Buttery way to savor bright green fava beans

As a gardener, I value fava beans as a cover crop. They grow in winter and early spring, and help revitalize the soil in my raised beds before tomato season.

As a cook, I treasure the funny-looking beans. They can be eaten at several stages:

– Whole in their pods, like green beans, when the pods are no bigger than my pinkie;

– Shelled but unskinned, when the beans are smaller than peas; or

– Shelled and skinned when the beans reach full size, about an inch long.

I’m now in peak fava season, just before pulling the plants to make way for the tomatoes. Which means I’m doing a lot of shelling.

In late spring, favas produce huge pods, 8 inches long and fat as thumbs. As big as they are, these pods contain only four or five of those inch-long beans. It usually takes 1 pound of pods (or more) to produce 1 cup of beans.

Favas rank among the most time-consuming beans to prepare. Except for those first, very early tender pods, they must be shelled. Then, the individual mature beans should be skinned. (As the beans grow, the skin develops a bitter aftertaste.)

But the result – the naked, emerald green inner bean – melts in your mouth.

To remove the skins, use this method: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Plunge shelled beans into the boiling water. Boil 2 minutes. (You’re blanching the beans, not cooking them.)

Remove the beans from the boiling water and plunge them into a bowl of ice water. Wait a few minutes, then peel the beans. Use your thumbnail or a paring knife to nick the bean’s skin, then the skin will slip right off.

Even with this trick, expect it to take 10 to 15 minutes or more to peel 1 cup.

Which is why I like this recipe – it only takes 1 cup of prepared fava beans.

The spinach and spring onions (use the green part, too) add to this very green side dish, a perfect complement to pasta as well as grilled chicken, pork or fish.

As for my fava crop, I blanch them in batches and freeze them in 1-cup portions so they’re ready for use when needed. Freezing quickly after blanching helps retain that beautiful green color.

Fava beans with spinach and spring onions

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter

½ cup spring onion, chopped

1 cup fava beans, shelled and skinned

2 cups spinach, roughly chopped

½ cup water

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

In a skillet or large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Sauté onion until soft.

Add prepared fava beans; saute 1 to 2 minutes, stirring often.

Add chopped spinach; sauté 1 to 2 minutes to wilt spinach.

Add water and cover. Let fava mixture simmer until the beans are tender, about 10 minutes.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve warm.