Fava (aka Broad) Beans

[jamesglu]

I have the good fortune to have a large plot of land behind our house where we plant a pretty broad range of vegetables. One of the vegetables that we have in profusion is fava (aka broad) beans, which is something I have never really done all that much with in the past. My question boils down to this: I understand that when you have a young fava bean pod you don't need to double-peel the beans inside (that is, you just remove them from the pods and then they're good to go). But how do you know whether your bean is truly up to that sort of preparation, and what is the downside of getting it wrong? Are the bean wrappers indigestible, or is it just that they're a pain to deal with? And what is a good way to save the bumper crop of beans that I seem to be producing?

[heidih]

Check out our discussion here.

They are one of my springtime favorites. I love them in a pasta dish as I described on my eG Food blog.

[SobaAddict70]

the younger the bean (i.e., if it's early in the season), the less cooking they will need.

I love them in a ragout, with tomato, lemon juice and lashings of the most excellent olive oil you can possibly imagine.

also, do not forget the leaves. you don't hear very much about fava leaves, but I do assure you they are worth the extra effort to obtain and cook. delicate and vegetal, like the spring version of tender spinach.