Guest Post #4: Fava Santorinis with Shrimps

Hi everyone, can you believe it? Finally, I am this close to Graduation (Imagine me pinching my pointer finger with my thumb) 😀 – And with graduation comes performances, baking, class parties, baking, muck up days and lots of baking!

Before I graduate though, here I am ploughing through my workload because before every beautiful part of life, comes this hideous, clawing at your neck part known as my final exams. Eep! And because I cannot bake my butt off right now, I would like you to enjoy a huge range of wonderful guest posters especially chosen just for you! 

So close to the end of school, I can taste it! Au revoir mes cheris!

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I know. Just looking at the title of this post, I am blown away, imagining a world of gourmet chefs and elegance and classiness beyond the highest of class. But I would not expect anything less of the incredibly talented Katerina from Culinary Flavors, whose range stretches from the most delicious cookies to the most exquisitely exotic dishes like this one 🙂

I know you all will enjoy this beautiful seafood extravaganza, with shrimp being featured for the first time here! 😀
Take it away Katerina!

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Hello everyone, I am Katerina from Culinary Flavors. I live in Greece and my goal is to bring to my readers authentic Greek and Mediterranean flavors directly from Athens. In other words, shake up your kitchen and inspire you to try new dishes your family with love.

I’m part mother, business woman and cook – all wrapped into a passionate woman who wants to share my love for cooking with you.  From a very young age I was helping my mother preparing delicious meals for friends and family. Now, as a working mother, I am dedicated to bringing traditional, delicious, Greek meals to my family’s table. Follow me on a culinary journey to an authentic Greek kitchen, where we’ll not only test classic dishes, but also explore new ones with Greek and Mediterranean inspiration.

Greece has about 2,500 islands of which 165 are inhabited. Santorini is one of them and basically is what has remained after an enormous volcanic explosion that destroyed the earliest settlements on a formerly single island, and created the current geological caldera.

Santorini is very famous for its black sand beaches, its sunset, which is one of the most beautiful and romantic in the world and its picturesque scenery. Another two things that Santorini makes and they are unique are its fava and its wines. Because of its volcanic soil these produce have an extraordinary and particular taste.

When Uru asked me to do a guest post for her, I immediately jumped to the idea to make a real Greek meal that would be appropriate for winter and summer. I know that the southern hemisphere is in the middle of winter right now and here summer is so sunny and bright I couldn’t resist the challenge of making something that could be eaten during both seasons.

Fava Santorinis should not be confused with fava beans. This one is dried, husked and crushed cotyledons of the plant Lathyrus clymenum (“pea” plant), yellowish in color, shaped like flattened disks, approximately 2 mm in diameter. They have unique high protein and significant carbohydrate content.

Fava Santorinis here in Greece is eaten either alone or with chopped onion and olive oil. I thought of marrying the somewhat plain fava puree with the bursting flavors of shrimps, cooked with onions peppers and sweet wine and let me tell you it was a big hit among my family. So, let’s go and make this dish that combines winter and summer elements.

Fava Santorinis with Shrimps

Ingredients:

For the Fava Santorinis

• 2 cups Fava
• 9 cups water
• 1 onion
• 1 garlic clove
• Salt and pepper

For the Shrimps

• 400 grams (14 oz.) shrimps
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 2 red bell peppers (I used Florina peppers which are sweet), sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tomato, mushed to become puree
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• Salt and pepper
• ½ cup sweet wine
• 3 tbsp olive oil

Method:

For the Fava Santorinis

1. In a deep pot place the fava along with the water, the whole onion, whole garlic clove, salt and pepper in medium/high heat and bring to boil.
2. When it starts to boil, reduce heat to medium/low and simmer until the fava becomes mushy with crumbles.
3. Remove from fire and either in the multi or with a hand mixer mush it and make it a puree.

For the Shrimps

1. While the fava is cooked let us make the shrimps.
2. In a pan in medium heat add the 3 tbsp of olive oil.
3. Add the onions and peppers and sauté for 4 minutes.
4. Reduce the heat to medium low and let the onions and peppers caramelise. This should take about 20 minutes.
5. Increase the heat to medium high and add the garlic sauté for a minute and then pour the wine.
6. Sauté until it remains half of the quantity of the wine and then pour the tomato, the herbs, sugar, salt and pepper and shrimps.
   
7. Cook for 5 minutes and then remove from fire.
8. Serve the fava and above it the shrimps pouring on top some of the sauce.

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I would say this is a knockout dish but the colloquial language does not do this gourmet, culturally exotic dish justice! Wow Katerina! You taught us about your beautiful homeland, about the non-bean Greek Fava and gave us a lovely recipe to boot!

Thank you so much for guest posting my friend 🙂
To find many more recipes as exotic and beautiful as this, be sure to visit Culinary Flavors!