Fava beans , also known as known broad beans, have been part of the human diet from time immemorial. They were probably one of the staples in ancient Israel, since they are mentioned more than once in the Mishnah. Archaeologists even found charred samples in Israel near Nazareth, dating back to 4900 BCE! They were also cultivated in ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, and remained for a long time the only bean available in Europe - until other types were brought from the Americas in the 1500′s.
In Central and Southern Italy, fava beans announce the warm season, and people wait excitedly for their arrival at the local markets. When purchased fresh, the beans need to be removed from their pods, blanched, and then popped out of their skins, which is something I look forward to doing while watching the latest Mad Men episode. If you are not so patient, you can skip all these steps by buying them frozen. I never ate fava beans at home in Venice, they were always a treat that I enjoyed when visiting my grandmother in Tuscany: she gave them to me right out of the shell and dipped in olive oil, accompanied by a slice of fresh Pecorino cheese - a match made in heaven! In the winter, Nonna would also make a puree from dried fava beans with escarole, which she served with simple Tuscan bread.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 12 oz peas (fresh or frozen)
• 12 oz fava beans (fresh or frozen)
• 1 packed cup arugola
• 1 qt vegetable stock
• 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 red onions
• salt and pepper to taste

Mince one onion. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pot and cook the onion in it for 2 minutes. Add the peas and fava beans and the chopped arugola. Cook for 2 more minutes, add the stock and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper. Cut the second onion into thin slices and sauté’ them in the remaining oil until slightly crunchy. Serve the soup hot, drizzle with more oil to taste, and decorate with the sautéed onion and some fresh arugola.

Ingredients (serves 4)

2 medium leeks
2 celery sticks
3 medium potatoes
2 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 tablespoon freshly minced parsley
4 or 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
(if making a dairy meal, you can add 2 tablespoons of freshly grated parmigiano cheese)

Clean the leeks, discarding the harder green parts (you can use them to make a vegetable stock, with carrots, celery and onions). Wash the celery,, eliminating any fibrous parts. Slice both the leeks and celery. Peel and dice the potatoes. Heat 2 or 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy or non-stick pot, and add the leeks. Cook for 3 minutes, lowering the heat and adding a tablespoon of water if needed to prevent them from burning. Add the celery and potatoes, season with salt, and cook for about 5 more minutes. Add the hot vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Process with a hand mixer till creamy. Before serving, add the parsley, sprinkle with pepper and drizzle with a little more olive oil. In the context of a dairy meal, you can also add about 1/2 tablespoon per person of freshly grated parmigiano cheese.

In Italy cream soups (vellutate) are not made with cream: the texture is given by the addition of a potato, or, more often, a handful of Italian rice.
The starches in the rice are slowly released during the cooking, and act as a thickener and an emulsifier at the same time. Slowly-released starches are what gives creaminess to authentic risottos, and they are also the reason why we add the pasta cooking water to our sauce (the starches released by the pasta turn the cooking water into an emulsifier, and a thickener). This method obviously helps limit saturated fats, but it’s also a great resource for kosher cooks, as it allows us to make creamy dairy-free, Parve soups.

Ingredients (serves 4 to 6):

• 2 pounds carrots
• 1 onion
• 1 celery stick
• 1 ½ quarts chicken or vegetable stock or to taste
• 2 garlic cloves
• 4 to 6 tablepoons extra-virgon olive oil
• ½ cup rice (a starchy Italian rice such as Arborio)
• 1 ½ tablespoons of freshly chopped parsley (or basil/parsley mix)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Peel the carrots and slice them thinly.
Chop the celery, onion and garlic very finely.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy pot and cook the mix of celery, onion and garlic in it on medium/low heat for about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and the bay leaf and cook for 5 more minutes. Add 2/3 of the hot stock and bring to a boil, then add the rice, lower the heat, cover almost completely and allow to simmer for about an hour.
Discard the bay leaf, process with a hand mixer, add the rest of the hot stock and the herbs, and allow to simmer uncovered for 5 more minutes, stirring continuosly. Drizzle with 2 more tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle with black pepper and serve.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 2 leeks
• 1/3 pound fresh chestnuts (or 1 cup
  cooked and peeled chestnuts)
• ½ pound potatoes
• 4 tablespoons butter, or olive oil
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 quart vegetable stock
• salt and pepper

Blanch the chestnuts for about 15
minutes and peel them (you can also use pre-cooked and peeled chestnuts, but
you will lose some flavor). Clean the leeks, discarding their outer leaves and
green parts, and slice them thinly. Peel the potatoes and cut them into small
dice. In a skillet, heat the butter or oil, and saute’ the leeks for 5 minutes;
add the chestnuts and potatoes, salt, and add the wine. Allow it to evaporate,
then add the stock, and bring to a boil; lower the heat, and cook for 45
minutes to one hour, or until the chestnuts and potatoes are fully cooked. Puree’ the soup with an immersion blender or
your food processor. Add more salt and pepper if liked, and serve hot.