Sometimes I just get the urge for crazy and drastic change. Like, maybe chopping my hair all off and having a pixie cut like Michelle Williams or marching into Barney's and buying a dream bag or moving to a new city where I know no one.
Dreaming about moving to a new city has been doing it for me lately. I've been thinking about how awesome it would be to eat in new-to-me restaurants, visit new parks, museums and just create a whole new routine for life. And even the prospect of making new friends in this very new town makes me really excited. Of course Amelia and my dude would come along, too. I have a feeling that Amelia would aide greatly in the whole making new friends department.
This is probably a pipe-dream. I mean, I love Los Angeles, but I've been a-dreamin' lately, hard. And it's fun.
A few cities I have on my brain? In no particular order:
1. Portland, Oregon. I've never been but I all I want to do is eat at Beast, visit all the food carts and check out Weiden-Kennedy.
2. Seattle, Washington. It might be the eternal thirteen-year-old Nirvana fan but I love that city. It makes me wanna sit in a cafe wearing 90s, burgundy lipstick, listen to angsty music and drink coffee, which is basically my dream.
3. Atlanta, Georgia. I was born in Atlanta. And my parents grew up there, met, fell in love and had yours truly in this city. But so much has changed. It's not the same city I once knew, so it'd be nice to revisit it and explore all its new restaurants, new shops, new life. Also, Nene is my favorite housewife ever.
What city do you daydream about visiting/living? I know you must have at least one.
This salad is a take on a panzanella salad, but with fava beans, blood orange segments and the greatest cheese known to man (this might be a stretch): burrata.
Burrata is like the marshmallow of the cheese world. It's light and fluffy and omgsogood.
This salad is as easy as salads should be except there is the whole fava bean thing.
Fava beans are kind of a thing. I roasted them first, steaming them in their own pods, pushed them out of their pods and then shucked them again.
Oh! Oh! If you find yourself at the farmer's market or the grocery store and are picking fava beans, go for the small ones with the smooth skin. Avoid the super big favas with beans that are bulging--those are generally more bitter. Also, the smaller ones usually don't need to be shucked twice which means a tad bit less work. Win.
Oh and since I'm me, this salad has butter in it. Please don't be offended.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds fava beans
- 1 shallot
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- Olive Oil
- ½ loaf french bread cubed (about 1 ½ cups)
- Salt
- Pepper
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoons minced fresh dill
- 1 blood orange segmented
- 4 ounces burrata removed from casing and torn into a few pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the fava beans and shallot out onto a baking sheet. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. You'll know the fava beans are done when their shells appear weathered and a little wrinkly. Allow the fava beans to cool slightly, about 5 minutes, before handling.
- To a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter with a two teaspoons of olive oil. Add the bread, along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until the bread is lightly golden brown on all sides. Transfer the bread to a bowl and set aside.
- To shell the fava beans, snip off their tops with a knife; squeeze from the bottom of the pod, pushing out all of the beans. The small ones don't need to be shucked twice, but the bigger ones do. Take your nail, and gently rip off the tops, peeling away the outer shell. Inside will be a bright green bean. Repeat until you've gone through all of the beans. Next, remove the outer shell of the shallot and mince.
- To the same skillet you cooked the bread in, add the minced shallot, the remaining 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon olive oil, red wine vinegar and fava beans. Cook over medium-low, mixing the entire time, adding a pinch of two of salt and pepper, for about 2-3 minutes. Add the dill and bread, tossing everything together. Transfer the salad to a plate. Top with the segments of blood orange and the burrata. Serve warm.
Bernadette @ Now Stir It Up says
I have been dreaming of moving to Seattle and lucky me, I move in less than too months. EEK. I am sure you would love it and its rainy coffee goodness.
And this panzanella has had me thinking of panzanella all week.
Iris says
I've been dying to go to portland and Astoria to see the home the Goonies were filmed.
