Go ahead and make your jokes about fava beans and a nice Chianti. There's no denying that these fresh, meaty beans are delicious, and they are in season right now, so grab them up!
Most Americans aren't familiar with fava beans, so we hope this post will make them seem less mysterious and cause more people to give them a try.
It takes a lot of bean pods to produce enough fava beans per serving, so plan on buying one pound bean pods per person. Select pods that are green and somewhat smooth. If the beans are over-bulging underneath the pods, that means they are older and likely to be bitter.
Note: fava beans (also called broad beans and pigeon beans) are high in tyramine, and shouldn't be eaten by people who take MAO inhibitors (e.g. antidepressants.)
Pull off the top and "unzip" the seam of the bean pod.
Open the pod and remove the beans. There are usually 4 to 5 beans per pod.
The beans have a waxy outer coating, which you'll need to remove. Blanch them in boiling water for 30 seconds, and then transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. The waxy coating will slip right off.
Ta-da! The finished beans are now ready for most recipes.
From here, you can steam them till tender, and toss them in a mixture of salt, olive oil, and lemon juice. Or you can mash them and spread them on bruschetta, or fold them into mashed potatoes. They're also a great addition to a green salad, a risotto dish, or pasta.
Here are some fava bean recipes to try out:
Recipe: Ricotta Pasta with Fava Beans and Bacon
Grill Recipe of the Day: Grilled Rainbow Chard With Fava Beans And Oregano
Fava Bean Dip with Roasted Garlic and Yogurt
Ancient Egyptian Recipe: Ful Medammes - a stewed fava bean dish marinated with garlic, parsley, and lemon juice that is still a staple of Egyptian diets.
(Image: Kathryn Hill)
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
That's a nice plate/dish.
view EasilyAmused's profile
I love fava beans! Iranians eat a lot of them, and as a snack, we serve them cooked in the pod, and sprinkled with golpar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golpar). I really recommend golpar if you can get your hands on it - it's delicious sprinkled on baked potatoes and soupy lentils too.
Fava beans are great cooked with rice and dill as a pilaf too (baghali polo).
view yogurtsoda's profile
My BF is Egyptian and we love Ful Medammas - a traditional breakfast item as well as favas in humas (not mashed up but whole). I've not tried cooking them fresh, but see them at the market all the time and think it's about time to try.
view fmktjod's profile
I love favas. Try them steamed with some butter, salt and pepper. If you plant them in your garden, careful! They can be extremely productive plants with overwhelming crops.
view splim's profile
I lived in Fez, Morocco for a period of time, and when we'd go hiking just outside of the city, there would be fields of favas everywhere. Once some women offered us some of the pods they were picking. So delicious! I didn't even realize that they had a waxy coat you are apparently supposed to steam off, cause they were great raw out of the pod.
Like fmktjod, I love Ful Medammas too. So incredible with tons of fresh olive oil, cumin, and pitas.
view lotusmoss's profile
I just made these for the first time last weekend. I boiled the shelled beans for ~3 minutes in salted water, then tossed them with lemon, salt, olive oil and fresh oregano. Delicious!
view MayaOnFiya's profile
Shelling these becomes a bit of a zen experience, if you have a big bowl of them. Shell a big batch, and freeze the ones you aren't using immediately. They're so Spring-y and fresh, if you can hang on to any until fall, they'll be a nice surprise! Favas are just wonderful with some lightly cooked red onion, or just smashed up with mint, olive oil, and lemon. Yes please.
http://www.abreadaday.com
view eprewitt's profile
This post was insanely helpful with my first go with fresh fava beans. Check out my results here (I cited The Kitchn, of course :) )
http://lauraxlei.wordpress.com/2009/06/22/my-first-experience-with-fava-beans/
YUM!
view Laura Zolnoski's profile