Fava Bean Purée

Name: Fava Bean Purée
Yield: makes about 2 cups
Ingredients: 2 to 3 pounds fava beans in the pod; About 1/2 cup olive oil; 1/2 cup water; Salt; 3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped; 1 to 2 teaspoons chopped rosemary; Fresh-ground black pepper

December 20, 2011

Fresh fava beans have an extraordinary flavor like no other bean. The early beans of spring are small and tender, and a delicacy in soups, salads, and pastas. Larger, more mature and starchy favas are better suited to longer cooking and make a brilliant green purée to spread on croutons. Fava beans require a little extra effort to shell and peel before cooking, but they are well worth it. First they must be stripped from the large green spongy pods, and then each bean needs to be peeled to remove the skin.

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