Gorgonzola Fava Bean And Purple Potato Canapes Recipes

Steps:

• Place potatoes in a small stockpot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium high, and gently boil until tender, about 40 minutes. Drain in a colander. Using a towel to hold the potatoes, peel while still hot. Pass them through a potato ricer or a food mill into the top of a double boiler or a large heatproof bowl. Meanwhile, fill a small stockpot or bottom of a double boiler about a quarter of the way, and bring to a simmer.
• To the riced potatoes add the buttermilk, butter, salt, and pepper; mix well to combine. Cover the bowl, and place over simmering water to keep warm.
• Meanwhile, split fava-bean pods lengthwise with your fingers, and remove beans. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil, and add beans. Cook until beans are very tender, about 3 minutes; drain. Peel one end of each bean, squeeze gently to pop bean from skin; discard skins. Roughly mash half the beans, and stir into potatoes. Serve immediately garnished with the remaining whole fava beans.

Steps:

• Bring a medium saucepot of salted water to a boil. Fill a medium bowl with water and ice and set a fine mesh strainer in the bowl. (Be sure to keep ice out of strainer.) Blanch peas for 30 seconds and use a slotted spoon to transfer peas to strainer in ice bath. Let sit for 5 minutes and pull up strainer to drain peas. Repeat process with fava beans, cooking for 1 minute. (You can use same pot of boiling water that you used for peas.) When fava beans have been blanched and cooled, slip off peels.
• Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until 1 minute shy of al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water.
• In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add pepper and sauté for 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add 1/4 cup of the cooking water and the remaining butter to pan. Stir until butter is melted and sauce begins to thicken, about 30 seconds.
• Add cooked pasta, pecorino and Parmesan and toss until cheese melts, about 30 seconds. Add peas and fava beans. Toss very well to coat, adding more pasta water if pan seems dry. Season with salt to taste. To serve, sprinkle each portion with more pecorino and drizzle with olive oil. Garnish with chives.

Steps:

• Finely chop walnuts. In a small heavy skillet cook walnuts in oil over moderate heat, stirring, until golden and transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.
• Have ready a bowl of ice and cold water. In a kettle of boiling salted water blanch beans 1 minute and immediately transfer with slotted spoon to ice water to stop cooking. Drain beans and gently peel away outer skins.
• Return kettle of water to a boil and cut potatoes into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Cook potatoes 8 minutes, or until just tender, and transfer with slotted spoon to ice water to stop cooking. Drain potatoes in a colander and pat dry with paper towels.
• In a small bowl stir together Gorgonzola and cream cheese until combined well. (Canapé ingredients may be prepared up to this point 2 days ahead. Keep toasted walnuts in an airtight container at room temperature. Chill beans and potatoes separately in sealable plastic bags and chill Gorgonzola cream covered with plastic wrap.)
• To assemble canapés:
• Spread about 1 teaspoon Gorgonzola cream on each potato slice and top each canapé with a bean, pressing down gently. Sprinkle canapés with walnuts. Canapés may be assembled 6 hours ahead and chilled, covered.