Saturday, January 31, 2015

Super Bowl Sunday

My Idea of a Super Bowl

 & Fava Bean Dip!

Between "deflate gate" and under-reported tragic football concussions, I am beginning to agree with Bill Maher who said that watching Super Bowl XLIX is as off putting as watching Cosby reruns. It seems that hummus isn't the only dip being brought out this Sunday. How often do we have to hear "I am only here so I won't get fined?" Let's forgo the "chips and dips" and look at some super bowls that make everything look appetizing.

Handsome bowls can be multi-purpose -- they can hold a delectable bowl of pasta or can be used by the door as a place for your keys! Most of my favorite super bowls (below) followed me from Europe, and often found their way into my cabinets after being packed tightly and precariously in large suitcases. 

My absolute fave!  I bought this hand-painted bowl in Ravello. I think of the beautiful Mediterranean Sea every time I use it. 

Italian ceramic artisans still incorporate the same craftsmanship and designs that have been used for centuries. Can you tell which dish (below) I bought recently in Italy and which is hundreds of years old (and is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art)?




I adore this bowl from the 1930s. While I use it mostly for salads, I believe it was originally intended for pasta. 
Moorish bowls that I picked up in the south of Spain
Burnt gold and cobalt blue never go out of style!  We bought this in Ravello at the same time that a well-know designer of American polo shirts bought the entire collection of this pattern.  I wonder when we will see something similar in his home collection?
The English country scene bowls, I use them almost every day.



In the super bowl "commercial" category, it is hard to beat Pyrex. A 20 piece set can be as little as $20 and can last for generations. And "to boot" they are American made, and can assuage some fears of reheating and storing food in plastic.

Some years ago, I had an entire set of this rustic Amalfi pattern and even planned a trip back to that region just to re-plenish broken pieces; only to arrive to find that the artist had died and the collection is no longer produced! So, logically, I came home with these instead:





No kitchen is complete without a wooden bowl; and when mixing a salad, no wooden bowl is too large!

FAVA BEAN DIP




Most store-bought dips, especially Salsa, taste a bit metallic and processed to me.  If you are hosting a party, it is best to make your own.

Here is an incredibly easy dip that will be a huge crowd-pleaser:

Here is what you will need - 

Fava Beans, jarred or canned.
(You can also sometimes find packaged, uncooked Fava beans in your produce section.)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 lemon
salt/pepper

After draining most of the liquid, warm the jarred or canned fava beans on the stove.  If using uncooked beans, be sure to heat until the beans are tender.   In a blender combine the warm beans, with the olive oil, cumin, garlic, lemon and salt/pepper.  Blend and serve warm.  A bit of sautéd onion work well in this dip, too.

So easy and sooo good!!

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