Fava Beans
Fava beans are hidden gems – the beans within the huge outer covering are delicious, full of fiber and vitamins. They are well worth the prep work.
The first thing that most people want to know is how do you select fava beans? The photo below shows them at their peak of ripeness: glossy, bright green and firm. It would, however, be rare to find them like this at market. This is not necessarily a bad thing as the important part of picking the beans is the condition and size of the bean inside.
You want the hull to be full, I mean really full with at least 3-4 large beans inside. This means picking one at a time, feeling for fullness and you will not be disappointed. Remember, you are buying them by the pound and we don’t want to pay for half-empty shells!
Preparation
Once you get them home, de-hull by breaking them in half or open from an end and slide your finger down the length of the hull. The beans will tumble out. Bring a pot of water to boil, add all the shelled beans. Let the water come back to boil and cook for about 3-5 minutes. This is just enough time to soften the outer covering of the beans to remove before cooking them.
Strain the beans using a colander, run cold water over them to cool enough to handle. Take a bean, with thumb and fore-finger remove a piece of skin from an end and push the bean out. Voila’..we have bright green fava beans again! The rest is easy.
Fava beans with garlic and pancetta
You will need: prepared fava beans, 1/4 to 1/2 pound
1 – 2 cloves of garlic, thickly sliced
Diced pancetta or prosciutto, 1/4 cup
1/4 cup white wine, optional or water
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Red pepper flakes, salt to taste
Fresh basil leaves, ribboned, optional
In a saute’ pan or skillet, heat the olive oil over. Add the pancetta and saute’ until it begins to sizzle, add the garlic and cook until evenly brown on the edges.
Add the fava beans and red pepper flakes, stir and increase heat, adding more olive oil if needed. Cook 5-7 minutes, stirring often. Add the white wine and deglaze the pan. Add 2-3 tablespoons of water, stir and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat, place the basil in the bottom of a large bowl and add the fava beans. Stir gently and serve.
IDEA: the perfect dish for a summer evening is orecchiette (little ears) pasta using this recipe. Use a few large spoonfuls of the pasta water to create more of a sauce when combining the beans and pasta. Garnish with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Serve with a glass of Merlot or Chianti.
Buon appetito!
