Dish of Pasta, Fava & Feta Salad
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Pasta, Fava & Feta Salad


Greece   -   Zymarika Salata me Koukia
Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 4 salad
**
2 hrs
Note-1		 A wonderfully flavorful and substantial salad or light spring lunch, best served at room temperature. It's also best with some pre-prep, (see Note 1).

12
2
1-1/2
tt
------
14
1/2
1
2
3
tt
tt
------
1/2
oz
T
T

---
oz
#
cl
T
T


---
#
Feta Cheese
Olive Oil ExtV  
Lemon Juice
Pepper, black
-- Dressing
Tomato, ripe
Favas fresh (1)
Garlic (large)
Mint fresh
Olive Oil ExtV
Salt
Pepper
----------
Pasta (2)
Prep   -   (1-1/2 hrs - 30 min work)
  1. If the FETA is very salty (such as brine packed Bulgarian), soak it in cold water for an hour or so, then drain well.
  2. Squeeze LEMON JUICE.
  3. Whip together Feta, Olive Oil, Lemon Juice and Black Pepper (a mini-prep food processor is great for this).
  4. Scald TOMATOES 1 minute in boiling water, quench in cold water, peel and chop small. Drain.
  5. Shell the FAVAS. Simmer in salted water to cover until tender - about 6 minutes. Drain and cool - you don't need to peel the favas unless you want to be particularly fussy.
  6. Crush GARLIC and chop very fine. Chop MINT small. Mix together with Olive Oil, Tomatoes and Favas. Season to taste with Salt and Pepper. Keep in mind there's more salt and pepper in the whipped feta, so don't overdo it. Set aside for an hour or so at room temperature.
RUN   -   (25 min)
  1. Bring plenty of salted water to a boil and cook PASTA the usual way until just tender (see Note-4). Drain, return to the pot and mix with a few drops of Olive Oil to keep it from sticking together.
  2. When ready to serve, put a layer of Pasta in each dish, spoon over a portion of the Tomato Mix and add a big dollop of the Whipped Feta off to one side for each person to incorporate as s/he sees fit.
NOTES:

  1. Do Ahead:

      The whipped feta part can be made a day ahead or more and is best given some rest time. The dressing section should be made an hour or so ahead or can be made a few hours ahead and refrigerated. Let it come to room temperature before using. The pasta tastes best if made just before serving, but it can be made ahead too if need be.

  2. Favas:

      You'll need about 1-1/2 pound of pods to end up with 1/2 pound of beans. If you can't get fresh you can use peeled frozen.

  3. Pasta

      Penne, Cut Ziti or similar are appropriate.

  4. Cooking Pasta:

      Italians like their pasta al dente, which to them is quite firm in the center. Greeks and Turks like theirs cooked tender right through (but not mushy). Americans like their al dente right in between, which is how I always cook the pasta.
  5. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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