Cultivated and widespread in the Mediterranean area, in the past boiled fresh fava beans were the food of the poor because they were cheap and because their supply of plant proteins and nutritional properties were considered an alternative to meat.
Unlike other legumes such as beans, lentils, chickpeas, and peas, fava beans can be consumed both cooked and raw. They are excellent accompanied by strong and bold-flavored cheeses, such as pecorino, or alternatively plant-based cheeses, or with vegetables with a slightly bitter aftertaste like chicory.
Boiled fresh fava beans are the base for many recipes you can create, starting from appetizers, side dishes, or as a main course. You can serve them simply seasoned with oil, salt, and lemon, or with fresh aromatic herbs and balsamic vinegar, you can mash them into a puree, or sauté them in a pan with a sauté of onion and a chopped sun-dried tomatoes and oregano.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 8.8 lbs fresh fava beans (in the pod)
- 2 cups water
- 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
Steps
1 – Shell the fresh fava beans from the pod. By breaking off a small end of the pod, you can pull the string along its length and then extract the fava seeds.
2 – In a pot, put the water with a pinch of salt and bring it to a boil.
3 – When the water boils, add the fresh fava beans and cook them for 7-10 minutes. The cooking time varies slightly based on the size of the fava seeds.
4 – Drain the fava beans and let them cool a bit before removing the skin from each seed.
5 – Simply season them with extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt, or add a squeeze of lemon and fresh aromatic herbs as desired. Alternatively, you can mash them into a puree or sauté them in a pan with an onion sauté and a chopped sun-dried tomatoes and oregano.
