This recipe has it all: beans plus grain for complete protein, along with broccoli, a potent cruciferous vegetable that also stands out as a source of vitamins, minerals and protein. A light, but satisfying hot entree, it's also delicious either warm or chilled as a pasta-and-vegetable salad. The secret is a mayonnaise-based sauce that's seasoned with savory—an herb that celebrates vegetables and completes the flavor of legumes.
About Savory
Savory is a small bushy herb with tiny leaves. There are two types—winter savory, a perennial and summer savory, an annual. Summer savory has slightly larger softer leaves. Its flavor is a little sweeter, a little milder and a bit more complex. It's more often recommended for vegetables. Winter savory is slightly more assertive, stands up better for long-cooked dishes and is more often recommended for beans. So either will work in this recipe.
Food gardeners who grow savory, find themselves using it often in sauces and salad dressings. The seeds germinate readily and should be sown on the surface. Don't cover them; they need light to germinate.
Favas and Broccoli with Orzo and Savory
3 or 4 servings as a main dish
6 or 7 servings as a side dish
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (250 ml) mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons (40 ml) fresh savory (or 2 teaspoons [30 ml] dried)
- 1 tablespoon (20 ml) balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon (20 ml) oil
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) chopped nuts
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) orzo pasta
- 1 3/4 cup (450 ml) water
- 1 1/2 cup (375) shelled green fava beans or other green shell beans
- pinch of salt
- 2 cups (500ml) broccoli in 2-inch (5 cm) pieces
- 1 cup (250 ml) grated cheese
Method
- In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, savory and balsamic vinegar. Set aside.
- Heat the oil for a minute in a medium saucepan. Add the onion and chopped nuts. Saute for a few minutes over medium heat. Add orzo. Continue to saute, stirring often, until orzo is browned and onion is partly cooked.
- Add water, beans and salt. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Then add broccoli pieces. Continue to simmer 5 to10 minutes more until the orzo pasta is cooked and most of the water has been absorbed. Remove from heat.
- While still hot, add the mayonnaise mixture to the pan, stirring gently to coat the broccoli and beans. Then sprinkle the grated cheese over the top. Cover and allow to sit for a few minutes until the cheese is melted.
- Serve hot, or cool and serve as a salad.
- This dish freezes well and can be thawed for a salad, or heated for a main dish or a vegetable side dish.
Variations and Substitutions
Nuts and Cheeses
Avoid strongly flavored cheeses (i.e. parmesan or feta) and nuts (peanuts), as these will overpower the delicate herb and vegetable flavors. Still, by varying the type of nuts and cheese you can create different dishes each with its own character, as in these combinations:
- walnuts and mild cheddar
- pecans and Swiss cheese
- almonds and Monterey jack
- pignolias (pine nuts) and mozzarella
- filberts and muenster
- pistachios and provolone
Peas and Beans
This recipe emphasizes the taste and texture of fresh legumes in season. So if fava beans are unavailable (or if you are allergic to them) choose fresh green peas, Southern peas, such as black-eyed peas crowder peas. or green lima beans. When none of these are in season garbanzo beans (chickpeas) work well. To use dry garbanzo beans, first soak them for 8 hours in cold water. If canned beans are used, drain them and add a few minutes before the end of cooking time. But avoid canned beans if you want to freeze this dish. Use fresh beans in season; or soaked dry chickpeas, and the fresh taste and texture will come through.
Evelyn Gaspar - Evelyn Gaspar is an educator and award-winning curriculum writer, cookbook author, nurserywoman and horticulture lecturer, and parent
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