Favorite fava bean recipes

Fresh favas are really wonderful- but kind of high maintenance...
You need to take the beans out of the pod and then cook in boiling water about 4-5min, then cool quickly under cold water. The outside of the fava bean has a rather tough skin that needs to be peeled off- usually you can just pinch one end and the skin slips right off.
Fresh favas are perfect in salads like this one with peas and asparagus
http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/pea-...

Fresh favas don't show up around here very often. When they did, I succumbed and bought some. WAY too much work, compared to flavor, for me to buy on a regular basis. Your 1.5 lb MIGHT yield a HALF lb of beans.

I do love favas, they are a fair amount of work, but so worth it, to me. You can use them instead of peas or lima beans in pastas, and side dishes.

I once made a fava bean sformato basically following the Batali recipe below, but topped with a little mint and served alongside some sauteed shiitakes. The delicate taste of the beans really came through, and the presentation was very elegant.

I think this recipe would work best with really young tender beans that are still sweet and green tasting and not too starchy.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ma...

I can get peeled ones at the market for a reasonable part of the year. I simmer until almost tender, sautee some diced bacon, and toss with the beans.

You don't say how large they are, which is important. In Rome, where eating favas is a rite of spring, the smaller ones (say, as big as a thumbnail of a small adult hand) are eaten raw with bits of pecorino romano cheese (not too old, so it's still sort of soapy). You rip them out of the pods right at the table. We DO NOT PEEL the individual beans in Rome. That is done only in fancy schmancy cooking or by cooks under heavy foreign influence, but not in traditional Roman cooking.

When the favas get larger, they are stewed with guanciale and green onion (regular dry onion will do). Cut guanciale into little strips and sauté to render some fat (you can add some olive oil too), add sliced onion and cook for a couple of minutes, then add shelled BUT NOT PEELED fava beans and about half a cup of water. Bring the water to a boil, cover, lower the heat and keep your eye on the pot. Add salt and pepper, but take note of how seasoned your guanciale is so you don't add too much. As needed, add a little water, and when the beans are tender (10-20 minutes), you're done.

If you also have great peas and artichokes, you can use the favas in la vignarola, but that will be for another day.

www.maureenbfant.com

Thanks everyone! I enjoyed nibbling on them raw, after peeling. I ended up making a risotto with leeks and fava. It was okay. I think I'll buy another batch next farmer's market and try something else. Several of these suggestions caught my eye.