1 pound fava beans (shelled)1 pound fresh spinach, chard or kale, stemmed ½ cup chopped fresh parsley 8 large garlic cloves, chopped 2 onions, chopped 2 (2-inch thick) slices French or Italian bead (crust removed) 2 tablespoons cumin seeds (or approx. 1 generous tablespoon of ground cumin) 20 whole peppercorns (or approx. 1 teaspoon ground black pepper) 1-2 small dried red chili peppers (or ½-1 teaspoon red pepper flakes) (optional) 2 tablespoons sweet paprika 1 teaspoon salt (2 tsp kosher salt) 1 cup water 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar ½ cup olive oil
Completely shell both layers of the fava beans. Shell the beans out of the pods. Par boil the beans for 1-2 minutes and dunk in cold water. Remove the outer layer off of each bean.
If using whole cumin seeds and peppercorns, grind them together with the dried chili pepper to make a powder. Using already-ground spices and pepper flakes is just as good and much simpler.
Tear up the bread in small-moderate sized pieces. In a Dutch oven or large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the bread and half of the garlic and sauté, stirring often, until the bread is browned, about 2-3 minutes. Remove the bread and garlic. In a food processor or blender, process the bread and garlic until well blended.
In the same Dutch oven or very large skillet, over medium-high heat, add the onions and sauté until soft and translucent, 5-10 minutes. Add the spice mixture and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the remaining garlic and the paprika and stir for 30 seconds. Add the water, vinegar, and salt and bring to a boil, stirring.
Add the fava beans, bread/garlic mixture, and greens. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the greens are tender and the sauce is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the parsley. Serve warm.
Recipe adapted from: Olive Trees and Honey: A Treasury of Vegetarian Recipes from Jewish Communities Around the World by Gil Marks (Wiley Publishing Inc., 2005), submitted by CSA members Josh Switzky and Andrea Hanson Switzky