Fava Beans

We got a huge bag of fresh fava beans in our farm fresh box a few weeks ago. Luckily, the next day at work I saw chef behind the line, shucking a huge mound himself. So I asked what the heck does one do with them? To my amusement, he went on about all the ways to prepare them just like Bubba would about shrimp. Blanching, tossed in a salad, smashed on a crostini, pureed...

Walking away laughing to myself, I decided I'd take his advice and blanch them. He told me they needed to be shucked, blanched, and peeled of their outer later. 

I enlisted my sister as the official bean shucker...as payment for living with us for a couple weeks. :) 

 I then quickly blanched them in salty water for about a minute-minute and a half. pulled them out, immediately shocked them in icy water, and peeled the outer skin of the beans off. This is what we ended up with after that huge pile. A small ramekin full of cooked beans. 

We tossed them with some orecchiette, good olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. 

And finished with a healthy grate of parmesan. The beans are similar to soy beans in texture but have a bit more flavor. Give them a try the next time you see them at the market, you won't be disappointed.