Tarragon-flavored fava bean and green pea tartine recipe

by Béa

fava beans

Fava Beans

These days, I am cooking with fava beans and green peas, and every other green vegetable that speaks spring and glorifies the first produce of the growing season.

How much I love this time of year!

If I could, I’d pack *it* tight in a box, so that I’d have these beautiful mellow days handy for the warmer months to come. I am not looking forward to the toasty days of summer. In reality, I am more of a spring kind of girl, when the weather stays gentle and nothing is extreme.

fava beans

So the greens.

Since I’ve been able to find fresh fava beans and peas this season, I have added them in everything I could imagine. They are dancing in salads and pasta dishes.

And in the tartines I frequently enjoy for lunch, or as a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack.

These lunches get me really excited to rush into the kitchen.

I keep the kitchen windows by the sink open to let grass-scented air and the melody of singing birds sneak in; the counter is rendered messy with always too much produce brought from the market. And often, the result is a tartine like this one to feed me.

Happily.

gluten free tartine recipe

Tarragon-flavored fava bean and green pea tartine recipe

While the recipe for this tartine is really simple, it requires care in choosing the best ingedients you can find. I wanted the color and delicate flavor of fresh fava bean and peas to stand out next to the nicest piece of soft goat cheese I could find. The tartine is finished with crunchy sweet cherry tomatoes, finely shaved Parmesan cheese and lightly toasted chia seeds, for extra crunch.

I could not help but have two, with slices of smoked salmon, and a green salad on the side.

Délicieusement printanier ! (Deliciously springy!)

Tarragon-flavored fava bean and green pea tartine recipe

I wanted to also let you know about two book events I will be at over the coming week.

On Friday June 8th, I have the extreme pleasure to be doing a book signing at Haven’s Kitchen in NYC. The vent starts at 5, until 7 PM.

And on Thursday June 14th, I will be at Porter Square Books in Cambridge (in MA) where I will be doing a joined talk/book signing with Marjorie Williams, author of the beautiful the second edition of Markets of Paris (event starts at 7 PM).

I hope I will be able to meet some of you, either in NYC, or in Cambridge!

Tarragon-flavored-fava bean and green pea tartine recipe

For 4 tartines

You need:

  • Sea salt and pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled and halved
  • 3/4 cup (100 g) cooked green peas*
  • 3/4 cup (100 g) cooked fava beans*
  • Juice of 1/2 lime
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons finely chopped tarragon
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped chives + more to top
  • 4 slices of country bread (I used maple-flavored oat GF bread)
  • 3.5 oz (100 g) Petit Billy goat cheese, or another quality soft goat cheese
  • 12 multicolored cherry tomatoes, halved
  • Shaved Parmesan, to taste
  • Dry toasted chia seeds**

    • *I blanch uncooked green peas for 1 minute before transferring to a ice water bath. Same for the fava beans. Then I peel them.

    **I toast them in a frying pan (no oil) for 1 minute. They become crunchy.

Steps:

  • In a mortar, add sea salt and pepper. Add the cumin and garlic and crush into a paste.
  • Add 1/3 of the fava beans and peas, and add a little of the lime juice. Crush into a coarse paste. Continue with adding 1 tablespoon of oil. Then add the rest of the vegetables and lime juice and oil. Crush until you have a texture you like (it is not perfect looking and it’s good this way). Stir in the fresh herbs.
  • Toast the slices of bread.
  • Spread the goat cheese and then top with the mashed greens.
  • Add the cherry tomatoes and top with shaved Parmesan and chia seeds, and more chives.

    • 34 comments

    2. gosh, i can not wait for mine to mature enough to harvest! love the green against the aqua so fresh! beautiful bea.

    4. Fava beans are one of my favs, it’s also delicious in a spread with plenty of lemon juice and zest and a good splash of olive oil. Simple and efficient!

    5. So excited to see that fava beans are finally available in Boston! The (kind of wimpy looking) ones in my garden are a few weeks from being ready. I’ll have to check out Copley tomorrow and see if I can snag some!

    6. Love your stuff Bea. So inspiring photographically and such a wonderful way to enjoy family life. Our child’s life threatening food allergies have pushed us to start thinking and living in a similar way.
      As time goes on I am starting to realise her sensitivities are her genius and her blessing to us all. I want to thank you for being so generous with your story and letting us into your beautiful life.
      The only positive way of coping with my little girl’s allergies has been to write my own blog which chronicles our experience and offers recipes, information and support. You have been and continue to be a huge influence Bea. I’d love you to have a look if you have some time. You are welcome to come and do a photo/cooking course in our little beachside town in Australia any time. http://nicole-eatrightsleeptight.blogspot.com.au

      Many thanks,

      Nicole

    11. These tartines look absolutely fresh and delicious! Looking so forward to the weekend workshop in New York!

    12. I’ve just planted fava beans and peas for the first time, so I can look forward to making a truly fresh version of this delicious dish. GG

    14. Your creations are so beautiful that you inspire me to create in the kitchen. Your cookbook has become my new favorite gift to give. I teach French and love the dual language renditions of your website. I’ll be using it as a ancillary in the classroom this coming year with your permission. Cooking and French just go together. Can you do a workshop in the San Francisco area?

    16. Saw you doing something similar to this with Martha S, Bea. So great! So cool to see you there and to be able to watch you cook with such beauty and delicacy. Both care and ease seem to infuse every step. More videos please! 🙂

    17. Looks like spring. It’s such a shame that fresh fava beans are not so easy to find around here…

    19. Dear Bea,
      Today the “buttermilk,lemon, and poppy seed quinoa pancakes” from your book were over my breakfast table(in Buenos Aires)!!! I had to make a few changes some suggested by you (as milk for buttermilk) and I changed the Quinoa flour with amaranth since I am unable to find it easily here.
      The result: so nice, so tasty, so different, so inspiring, so great to allow the time to prepare something homemade early in the morning and start the day!
      Thank you!!! Your book is sooooooo nice!!!!!!!

      PS: whenever you have the time, could you please let me know which flour can be a good replacement for buckwheat and millet? We can not get them in Argentina. Thank you! Kindly, Cris

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    21. You are amazing bea. I saw some recipes in this months food and travel magazine and already now have your book in pride of place at home. UK aren’t quite so set up with flours but I will find them! I have cancer and since diagnosis cut out wheat, gluten (dairy and red meat also) and since then have been in a search for delicious pastry recipes. For your hard work experimenting, thank you. I would love to come and learn from you one day and take your recipes to our planned shop in France but we are about two years away from that at present! I hope you enjoy your book signings. Clare (& Ludo) x

    23. Oh my gosh, FAVA BEANS; I love them! Thank you for including them. I have serial fava bean postings on my blog, and feel it must soon be time to move on to something else (snif!). However, not before I be post one more, a fava spread. But I can’t wait to try your tartine first.

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    30. Béa, au risque de répéter ce que tout le monde dit déjà : tes photos sont ma-gni-fi-ques ! Merci pour le régal des yeux et des papilles.

    32. I love this recipe Bea. I eat with my eyes and of course then my tongue and you have me hooked…

      Besides fava beans always bring back warm memories of my first few months in Italy, experimenting with all these “exotic” ingredients like fava beans… What felt like hours spent peeling those little suckers, because eating them with their skins is not an option. Not just ugly but also tough!

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