Fava, Mint & Pecorino Salad/Spring Meditations
The Mysterious Fava
Unless you grew up in a family with Mediterranean roots, you might not even know exactly what a fava bean is. Aside from an unappetizing mention of them paired with Chianti in Silence of the Lambs.
Fava beans are native to the Mediterranean and were the only bean known to Europe until America was colonized. They were known to be a staple part of the diet of the laborers who built the pyramids. They also were eaten by ancient Greeks and Romans. While hardly a new thing in those countries, they still aren’t widely known and eaten elsewhere. If you did perhaps grow up in an Italian, Greek, or Middle Eastern home, you might recall the annual delight of your parents or grandparents during early spring when they start to pop up around certain stores. They have a short season, and once they appeared, that was a signal that spring had arrived.
Mindful Eating
One reason for the fava’s obscurity might be that it takes a bit of labor to prize these beans from their pods. You first unzip their fleshy outer pod and shell them like peas. Then, you can slightly blanch them, and remove a second outer shell to reveal the bright green, earthy gem inside. It’s true-it takes some time. However, this is what I think: it gives me a good half hour of focused, meditative introspection while I prepare the meal. This mindfulness leads to mindful eating as well. You can bet after this, I do not “hork” down this dish. I slowly chew and savor every bite.
Alternatively, I also love to ask my daughters to sit with me and help me shell. They actually like to do it. Also, it gives us the chance to put down all technology and sit together at a task. A task that we are doing just exactly as our ancestors did it. There is something comforting about that for me-to do something that feels primal. To listen to the sounds of birds twittering outside from my kitchen table and nothing else. To know that not everything has completely changed.
The Versatile Fava
There are many ways to prepare fava beans, of course. Some like to simmer them with a piece of salty pork to make a hearty soup similar to split pea. Or, they can be stewed with garlic and tomatoes and sopped up with a hunk of good ciabatta. Here’s a simple recipe to make your own fresh bread. I love to make them in a way that retains their earthy flavor and squeaky bite–almost raw, and paired with a salty Pecorino. The addition of mint here is crucial because of the brightness it adds. I also get excited at the first little shoots of fresh mint in my garden after a long winter. Favas and mint appear at the same time, and their flavors are great together. You could also pile this on toasted bread and drizzle with olive oil for a really unique and delicious bruschetta.
Fava Salad with Mint and Pecorino
Ingredients
- 2 lbs whole young favas
- about 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- about 2 oz Pecorino Romano or Pecorino Toscano cheese
- a few leaves fresh mint
- a lemon optional
Instructions
- Set a pot of water to boil. Meanwhile, Shell the favas, removing the beans from their padded pods. Add the beans to the boiling water for NO LONGER than about 30 seconds. Drain them in a colander, then rinse them with cold water.
- Next, peel away the outer skin on each individual bean. With a pairing knife, trim a bit of the casing from the tip of the bean and carefully make a slit down the edge of the bean. You should be able to slip the rubbery outer casing away like shedding off a jacket. The peeled favas should be flexible and bright green. If it’s yellow or hard-do not use it as that means it is old. Split some of the fava beans in half and leave others whole. Toss with olive oil and set aside in a bowl.
- Coarsely chop the mint leaves, then ad them to the bowl with the favas. Toss with salt and pepper. Use a vegetable peeler to shave in a few curls of cheese, avoiding any rind. Taste. Fold in a trickle of lemon juice, if you like, and taste again. Transfer to plates or a platter and garnish with additional curls of cheese and a sprinkle of mint. Serve immediately.