If you’re shelling fava beans for more than just
yourself—cracking open each chubby pod, peeling away every bean’s little green
wetsuit, and leaving a massive pile of detritus in your wake—you either love the
people you’re cooking for with unshakeable devotion or you are a restaurant prep
cook. Hannibal Lecter—infamous lover of favas—preferred to dine alone.
But favas don’t deserve their high-maintenance
reputation. The fact is they were born edible, from pod to peel to bean. As with
chard
stems or unripe peaches, you just
have to know what to do with them. To eat the whole fava (and not waste a
thing), do as chef Ignacio Mattos does and throw them on the grill. Smoke and
char do great things for favas’ thick-walled pods and skins, and they’ll soften
enough that you can eat them with your hands. (If you don’t have a grill, a hot
cast-iron skillet or broiler works, too.)
It helps to seek out the smallest, cutest favas.
But even if you’re stuck with the big, gnarly ones, you can eat the pods you
want, and just pop out the inner beans for the ones you don’t—they’ll still
slide out more easily after they’ve been cooked.
You’ll toss them in a feisty marinade—a bit fuses
on as they sear on the grill. Then you’ll put them right back in the pool of
marinade to latch onto the flavors anew. Then you will hit them with lemon and
what seems like a crazy amount of anchovy. But trust Mattos: I tasted one pod
before adding any and was ready to cast them aside. Then I stirred in the whole
tin’s worth of anchovy and ate the rest of the bowl without sitting down. So, in
this way, these are still favas for one. But now at least they’re
scalable.
Serves 4 to 6
1 pound (450g) fresh fava beans in
their pods, the younger the better
1 teaspoon fleur de sel, plus more
as needed
1 teaspoon ground
chile
1 teaspoon picked rosemary
leaves
3 to 4 cloves garlic,
chopped
¼ cup (60ml) extra-virgin olive
oil, plus more to finish
2 tablespoons water
1 lemon
7 to 8 anchovies canned in oil,
finely chopped
Handful of toasted bread crumbs
(optional)
1 Prepare a medium-hot fire in a gas or charcoal
grill.
2 Mix together the fava beans, fleur de sel, ground
chile, rosemary, garlic, olive oil, and water in a large bowl. Toss to coat the
fava pods, then place them on the grill over medium-high heat. Grill the favas
for several minutes, until charred, then flip them over and char the other side,
cooking until the pods seem about to open.
3 Remove the pods from the grill, return them to the
mixing bowl, and squeeze the lemon over them. Toss the pods to coat. Add the
anchovies to the bowl, mixing well. Check the seasoning, and add salt, if
necessary.
4 Place the pods on a serving platter, drizzle to taste
with olive oil, and sprinkle the bread crumbs on top. Serve hot or at room
temperature; eat with your hands.
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