Springtime means splurging on beautiful fresh fava beans. Beautiful? Don’t let their tough outer skin fool you, their beauty is inside! They require a bit of preparation. Here’s how!
Fava beans are dense with nutrition; they have no saturated fat or cholesterol and contain a high concentration of thiamin, vitamin K, vitamin B-6, potassium, copper, selenium, zinc and magnesium. They are also an inexpensive source of lean protein. A serving of cooked or fresh fava beans can significantly increase your intake of folate, iron, manganese and dietary fiber. Whew! Good stuff!
Fava beans can be served raw or cooked, though the bean pods must first be blanched and the mature seeds shelled before eating.
Shucking the beans
Break open each pod by tearing off the end and pulling the string like seam down (kind of like a zipper). Slide your fingernail along the seam to open the pod.
See video!
Blanching
Bring a pot of salted water to boil and drop the beans into the water and cook for one minute to blanch them.
Cooling
Quickly drain the beans and shock them in a bowl of ice water to cool. This stops the cooking and keeps them tender and bright green.
Peeling
The thick skin around the bean will be loosened up. Now, just squeeze the bean, breaking the skin with your thumbnail and push the tender bean out. If you want to store some, freeze them in an airtight container.
Eating
You can eat them simply – sautéed in a bit of butter and salt, or tossed in your favorite salad to add some crunch. You can also mash them and spread on crusty bread or simmer in a soup. Check out this Moroccan Fava Bean Soup
And here are some other recipes I found on Epicurious:
Fava Beans with Red Onion & Mint
