Marinated Favas!

As we barrel into the heart of spring and all of it’s beautiful bounty, we’ve been trying to stop and enjoy some simple meals with the seasons first. Eating these marinated favas reminds us of how exciting spring living is. The ability to appreciate these lovely favas early on in the season helps pave the way for more creative ideas in the coming weeks. In other words, enjoy these simply first. Then, eat the pasta and the puree on bruschetta next week! 

Ingredients:

2# Fava Beans 

1 stalk Flowering Onion (or scallion if unavailable)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Barolo Vinegar

Maldon Salt

Black Pepper

Controne Pepper

*Ricotta Salata di Pecora - shaved on top - optional

Method:

Fill a large pot with water, season with enough salt to taste like the ocean, then bring it to a boil. Meanwhile, take the favas out of the pods and discard the pod. Set up an ice bath for your blanching station. When the water comes to a boil, drop the fava beans into the pot and cook until tender. They should take only about 1 minute to cook, but the best way to check is to pop one in your mouth. When they feel tender, drop them into the ice bath and let them cool in there for a few minutes. Once they have completely cooled, drain them from the ice bath. Using your thumb and forefinger, peel away the outer skin of the bean and discard. Place all the shelled favas in a small bowl. Slice the flowering onion stalk thinly and add it to the fava beans. Here is where you take the liberty to season these beans up the way you like. The best place to start is doing equal parts EVOO and Barolo Vinegar. However, adjust according to your tastes. The only concrete rule here is to be generous with the Maldon salt. You want the pop of salt everytime you pop a bean into your mouth! Add a little black pepper and a sprinkle of controne to finish them off. ***The beans are pictured here with a chunk of Ricotta Salata di Pecora, which would be lovely grated on top as well!