Braised Fava Beans with Prosciutto

This year I decided to grow fava beans. Well, I actually planted them last year, in the Fall. They make an effective cover crop, enriching the soil with nitrogen. But, I really wanted to see if they would produce beans.  Finally after many months of waiting, I'm harvesting big pods full of beans. They're very easy to spot on the plants and harvesting is a snap.  The snails love to hide in them. But other than that, no pests at all. 

The only one in the house who isn't impressed with them is Upsie. She wants me to stop with the veggie growing! How about some nice chickens for her to chase?

And this has nothing to do with fava beans, but if you eat power or protein bars, you might want to read an article I wrote about them over at Fit Fare.  Now back to fava beans.

If you've never cooked fava beans they can seem a little scary, because the directions tell you to shell and then peel them. It's the peeling part that seems to confuse people.   It's actually very easy to do. After you shell them, you drop the beans in boiling water for about 2 minutes (or less, depends on the size of the bean) and then the skins will pop off revealing the bright green bean inside.   If you eat them when they're small, you don't need to peel them.

Here's a bean that was blanched. You then squeeze the bean on the end and the dark green bean pops out.  You're not really peeling the bean, you popping it out.  On some beans, you may have to make a small slit with your fingernails at one end of the bean to let it pop out easier. 

My beans were small enough that they really didn't need to be peeled. But, the bright green color of the beans inside the skin is very pretty, So, I peeled some of the beans.  In the photo, you can see the ones I didn't peel are a pale color, almost white.  The recipe is one that I've used for several years.  It's my own very flexible recipe. Fresh fava beans are so delicious, you don't have to do much when you cook them.  I didn't have as many beans as I would have liked.  I had about two pounds unshelled, which produced a meager 1-1/4 cups of shelled beans.  But, they were so wonderful.  I served them with rice, and the only thing that would have made it better was some fresh sliced tomatoes.

Braised Fava Beans with Prosciutto

2 or more pounds of unshelled fava beans
about 1 ounce of prosciutto or bacon, minced
about 1/2 cup stock, or more, depending on how many beans you have
3 shallots or a small onion
1 clove minced garlic
1 medium carrot, diced
2 TB olive oil
1 TB butter

Cook the prosciutto over medium low heat until it's crispy.  Set aside, but leave any oil in the pan to cook the fava beans. 

Shell the fava beans and peel them if you want. If they are fairly big, you should peel them.  But, it isn't necessary with beans smaller than your thumb fingernail. They do look prettier peeled, so that is a consideration.  To peel--blanch the beans in boiling salted water for about 2 minutes.  Take out a bean to test. It should pop out easily. Drain and refresh the beans with cold water, then peel the beans.

Saute the shallots, garlic and carrots in the olive oil, until the carrots are ready to your liking.  Add the beans and the stock. The stock shouldn't cover the beans, it should come half way up on them.  Simmer for about 2-3 minutes.  Sample the beans to see if they are done. If they are freshly picked and small, they will cook very quickly.   When the beans are done to your liking you can serve as is.  However, I like to scoop the beans out with a slotted spoon and boil the stock down until it's syrupy. Then I add the butter, salt and pepper to taste and pour it over the beans.  Sprinkle the crispy prosciutto bits on top.  Garnish with parsley or shredded spring onions.

Comments

[steven]

Looks delicious, I love favas.

[Céline]

Hi Sher, I saw a similar recipe on Iron Chef last Saturday. It looks really good!
Plus beans are really nutritious, very healthy!
Your cat is so funny, he always pulls out the most hilarious faces!

[ostwestwind]

That looks delicious. This year I hopefully have favas on my own.

[sher]

Steven,

I do too. They were so easy to grow, I'll do it again next year.

Celine,

Hey, I'm cooking like an Iron Chef? Alright!

ostwestwind,

I hope we will see some of your fava beans recipes? I am always interested in how people cook them.

[kristi]

Can I just tell you that Upsie is one of the most photogenic kitties I've ever seen? I love her! And great recipe too.

[Alanna]

Am still looking for fava beans! Though of course I guess I could grow some ... like you!

[Isil]

I love fava beans. The ones in Turkey are very fresh, no need to peel them. But the ones here in Algeria are so big. I bought some last week,didn't know that they should be peeled. Having cooked , I peeled them! Because they didn't taste well.
So thanks a lot for this great tip. I will peel them after blanching from now on ;)

[Shannon]

I've never had fava beans and have no idea what they taste like. I'm a bit particular about my beans. Any good comparison in terms of taste and texture?

[steven]

Sher am I correct in thinking that favas produce 2 crops a year? I think you're in for some more come fall.

[ann]

oh my god, how do you get the cat to make faces like that??
that is truly, truly hysterical!

[sher]

Alanna,

Yes, that's why I decided to grow my own. I'm never able to find more than a handful of the pods at the store. And no one brings them to the farmers market. So, I will enjoy them while they are producing. They're very easy to grow.

Isil,

A lot of the fava beans that come to market here are too big and look very bruised. That's why I decided to grow my own. I wish I had more space and could grow tons of them.

Shannon,

I think that young favas taste a little like peas. They're sweet and have a very soft texture. As they get bigger, they are still delicious, but the texture changes a little. You might want to buy 1 or 2 of the big pods shell them and cook them by simply blanching them, peeling if necessary, and sauteeing in a little butter for a few minutes.

Steven,

I think people can do that out here. This is the first time for me. I have the terrible Central Valley summers out here, which does in a lot of legumes. I planted these in November and they were a great cover crop, but didn't produce beans until last month.

Ann,

Upsie is a "talker". She is constantly badgering me, yelling at me, complaining or just meowing over nothing, as far as I can see. So, that picture captured her the way she is most of the time!!!!

[aria]

shamelessly trolling your site for cute pics of upsie....and BINGO!

[Erin]

Does anyone know of a use for the shells and the peels? An edible use, not just composting...