Charred Favas

Some of the great vegetables that pop up in spring are a bit like the season itself – bright and colorful (a nod to the sunshine that is beginning) but still require a bit of time to prepare or at least prep (like the slow dishes of winter).

Take fava beans – they need to be shelled twice.  Once to remove the outer pod, and then once to removed the casing? membrane?  little fitted jacket?  And they are totally worth the effort, especially when mixed with some mint and maybe onion or fennel for a salad that tastes like the best part of a new season.  Or pureed and served on toast – coming together for a perfect creamy/crunchy bite.

But sometimes you don’t want that much work, but you still want the flavors of the new gems popping up at the market.  That is where these charred favas are perfect!

Think of them as a love child between edamame and blistered shishito peppers, in other words…Heaven!

I first read about these on 101 Cookbooks and thought that I had to give them a try. A quick google search found this method mentioned lots of places – NY Times Food Section, Food and Wine Magazine, Saveur, etc. – but they all had one thing in common.  Grill the pods.

Which sounds perfect, but I don’t have a grill.  Or even a grill pan (here anyway).

And so decided to would try in on my trusty frying pan – figuring it could get hot enough to char the outsides and steam the insides.  But just in case it didn’t work (and the air pockets on the grill/grill pan were really necessary), I only did a few this way – making the rest of the bunch in the more traditional method.

Big mistake!!

They char up just fine on a regular old pan, so there is no excuse not to make these as soon as you see the fresh favas in the market.

I only seasoned them with salt, but next time I will definitely add some chili flakes and maybe lemon juice.  The options are endless … assuming you can wait long enough to season them before you tear them apart.

Did I mention that they are like a cross between edamame and blistered shishito peppers?  Otherwise known as the perfect snack!  (Uh-oh popcorn…you may be safe for the season).

Recipe…

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Charred Fava Beans

Heat grill/grill pan/frying pan over medium-high heat.  Toss cleaned and dried fava beans (whole) in a bit of olive oil and season with salt.

Place pods on the grill (or in the pan) and let sit until they start to char, about 3-4 minutes.  Turn the beans to char the other side, another 3-4 minutes.

When nicely blackened in spots, remove from the heat and season with additional salt (if needed) and any other seasonings of your choice.

To eat, if they are young (smaller) – you can eat them like edamame, biting down on the pod to release the bean directly in your mouth.  If they are a bit older/larger, you want to peel back the pod, plucking the beans out and then use the same maneuver (read teeth) to release the inner bean from its jacket.  If going this route, make sure to lick your fingers, as you won’t get all the flavors as the direct-to-mouth method.

NOTE: in the larger beans, the “jacket” can be a bit bitter – that is the reason for the two different ways of eating the favas.