We were all grateful for the sunshine yesterday down at the waterfront. Our market crew finished breaking down the booth just before the rain set in, we couldn’t have planned it better. Many veggies made their debut in the sunlight, including fava beans and zucchini. Here’s what we sampled:
- Fava Beans with Garlic Scapes
- Raw Hakurei Salad Turnips (May 1st post)
- Wilted Chicory Salad (May 15th post)
FAVA BEANS WITH GARLIC SCAPES:
Fava beans are rich in protein and have a nutty, buttery flavor. Sadly, they are often overlooked as they can be timely to prepare. To some extent, this can’t be avoided and joy must be found in the shelling process itself. However there are certain ways to simplify things. Most often, I shell the beans by snapping the pods in half and popping the beans out with my thumbs. After that, I never remove the skins from the individual beans as is traditionally done. They’re delicious with or without their skins, and these beans are sold by weight, so why take the time to remove valuable nutrients? Another approach is to cook whole pods, either via steaming or grilling, sort of like edamame. This way you can simply remove the beans by hand as you eat them. 
- 1 Willamette Sweet Onion, sliced thinly
- 1 bunch Garlic Scapes, roughly chopped
- 3 lbs. Fava Bean pods (~3 cups shelled beans)
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
Directions:
- Coat the bottom of the pan in olive oil and heat up to medium.
- Once up to temperature, add in sliced onion. Sauté about 10 minutes until translucent, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in 2-3 pinches salt and pepper.
- Add in chopped garlic scapes and fava beans. If the pan is getting dry, add in a bit more oil to prevent burning. Sauté about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove a bean from the pan and eat it. If you think it needs more time, sauté a few more minutes. If it’s just about perfect, turn off the pan and they beans will finish off cooking a bit as they cool. Add more salt and pepper to taste if need be.
