Fava Beans
on Jul 06 in Beans, Recipes, Recipes A-C by JosieFava Beans
Fresh fava beans are a fleeting seasonal treat. They’re readily available for at most a few months each spring. They are also, without a doubt, a labor intensive treat since they must first be removed from their outer pod and then, unless they are very small and tender, slipped out of the tough skin that enwraps each bean. If that’s too much trouble for you, you can leave the shelled beans inside the skin, saute them in some olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper, and let each diner perform the final extraction of bean from skin with fingers and teeth.
If you want to use fava beans in any of the recipes below, you’ll have to shell and skin them first. The easiest way to skin them is to blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes, then slit the skin with a knife or your thumb nail, and squeeze gently to slip the bean out.
1 garlic head roasted, cloves squeezed into a bowl
2 tablespoons cold butter cut into tablespoons
1 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
Salt to taste
Freshly-ground black pepper to taste
½ cup cooked fava beans
1. Place stock and roasted garlic in a medium saucepan and reduce to 3 cups. Strain into a clean saucepan and bring to a simmer.
2. Whisk in the butter and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the fava beans and cook for 1 minute.
3. Serve with roasted chicken or other meat, or over rice or polenta.
