Fava beans, also known as ‘broad beans,’ were the only bean in Europe before the introduction of beans from the Americas. Favas continue to have a solid place in Italian cooking but are rare in the United States. We only began eating them in the last few years and have completely fallen in love with their sweet tender flavor. Although preparing them takes extra time, they are worth the effort—especially since favas are available only briefly in early summer!
To enjoy fava beans, you must first shuck the bean from the outer shell, much like shelling peas. However, unlike peas, there is a second step as well. Each individual inner bean has a slightly bitter skin that should be removed for best flavor and texture. You can peel each one with a paring knife. However, we prefer to quickly blanche the shelled beans in boiling water (about one minute), then cool them by dunking in cold water and draining. After blanching, they should more or less ‘pop’ or slide out of the skin.
Once you have only the inner beans (which are a delightful bright green), you’re ready to include favas in your meal. If you’ve blanched them, they should be partially cooked already, but we recommend cooking them further in order to achieve a tender texture. You can boil them for 5-10 minutes or add them to another baked/sautéed dish.
Before deciding what to do with your favas, try tasting them plain. You may be inspired to serve them in a simple preparation, such as salted on pasta. Or, you may prefer to mash them and spread on toasted baguette slices as a tasty appetizer. Or, try a simple pasta dish: sauté a diced sweet onion, then add diced ham. After cooking for a few minutes, add shelled favas and let them simmer with the other flavors to finish cooking. Finally, toss the spring vegetables with buttered pasta. Delicious!
