Favas
I have fava fever. There's not a spring that goes by without me filling the fridge with bags of shelled fava beans. They make their way into every dish I make between the months of March and hopefully June. I will go as far to say they're not just my favorite vegetable or legume, but my absolute favorite food. They're the one food I can never get enough of, which is exactly why I find them in such large quantities so I can freeze them and enjoy them all year round. This year fava beans came a little late into season and I didn't begin to see the first of them until early April--a great surprise to me--but nothing I can change. Now they are in full force and I'm fully taking advantage of the season. Every single year for the past 5 or so years I've made it a spring ritual to head down the coast to Half Moon Bay where I buy a case of favas at a time from my favorite farmer. They are still to this day the most beautiful and healthy favas I've had with no spray and still barely any bugs or disease in sight. Along with that ritual follows the ritual of peeling and shucking every single bean in the 20 pound case. If I'm lucky I can get a friend or family member to join on what I think is fun, otherwise it's an opportunity for me to bask in the sun with a tasty beverage and peel them on my own. Win-win situation. As for what you can do with fava beans, the possibilities are quite possibly endless. I treat them as I would garbanzo beans or peas, except they're more special. Braise them, puree them, char them, roast them, toss them in salads, anything. To this day my favorite way to eat them is the same way as when I was a small child: steamed in their pods without salt or anything. And eating them while their still piping hot and almost burning your fingertips. That's how my grandma and great aunt prepared them for me and still to this day. I love them so much I have a pod tattooed to my forearm and whenever anyone exclaims that there's peas on my arm, I kindly correct them that they're favas and my most favorite food in the whole entire world. Then they proceed to make fun of me and compare me the Silence of the Lambs. Every time. I might just get a glass of Chianti tattooed next to them for good measure.
In case steaming favas in the pods doesn't do it for you, I've included my alternative favorite preparation for them, the way my mother prepares them and her own way of preserving them for the rest of the year.
Fava Bean Spread 3 cups shelled fava beans, still with peels on 2 cloves garlic or 2 stalks green garlic 1/2 cup fresh ricotta cheese 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 lemon, zested and juiced 1+ tbsp salt 1 tbsp black pepper Begin by bringing a large pot of water to a boil. Add a great big handful of salt and then all of the shelled fava beans. Let stand in the boiling water for 45 seconds and no longer than a minute. Drain thoroughly and either rinse well with cold water or place in an ice water bath to rapidly cool the beans. Once cooled to the touch, peel the second layer of shell from the favas and set aside. In a food processor, add the cooled and peeled fava beans, garlic, two cheese, salt and pepper. Pulse a few times until everything begins to incorporate, then add the lemon juice and zest. Continue to pulse then slowly add all of the olive oil. Pulse the mixture until it's smooth or has reached desired consistency. Taste for seasoning then transfer to a serving bowl, or a storage container to freeze!