Ever wondered what the best chef in the world cooks at home? Well, we did. Luckily, Aydin Demir, who was given the title last year by Les Toques Blanches du Monde was on hand with all the answers.
“For me, I love simple dishes. My go-to dish would be artichoke in olive oil and fresh fava beans. I just love their flavor.
After cleaning and preparing the artichoke, I cook it in a simple sauce of olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, water and sugar, with a little bit of onion and carrot. When it's ready, I drain it and use the juice to boil the fava beans. I leave the fava beans to simmer overnight and serve them cold the next day, the flavor is so much better the following day."
Taking inspiration from the simplicity of Aydin's off-duty dish, here's our recipe for simple fava beans, otherwise known as broad beans.
If you've not been acquainted with fava beans, they're prized for their rich, buttery flavour. Shelling and peeling them takes some time and effort but the result is well worth it.
(Serves 6)
Ingredients:
- 2 kg fresh fava beans
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- A small handful of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest
- 3/4 cup shaved aged hard cheese, such as Pecorino
Method:
Remove the fava beans from their pods. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, add the beans and cook for roughly 2-3 minutes, until tender. Drain the beans and then immediately plunge into a bowl of ice water to stop them cooking further. Once cool, slip off the skins and discard. Transfer to a serving bowl.
For the dressing: whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, parsley and lemon zest and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over the beans and toss. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and toss gently.
Serve right away.
Share, savour, enjoy!