Spring Leeks, Fava Beans, and Bacon

Name: Spring Leeks, Fava Beans, and Bacon
Yield: enough for 2 as a light lunch
Ingredients: young, slim leeks – 3 or 4; unsmoked bacon or pancetta slices – 6; butter – a thick slice; a clove of garlic, peeled and squashed; fava beans – 2 pounds (1kg; weighed in the pods); tarragon leaves – 2 loosely packed tablespoons, chopped; flat-leaf parsley – a handful, chopped

December 14, 2011

In spring, the young leek is a welcome sight with its stick-thin body and compact green flags, particularly after the thick winter ones with their frozen cores. They are worth steaming and dressing with a mustardy vinaigrette or, as here, using as a base for a fava bean and bacon lunch. We sometimes have this in the garden, with inelegant hunks of bread and sweet Welsh butter.

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