Fava Bean, Arugula Salad
If you have fava beans on hand, a beautiful, fresh presentation that tastes great.
Favas are one of my favorites and are so underrated. These delicious morsels taste even better than they look. So fresh and no like consistency as long as they are relatively young.
Ingredients
I bunch of asparagus, ends trimmed
~1 lbs fresh fava beans
2-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon juiced
handful of arugula, coarse stems discarded
Shaved Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano to taste
salt, black pepper and red pepper to tast
Instructions
Prep:
Cut asparagus stalks on a long diagonal into large bite size pieces
Shell fava beans, discard pods
Blanch:
Blanch asparagus pot of boiling salted water for 2 minutes, then immediately transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking.
Repeat with Fava Beans, cooking for 3-5 minutes depending the size of fava beans, and once cool enough to handle, peel skins off fava beans. (yes this is tedious, but reveals the beautiful so green, fava!)
Make Dressing:
Combine EVOO, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste and whisk until combined. Add more EVOO or lemon juice to your taste.
Toss Salad:
Add Favas and Asparagus to the dressing and let sit one or two minutes. Toss in arugula and top with shaved cheese. Enjoy!
Notes:
Fava beans can be blanched and peeled a few days ahead and chilled in a sealed plastic bag.
Be aware that fava beans can cause a potentially fatal food intolerance in some people of Mediterranean, African, and Pacific Rim descent.
