Buckwheat Noodles with Fava Beans and Arugula

Major news alert: the fourth season of the Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market is scheduled to start on Sunday June 9th. The market will be held each Sunday during the summer from 10 AM to 2 PM at the Sun Automotive lot on the corner of Agate St. and 19th Ave. You can make the corner you one stop shopping for the week with a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as jams, sauces, and preserves from Sweetwater Farm, pastured meats from Fair Valley Farm, and baked goods from Eugene City Bakery. 

Despite the sometimes blustery weather we've been having, spring is really here, as evident by the increasing diversity of local produce available. Some of the earliest treats are gem-like fava beans that always seem so special to me that I feel compelled to pair them with homemade pasta. This year, I strayed from Italy toward Asia, inspired by a recipe for buckwheat pasta from The Greens Cookbook, which seemed like a perfect use for the last of my Lonesome Whistle Farm buckwheat flour. These homemade soba noodles were delicious tossed with plenty of peppery arugula and foraged fresh herbs (mint, fennel fronds, and chives) and served with baked salmon. Remember to mark your calendars for the June 9th and please spread the word by printing this poster and putting it up around the neighborhood.

Buckwheat Pasta with Fava Beans and Arugula

serves four

pasta
1 cup buckwheat flour
2 cups white flour
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs
~1/4 cup water

toppings
1 lb fava bean pods (or as many as you can shell and peel)
2 large handfuls arugula 
plenty of fresh herbs, such as mint, fennel fronds, and chives
olive oil
zest and juice from one lemon
salt and fresh black pepper to taste

1. First prepare your pasta toppings. Remove the fava beans from the pods. If you are willing to do the extra work, blanch them for 1 minute in boiling water and then remove the inner green parts of the beans from the paler casing. Zest and then juice the lemon. Rinse and roughly chop the arugula and fresh herbs.

2. Set a large pot of salted water boiling on the stove for the pasta.

3. To make the pasta dough, combine the ingredients in a food processor and mix. The buckwheat flour absorbs liquid, so you will probably need to add a little water for the dough to just starts to come together in a ball. 

4. Pat the dough together into a log, cut into about 12 pieces, and pat flat. 

5. Use a hand crank pasta machine to roll out the dough, starting with the widest setting and narrowing it by increments of 2, ending on the second to last thinnest setting. Then cut the dough into fettucini.

6. Cook the pasta in rapidly boiling water until the noodles are just cooked but still have some bite, about 2 minutes. 

7. Drain the pasta and dump it into a large serving bowl. Pour over olive oil, lemon zest and juice, arugula and fresh herbs, and fava beans and toss well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy.

Chanterelle and Arugula Pasta

With the end of our winter CSA from Open Oak Farm and the start of the Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market still on the horizon, I was happy to rediscover Eugene Local Foods. This convenient online shopping site lets you choose from a wide selection of local food offerings. You can place your order from the comfort of your sofa, as the rain drizzles outside, and then you pick up your goods on Tuesday evenings behind Hideaway Bakery. 

From this week's haul we prepared a local feast of fresh pasta with chanterelle and arugula. I experimented with making the pasta with hard white wheat spring flour from Camas Country Mill. The dough was tougher than with all purpose white flour, and required a little more patience rolling out, but the final pasta had a pleasantly hearty flavor that paired well with the mushrooms and bitter greens, and a generous dollop of creme fraiche. This was a perfect meal to celebrate the coming of spring.

Chanterelle and Arugula Pasta

for the pasta
3 cups flour (I used hard white wheat spring flour from Camas Country Mill)
4 eggs


for the toppings
1/2 lb chanterelle
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 bunch arugula leaves, washed and thick stems removed
1/4 cup creme fraiche
salt and freshly ground pepper
freshly grated parmesan cheese for serving


1. Set a large pot of salted pasta water boiling.


2. In a food processor, combine the flour and eggs until the dough just starts to come together in a ball. You may need to drizzle in a little water or add a touch more flour to get the right consistency. Form the dough into a log and cut into slices. Roll the slices out with a pasta machine according to the directions and cut into fettucini.


3. Meanwhile brush the chanterelle to clean them and slice them coarsely. Heat a saute pan over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil, and saute the mushrooms until cooked through and fragrant.


4. When the pasta water comes to a boil,add the pasta. When the water returns to a boil, taste a strand. It may be done or may need another minute, but be prepared to work quickly. Reserve a cup of the pasta water before you drain the pasta into a colander.


5. Dump the cooked pasta into a large serving bowl and toss with the creme fraiche, the sauteed mushrooms, and the washed arugula leaves. If the pasta seems a little dry, you can add a splash of the reserved pasta water. Grind over a generous amount of pepper and sprinkle on a pinch of salt. Serve immediately with freshly grated parmesan cheese.