the salted pasta water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain the pasta in a sieve, preserving some of the water. 

In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil and sauté the mushrooms for a couple of minutes, adding some salt. Add the fava beans and pasta. Mix with the pesto and pasta water, making  sure the noodles are well coated. 

Serve the pasta on warmed dinner plates, sprinkled with parmesan cheese and top with pieces of salmon.  




​Directions 

Chop the garlic in a food processor until finely minced. Add the fava leaves, pine nuts, lemon juice, and a generous pinch of salt. While the food processor is  running , drizzle olive oil until the mixture is smooth and uniform. Scrape down the sides if necessary. Season with salt and pepper.



 Guten Appetit! 
 recipe © Sunnycovechef
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