Fava, Horta, Trout & Ladolemono - Cooking with Chef Michael Costa

Fava, Horta, Trout & Ladolemono - Cooking with Chef Michael Costa

Oct 17, 2024Frangiskos Karelas

Michael Costa, the concept chef of José Andrés' Zaytinya restaurants, visits eumelia and adds an exciting twist to this famous Greek recipe, using eumelia's extra virgin olive oil, garden-fresh vegetables, and G-fish marinated trout from the springs of Taygetos.

- Ingredients - 

For the Fava:

  • 3 tablespoons eumelia Koroneiki extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 cups yellow split peas (preferably split lathyrus, if available), picked over and rinsed
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon turmeric

For Horta:

  • 2 larges bunches of curly green kale or other greens
  • Sea salt
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
  • 3 sprigs dill
  • 1-2 tablespoons roasted almonds, roughly chopped
  • 8-10 pitted Kalamata olives, halved
  • 1 tablespoon eumelia Koroneiki extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For the Ladolemono:

extra for the dish: smocked marinated trout

- Method - 

For the Fava:

Cook the split peas: Heat the olive oil in a skillet, add the onion, sprinkle with salt and sauté for about 5 minutes, until just soft. Place the split peas in a large pot, add the sautéed onions with their oil, cover with water by 4 inches and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, skimming often, for 5 minutes.

Add the turmeric and bay leaves, simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a little warm water, if needed, to keep the peas covered as they cook. The peas are done when they are very soft and almost dry . Puree with an immersion blender or transfer to a food processor and process. Let the puree cool completely; it will thicken considerably.

(Can be prepared to this point up to 3 days in advance. Store covered in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.)

Make the braised Onion-Caper Toping: If using salt-packed capers, place them in a colander and rinse under lukewarm running water for 2-3 minutes, or until they lose their excessive saltiness. If using brine-packed capers, rinse them well to remove most of their tartness. Dry the capers on paper towels.

In a deep skillet heat 1/4 cup of the oil and sauté the onions over medium heat, tossing often until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the capers and the remaining oil and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the capers start to sizzle. Pour in the wine and cook for 1 minute. Add a ½ cup of water, reduce the heat to low and cook for 8 minutes.

Turn the heat to high and cook, stirring, until the water has evaporated and the onions start to caramelize. Remove from the heat and add vinegar and pepper to taste; you may not need to add vinegar if using capers that were packed in brine. Let cool before serving.

For the Horta:

Trim the stems from the kale and discard (or save for another use) and tear
the leaves into pieces.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and fill a large bowl with ice water.

Add the kale to the boiling water and blanch for about two minutes. Immediately drain in a colander and transfer kale to the ice water.

Once cooled, drain the kale and squeeze out any remaining water with a clean towel.

Put the kale and onions in a mixing bowl. Tear the dill into the bowl, discarding the large stems. Add the ladolemono and toss until coated.

For the Ladolemono

Put the oils in a mixing bowl or tall container. Add the lemon juice, honey, salt and a pinch of pepper.

Blend the mixture with an immersion blender, or with a handheld mixer on high speed, until emulsified and creamy.

Keep refrigerated in an airtight container —a dressing-specific glass bottle is ideal— for about a week. The sauce will separate as it sits; blend again to emulsify.

- To Assemble the dish -

Use the back of a spoon to spread the fava Santorini on the bottom of a serving dish. Lay the kale on top, then scatter the pistachios and olives over the greens. Drizzle with the olive oil, season to taste with salt and top with the lemon zest and black pepper.

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