terrina di verdure primaverili / spring vegetable terrine

It all started with a very nice gift of fresh fave (fava beans). In looking for something different to make with fava beans, I found an appealing recipe for Spring Vegetable Terrine. The recipe is taken from a book by Stéphane Reynaud. He "uses the term terrine rather loosely to apply to nearly anything that one molds into a form and then slices to serve."

Before I talk about the recipe, this is how I prepare fava beans for further use: shell the fave and blanch them for 30 seconds, then drain them and plunge them into a bowl of ice-cold water to stop the cooking. After a couple of minutes, slit the skin with your thumbnail then pinch it to slip the bright green core out of its coat and into a bowl

I had never made a terrine before and I was excited by the possibilities offered by the recipe in terms of combining different vegetables (verdure). To go with the fava beans, I chose snap (green) beans (fagiolini), carrots (carote) and a red beet (barbabietola rossa). Instead of heavy cream, I used a combination of milk, fresh homemade chèvre and water.

• 7.5 oz. (220 g) fava beans (processed as described above and then weighed)
• 3.5 oz. (100 g) green beans, boiled as part of a bigger batch, and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 small red beet, washed, steamed, skin removed and diced
• 2 medium carrots, steamed and diced
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup non-fat milk
• 1/4 cup homemade chèvre
• 1/4 cup water (next time I will try using 2 tablespoons instead)
• slivered fresh basil (basilico) and chopped fresh dill (aneto)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

I don't have a terrine mold, so I used a loaf pan and followed the recipe's instruction for baking. I unmolded the terrine on a plate and offered it as my contribution to dinner at Christine's of Christine Cooks. The photo is not great, but I hope it gives a sense of the nice result. The slices reminded me of stained glass: each colorful piece of vegetable contributes its flavor and texture to the whole. This is a dish I will certainly make again.

This is my contribution to edition #238 of Weekend Herb Blogging, an event started by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen, now organized by Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once and hosted this week by Rachel of The Crispy Cook.

This post contains the roundup on the event.

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Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post: 

terrina di verdure primaverili

or launch the terrina di verdure primaverili  audio file [mp3].

 

Comments

[Rachel]

This is simply stunning, Simona. What a gorgeous and delightful entry for Weekend Herb Blogging. Thanks for sending this over and look for the roundup on Monday.

[Ivy]

This is very beautiful Simona, even better than the original recipe.

[lenny]

Mi piace moltissimo e le verdure colorate danno l'idea di un fine mosaico :))

[Alex]

Che bella colorata che è. Sembra davvero un quadro.

[bellini valli]

This makes such a lovely presentation Simona. I love that your photos are now larger so we can see all your beautiful dishes. I do have "old eyes":D

[Simona Carini]

Thanks, Rachel. My pleasure.

Thanks, Ivy. It was very easy to unmold and to cut into nice slices.

Grazie, Lenny e Alex. Il risultato e' effettivamente carino da vedere.

Thanks, Bellini Valli, for the kind words and the feedback on the photos.

[astrofiammante]

se questa è la tua prima terrina, direi che le terrine fanno parte delle ricette con cui hai un bel feeling, davvero bella e sicuramente buona, buon we, bacio!

[Kalynskitchen]

I've never made anything like this, but it looks great with all the veggies!

[Christine]

This terrine was positively delicious! We finished the last piece a few days ago, so I can attest that it will keep in the fridge at least four days beyond the dinner we had with Simona and her husband, and it tasted just as good as the first bite last weekend. It is just as colorful as the photo depicts and it makes a stunning summer starter.

Christine

[Simona Carini]

Ciao Astro. Ammetto che ora sono curiosa di provare un'altra ricetta sulla stessa linea.

Hi Kalyn. Indeed, the terrine has quite a bit of vegetables and I can see getting different results, in terms of both look and flavor, depending on the vegetable mix used.

Thanks, Christine. I am glad you enjoyed it both the day it was made and later in the week.

[Katie]

That is absolutley gorgeous - and what a wonderful idea. It does look like stained glass. I have to try this!

[Paz]

I love the colors in this dish. I agree with Katie's comment above. It DOES look like stained glass. Very cool. ;-)

Paz

[Susan]

Fabulous, Simona! I have a terrine that I've never, ever used, but it's quite narrow. I don't think it would make for the spectacular showcase of your recipe. I do, however, also have a loaf pan. I would very much like to try this. Thanks for sharing your success.

[marcellina]

What an absolutely stunning terrine! As I scrolled down I actually let out an audible gasp! This is really beautiful! Great work!

[Simona Carini]

Thanks, Katie. I hope you do try to make it.

Thanks, Paz.

Thanks, Susan. I must admit that I like the loaf pan shape quite a bit.

Thanks, Marcellina. I am glad you liked it.

[aurore]

coloratissima e fresca per l'estate, complimenti, se vuoi passare nella mia cucina, http://biscottirosaetralala.blogspot.com

[Ago]

Ciao Simona!
Questa terrina sembra quasi un clafoutis e, se devo dirti la verità, mi piace moltissimo l'idea di sostituire la panna con latte, formaggio ed acqua...mi sembra molto più leggero e per l'estate è sicuramente meglio...con sto caldo ci vogliono ricettine fresche e leggere! :-D
ti mando un bacione
Ago

[Simona Carini]

Grazie, Aurore.

Ciao Ago. La mia version e' decisamente piu' leggera dell'originale e concordo sulla piacevolezza di mettere in tavola cibi freschi.

[Spring vegetable]

Insipiring stuffs and i love the best way you selected. Perfect combination of milk, fresh homemade chèvre and water. must admit that I like the shape and taste very much.