Pan braised beet and carrot

This recipe is pure simplicity but relies on the perfect beet. Here we use an very old variety called a red mangle which is actually pure white inside and they grow very large. Slice the beets into half inch french fries shapes and set aside.  Prepare small new carrots. I leave the skins on after scrubbing them.  Heat olive oil in a heavy bottom wide skillet and then arrange the root vegetables in a single layer and braise for 15 or 20 minutes on a medium heat taking care to turn them occasionally in order to get more browning and caramelizing.  During the last 5 minutes add a little butter to the pan and sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar over the top and salt and pepper to taste. these braised vegetables are wonderful with pilaf, dirty rice or quinoa.  Line them up on the plate alternating their colors and showing off some of their caramel color

Fava bean puree

(Adapted from Alice Waters,The Art of Simple Food.  Note: I recommend simplifying even further by skipping the blanching and shelling and using a food mill )

½ cup olive oil
4 pounds fava beans
4 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
A sprig of fresh rosemary, thyme, or tarragon, or another herb of your choice
½ cup water
Salt and pepper
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Lemon juice and grated zest, optional
To prepare the fava beans for cooking, remove them from their pods. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, and fill a large bowl with ice water. Blanch the beans in the boiling water for one to two minutes, until they slip fairly readily from their skins. Transfer the beans with a skimmer or slotted spoon to the ice water. When they’re cool, drain the water and remove the beans from their skins.
To make the puree, heat the ½ cup of olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the shelled, skinned beans, garlic, herbs, water, and a good couple of pinches of salt and pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the beans are very tender (about 15 minutes), adjusting the heat as necessary to prevent burning, and adding more water if necessary. Remove the pot from the heat, and remove the herb sprig.  Mash the beans with the back of a spoon or pass the mixture through a food mill.
Stir in the ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil and a bit of water if necessary to achieve a nice, thick but spreadable consistency, along with a squeeze of lemon juice and a bit of grated zest, if desired. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with toasted baguette slices.

Instructions for freezing shelled fava (alternatively food mill the favas and freeze the puree)
Place the fava bean pods in a large colander and rinse them under cool water. Toss the pods as you rinse them to thoroughly remove all debris.
Shell the pods. Place both thumbs in the middle of the pod and break it. Slide the fava beans out with your thumbs.
Fill a large pot two-thirds full of water. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup Kosher salt (enough salt to make the water taste like seawater) and bring it to a boil.
Pour the fava beans into the boiling water. Boil for two to four minutes (two minutes for small beans, three minutes for mid-size beans, four minutes for large beans). This will kill any bacteria and bacteria-forming enzymes and prepare the beans for the freezer.
Place a colander in the sink. Pour the fava beans and hot water into the colander.
Plunge the fava beans immediately into a large bowl of ice water. Allow them to soak for the same length of time that you boiled them.
Drain the cooled fava beans through a colander. Shake the colander to expel excess water.
Remove the pale skin that surrounds each fava bean. Some skins will already be split and it will be easy to pop out the bean. Pop the other skins with your fingernail and slide the beans out.
Vacuum seal the fava beans and put them in the freezer.