Memorial Day weekend marks the start of grilling season in my mind, and I just had to share my new favorite item to throw on the grill. Fava beans are one of my favorite spring vegetables, but I don’t always feel up to putting all the labor required into peeling and shelling the beans. Grilling is the perfect solution. The favas literally steam in their skins making it easy to remove them for eating. Perfect for a party. You can lay the grilled pods onto a few layers of newspaper and let your guests dig in. Getting your hands oily and salty only adds to the pleasure. If you are fortunate enough to find young favas, you can eat them whole. For a more refined presentation, you can pop the skins off yourself and then dress them in some grilled lemon, crushed red pepper and a generous drizzle of olive oil. Consider them as a more decadent and luxurious version of edamame.
Have a great memorial day weekend! What are your favorite things to toss on a grill? I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a picture #scalingback on Instagram so I can see what you came up with! You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Snapchat (username: jeffers.tina)
- 1 pound young fava beans
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
- For serving:
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ¼ cup chopped fresh mint
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- optional:
- shaved Ricotta Salata
- In a large bowl toss the fava bean pods with the olive oil and salt. Arrange them in a single layer on a grill over medium-high heat.
- Grill until blistered on one side - 4 to 5 minutes, then flip and cook for a few moments more on the other side. To check and see if they are done, tear open one of the pods, the skins should slip off easily, and the beans should be soft and creamy. If they are still a bit hard leave them on the grill for another minute or two. Add the lemon halves, cut side down to the grill and cook for 1-2 minutes just to get a little char on the flesh.
- To serve, toss the pods with the red pepper flakes, mint and a squeeze of the charred lemons. Pass them around to your guests with a spare bowl for the pods and encourage them to lick their fingers, that's the best part.
- Notes:
- You can cook the favas on a grill pan inside, they may need an extra minute or two to cook, and you may want to weigh them down with a baking sheet to get them to cook evenly.
- For a more refined version, you can shell the favas and dress them with the lemon, pepper and olive oil. Serve them with crostini and some burrata.
