Official entry:
Fava Beans Two Ways: deep-fried cherry bomb-spiked falafel nuggets wrapped a house-baked whole wheat pita & topped with house-made lemon/tahini sauce and house-made jalapeno/lemon hot sauce, micro red mustard greens, tomato, red onion, house-pickled turnips, and house-made datil/corn relish & braised ful m'dames swimming in house-made confit of smoked garlic & topped with a drizzle of lemon/tahini sauce, a healthy dollop of house-made fresh scorpion/sumac harissa, and a sprinkling of parsley
Several of these items are staples in my pantry, and were made long in advance of the Throwdown. They appear in the PoL pic already prepared & jarred. I have denoted each with an *.
Falafel
dried brown fava beans
fresh yellow onion, finely chopped
fresh parsley, finely chopped
kosher salt
fresh cherry bomb seeds, ground
garlic powder
baking powder
peanut oil
Soak fava beans in water overnight. Drain, rinse, and peel. Preheat oil to 360ÂşF in a large cast-iron skillet..
Place fava beans in a food processor; finely chop. Add remaining ingredients and process to a thick paste-like consistency.
Spoon mixture into hot oil by the tablespoonful. Fry for about 2 minutes until golden brown.
Lemon/Tahini Sauce
tahini
fresh garlic, crushed
kosher salt
extra-virgin olive oil
fresh lemon juice
Glenburnie Farm brand “Hawk Hollow Heat 2011” Smoked Cayenne Hot Sauce
Glenburnie Farm brand “Hawk Hollow Heat 2010” Smoked Bhut Jolokia Hot Sauce
In a beaker, blend garlic and tahini with an immersion blender until smooth. Add salt.
Add olive oil, lemon juice, and hot sauces. Blend again, adding water if necessary to achieve desired consistency..
Ful M’dames
dried brown fava beans
extra-virgin olive oil
fresh yellow onion, diced
garlic cloves from smoked garlic confit,, crushed
cumin seeds, ground
cardamom pods, ground
dried Tabasco chiles, ground
canned diced Roma tomatoes
kosher salt
black pepper, ground
fresh lemon juice
fresh tomatoes, diced
Soak fava beans in water overnight. Drain & rinse, but do not peel.
Heat oil over medium flame. Sauté the onion until translucent & just starting to turn golden.
Add garlic, a little more oil, and spices to the pan; sauté for 1 minute. Add fava beans, canned tomatoes, and enough water to barely cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, season with salt and pepper to taste, and cover pot tightly.
Simmer for 3 hours until the beans are extremely tender.
Pour mixture into a mixing bowl. Use a potato masher to mash to a semi-smooth texture, quite a bit chunkier than hummous tahini.
Mix in lemon juice and tomatoes.
Smoked Garlic Confit*
smoked garlic cloves, peeled & whole
extra-virgin olive oil
dried bay leaves, whole
dried cayenne chiles, whole
Place garlic in a small saucepan and cover completely with oil. Cover. Simmer on the absolutely lowest flame on your stove for 8 hours.
Place a bay leaf and a chile in each sterilized pint jar. Fill with garlic mixture, making sure that garlic cloves are completely covered in oil. Lid.
Whole Wheat Pita
instant yeast
warm water (120Âş-130ÂşF)
whole wheat flour
soybean flour
fine sea salt
Preheat stone in oven to 600ÂşF.
In the bowl of a stand mixer bowl fitted with its dough hook, dissolve yeast in water. Add flours and salt; mix and knead 8 minutes at medium-low speed.
Divide dough into equal pieces; hand knead each for 1 minute.
Roll each into a 10-inch circle. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
Bake on the 600ÂşF stone for 5 minutes.
Jalapeno/Lemon Hot Sauce*
fresh jalapeno chiles, quartered
sugar
pickling salt
balsamic vinegar
fresh lemon juice
fresh orange juice
fresh garlic cloves, peeled & whole
fresh cilantro, roughly torn
green food coloring
In a non-reactive bowl, combine chiles, sugar, salt, and vinegar. Cover and refrigerate at least overnight or for up to two weeks.
Transfer mixture to a large stockpot. Add lemon juice, orange juice, and garlic. Bring to a boil and simmer for 8 minutes. Add cilantro.
Transfer to a Vitamix and blend on highest speed until completely liquefied, adding food coloring as necessary to achieve desired color.
Datil/Corn Relish*
champagne vinegar
sugar
pickling salt
dry mustard, ground
turmeric, ground
celery seed
fresh whole kernel corn
fresh Vidalia onion, diced
fresh sweet Italian pepper, diced
fresh datil chiles, finely chopped
Combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard, turmeric, and celery seed in a small saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat.
Add the corn, onion, and sweet pepper, and chiles. Simmer for 4 minutes.
Pack into sterilized quart jars, process, lid, and let stand for at least two weeks.
Scorpion/Sumac Harissa*
dried cayenne chiles, whole
dried bird dung chiles, whole
fresh Trinidad Scorpion chiles, minced
fresh shallots, finely chopped
black cumin seed, toasted
coriander seed, toasted
dried sumac berries, ground
kosher salt
Remove the stems and seeds from the dried chiles. Soak in cold water for 20 minutes; drain.
Place chiles, garlic, black cumin, coriander, sumac, and salt in a food processor; pulse until smooth.
Pack into sterilized pint jars, process, and lid.
Turnip Pickles*
water
distilled white vinegar
pickling salt
fresh turnips, halved and sliced
fresh beet, cubed
fresh garlic cloves, peeled & halved
dried cayenne chiles, whole
Bring water, vinegar, and salt to a boil.
Layer turnips, beets, garlic, and chiles in sterilized quart jars. Add hot liquid until it completely covers them.
Lid and let stand for at least one month.
Falafel Assembly
whole wheat pita
micro red mustard greens
pea shoots, coarsely chopped
tomato, sliced & seasoned with kosher salt & ground black pepper
red onion, thinly sliced
turnip pickles
falafel nuggets
datil-corn relish
lemon-tahini sauce
jalapeno-lemon sauce
Place piping-hot pita on a foil-lined plate. In the middle third, add mustard, pea shoots, tomato, onion, and turnip pickles. Top with warm falafel nuggets. Dress with spoons of relish and drizzlings of sauces to taste. Roll into a “burrito” & fasten with foil.
Ful M’Dames Assembly
oil from smoked garlic confit
ful m’dames
scorpion harissa
lemon-tahini sauce
fresh parsley, roughly torn
Pour a pool of oil into a shallow bowl. Microwave until warm, but not sizzling. Spoon in warm ful m’dames. Top with a rivulet of sauce, a healthy dollop of harissa, and a shower of parsley.