Juliana says
Also, I was born & raised in Atlanta, GA as well and loved every minute of it. I know live in Savannah, GA and can't imagine leaving, but if I were going to, all of your choices sound awesome! But I don't think I could ever leave the beloved South... ha, that's how a bunch of us feel 🙂
XOXO,
Juliana
Juliana says
Burrata is my new obsession! I recently took a stab at making it from scratch, but I decided to fill it with feta and put it on top of a melon salad. It was the perfect light + refreshing dish. This panzanella salad sounds awesome, and I can't wait to make it for a picnic this summer! Thanks for the inspiration and here is a link to my burrata-inspired recipe...
http://www.piecelovecooking.com/2013/04/summer-staples-mosaic-melon-salad-with.html
Always loving your blog and its recipes,
Juliana from Piece, Love, & Cooking
Michelle says
I love Portland so much that you'd have to move me to a foreign country to get me dreamin'. I'd LOVE to live in Milan or Amsterdam. I loved both of those cities so incredibly much.
Butter and burrata make everything better. Everything.
Jen @ Fresh From The... says
I'm from Portland originally, moved to LA some years ago, and I totally half the time still wish I could move back! Maybe someday, though I have to admit that sometimes it's nice to kinda know what the weather's going to be every day without having to actually check here. But I do love me some rain!
Sara/Matchbox Kitchen says
I am always dreaming about moving to a new city, and currently it's between Seattle and San Francisco. I also wonder what it'd be like to live in another country, especially Australia, where my family lives. Now if only I didn't have that pesky "job" issue...
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) says
I don't think I have ever seen fava beans look so darn tasty before. This salad looks so incredible.
Jayne says
I've never been to many places in the world. One place I dream of going to is New Zealand, preferably on the South Island. And Switzerland. Something about the green landscape, dramatic mountains and glassy seas make my heart pitter-patter. One day! One day I shall be in either one (or both!) these places. Also, butter in salad. Psh! Those are the best kinds.
Laura (Blogging Over Thyme) says
I totally day dream like this all the time too! My dream places to pack up and move to are:
1) Paris. I always imagine living in an old, apartment with high ceilings, and visiting coffee shops and boulangeries. It sounds wonderful, haha
2) Seattle! Never been, but for some reason, that city sounds really appealing to me. Even despite the rain.
3) San Francisco all the way!
Sophie says
Yes, do come visit Portland! September is wonderful, not too warm, and before the Rainy Season. I will take you to some of my favorite places to eat! Or, give you some recommendations to run with. Amelia would love it... dogs are happy here, I like to think 🙂
This salad is right up my alley... I adore panzanella, and fava beans are my JAMMM this time of year! They are so much work sometimes, shucking twice, but man are they worth it. My local farmer's market opens in May... cannot wait!
Stefanie @ Sarcastic Cooking says
Do not do the drastic pixie cut. I just started growing mine out and it is taking forever! Your hair is so long and pretty, trust me, you will miss it. I too long to live in Seattle. A BFF of mine just moved there and I am itching to go visit her. This panzanella!!! The burrata... you cannot go wrong with that amazing cheese.
Rachelle says
My (then) boyfriend (now fiance) and I basically decided we wanted to move, picked a place and got an apartment in the span of about a month. It was the best decision I've ever made!
We're both from the bay area and ended up in Denver after some serious discussion of Portland. I love Denver, but FYI it's under 30 degrees and snowing... in mid-April. Not cool. i guess the 300 days of sunshine per year make up for the random cold spurts.
Also, where do you buy your burrata? Is it a specialty farmer's market item or can you pick it up at Whole Foods? Or are you just that awesome that you have homemade burrata lying around?
Stacey says
You would love Austin! Austin would love you! Also, Amelia 🙂 Tex-Mex and sunshine por vida.
I've been getting this urge to up and move to Colorado. Or Tennessee. Or North Carolina.
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
This sound soooo good! Love that Burrata on there 🙂