Edamame Spread

This recipe is inspired by my trip to Solea’s and I got addicted with their bean spread that they brought out for us. I decided to recreate it and serve it at my party. The twist was using edamame  instead of red beans as described by the waiter at Solea’s. I had a bag of edamame sitting in my freezer and decided this would be a great way to free up some freezer space! My freezer is so packed, frozen stuff might come crashing on you when you open it!!

Edamame is very commonly served as appetizers in Japanese restaurants and are often boiled in salt water (sprinkle with more salt before serving) and served in their own pods (Bottom Left). To eat it, one would need to split open the pods to eat the “peas” inside. I usually stick the edamame into my mouth, holding it by the ends and using my teeth to squeeze out the peas. And for those of you who might now know about this….edamame is green soybeans!

The overall result of my edamame spread is quite satisfactory. At least my guests seem to enjoy it!There is certainly more room for improvement! Except for the taste of the parmesan cheese, the taste is slightly different than the ones served at Solea’s. Perhaps the beans used does make a big difference. I could I guess add a couple tablespoon more of bell peppers to the recipe in the future to see how the taste will change. This is however quite a healthy snack for those of you who’s health conscious. Here’s the recipe.

EDAMAME SPREAD RECIPE

Ingredients:

• 1 Lb Edamame Pods
• 3-4 Tbsp Chopped Bell Pepper
• 3 Cloves Garlic, Chopped
• 1/2 Cup + 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• Salt & Pepper

Method:

In a pot, boil some water (enough to cover the edamame). Once water is boiling, add edamame pods and salt. Cook edamame for about 5-10 minutes. Drain, let cool and remove the peas from the pods. Discard the empty pods.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium high heat. Add chopped garlic and bell pepper. Sauté mixture until bell pepper is soft.

Add peeled edamame, bell pepper mixture, a pinch of salt, a few cracks of pepper and parmesan cheese in a food processor. Blend mixture until smooth while slowly pour in olive oil. Season with more salt and pepper as needed. If you want a runnier spread, you could add more olive oil. This will give you about a little over 1-1/2 cups of spread. Serve the edamame spread over crusty baguette or crisp crackers.

June’s Comments: I ended up with about 8.5 Oz of edamame beans (after shelling them).