Fava Beans, Pecorino & Mint

Fava beans are hardy legumes, one reason they’re often used as a cover crop. During fava bean season in early spring, you’ll find fava beans all over Umbria. Fresh fava beans and pecorino are an unbeatable combination. The pungent cheese plays delightfully to the fresh vegetal sweetness of the beans. In Italy, the fava beans are often thrown on a wooden board still inside their large unruly pods, with chunks of pecorino on the side—the guests must do the work themselves, shucking these pods to bring forth first the skin-covered bean, and then the tender fruit inside. The shucking of the beans is indeed laborious. But, ultimately, worth the work.

In this case, the work of the fava bean is done in the back as we do for our guests at the restaurant. The tender shucked beans are tossed with shards of this sharp pecorino, and in our version, we accentuate the dynamic with a touch of mint and a pop of citrus.

Serves 4

2 pounds shelled fava beans, fresh or frozen (or approximately 8 pounds unshelled fava beans)*

4 ounces pecorino toscano, crumbled into fine shards

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup torn fresh mint leaves

Freshly ground black pepper

1. If using whole fava beans, shell the beans and discard the pods. Bring a medium-size pot of salted water to a boil. In the meantime, prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice cubes and cold water. Once the water is boiling, add the beans to the pot. Blanch the beans for 20 to 30 seconds. Using a small colander or slotted spoon, quickly remove the beans from the boiling water and plunge them into the ice bath. Scoop the beans out of the ice bath and spread them on a towel to drain. Gently peel off the outer casings to expose the tender beans inside. Place the beans in a medium-size bowl and discard the casings.

2. Add the pecorino shards, olive oil, sea salt, lemon juice, and most of the mint to the beans and gently toss to combine.

3. To serve, arrange the fava beans on four small plates, top with a few mint leaves and a generous turn of black pepper.