ARTICHOKE HEARTS WITH FAVA BEANS; THE HEARTH OF SPRING AT THE AEGEAN SHORES

Full recipe and directions for the ARTICHOKE HEARTS WITH FAVA BEANS
Ingredients
7-8 (~450 g) green (globe) artichoke
130 g fresh (or froze) fava beans (shelled)
1 small (~100g) onion (optional)
1 lemon
3-4 spring onions
6-7 sprigs fresh dill
1/3 cup olive oil
2.5 cup drinking water
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt

Directions
PREPARATION
Thoroughly wash the fresh dill and spring onions because they will remain almost raw for this recipe
Soak the green herbs for 8-10 minutes in a bowl of cold water with 1-2 tbsp of vinegar, then rinse and drain them well
(!) In olive oil and vegetable dishes, I prefer to only partially-cook the fresh herbs. This increases the lightness, freshness and the fabulous taste of the dish!
Peel, wash and dice the onion
Mince the white parts of the spring onions and combine with the diced onion
Mince the green parts of the spring onions and set aside
Mince the 6-8 sprigs of dill and set aside
If you use fresh fava beans, shell the harder outer envelope. You can also find the shelled frozen fava beans in the market year around
Frozen Globe Artichokes can be found in the market. If you will use fresh Artichokes, you have to discard the green leaves and fluffy pieces in the globe, then soak them into a bowl of water with lemon juice to prevent browning

COOKING
Place a shallow and wide pot over the stove and set the heat to medium-high
Pour 1/3 cup of olive oil into the pot
Add the onions, and sauté for a few seconds until they soften; then, add the fava beans, the juice of 1 lemon, 1 tbsp of sugar, 1 tsp of salt, and 2.5 cups of water
Once the mixture cooks for 10-15 minutes, place the artichokes, (first, face down!) into the pot
Cover the pot with a lid, lower the heat to the minimum setting and cook for 10-15 more minutes
Then, flip the artichokes and continue cooking for 30-35 more minutes
Once the artichokes have slightly softened, turn off the stove and let them rest in the pot for 8-10 minutes
Then, take the artichokes onto a serving plate
Mix the green herbs with the warm fava beans and fill the belly of the artichokes with this flavourful mixture
(!) If you are not serving immediately, choose an air-tight serving plate to prevent browning and keep the dish juicy

SERVING
Serve the Artichoke Hearts with Fava Beans warm or cold

Artichoke with olive oil is one of the most common and popular recipes as it is the forerunner of spring-combining fava beans, spring onions, and fresh dill

On top of its fabulous flavour, you can also appreciate this dish as a delicious detox food for the liver!!

This recipe uses the heart of the Artichoke, which is the meaty core of the flower
It is harvested early in the spring, before the flower blooms

Artichoke and fava beans are considered by some as the foretellers of spring along the Aegean shores of Turkey
For decades, hundreds of local recipes have been developing in this region that both compliment and emphasize the refreshing texture of artichoke!

Enjoy the forerunner of spring!

For MORE recipes and detailed directions SUBSCRIBE and FOLLOW the “Fairies’ Cuisine” on its YouTube page, link below:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiZuIwEqdDQrXXlFU82WRMw/featured?view_as=subscriber