Plant Destroyer and Fresh Fava Beans

August is here and its a blistery 75F and overcast. Where is the humidity, heat and sunshine? I overheard someone say that the average temperature for July was only 69F. We should be knee deep in heirloom tomatoes by now but instead it is the summer of greens. Though we may be the lucky ones because the Northeast is seeing signs of late blight, which can completely wipe out an entire crop. Phytophthora infestans (plant destroyer in Latin) or late blight was responsible for the Irish potato famine in the 19th century. For more see this article on Civil Eats http://civileats.com/?s=cool+summer .

This summer is like the spring that never left. There are still many spring veggies going strong. This year I finally got around to trying fresh fava beans. I have tried seasoned dry ones and found them to be truly disgusting. Fresh favas are so awesome! They are the giants of the bean world, taking over with their fresh and slightly nutty taste, and are the most spectacular color spring green.

These guys are a little more work than your standard snap bean but well worth the effort. Here is what to look for: shiny firm pods and when the pod feels heavier than it looks, its a good sign it will be full of beans. Keep them in a plastic bag and refrigerated and use within a couple of days. To prepare, the pods must be opened the remove the beans. The inside is furry! Next you must blanch the beans in a pot of boiling water for 2 minutes and then immediately transfer into an ice bath. Then, one by one pop off the outer skin of each bean.

Now you can eat them as is or with a little lemon juice, olive oil, and salt. Or toss em with greens or grains. Something I encourage you to try is pureeing them with lemon juice, olive oil and garlic. It is an Egyptian dish called ful medames. I decided to make a simple and elegant dish. I really wanted to taste the favas, making them the center of attention. For inspiration I looked to Christina Pirello, Christina Cooks, who cooks whole foods in season.
Roasted Asparagus with Fresh Fava Beans

serves 4 to 6

• 1 shallot, finely minced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1 Tbl of balsamic vinegar
• sea salt
• 1# fresh fava beans, shelled (1 cup)
• 1 bunch of asparagus, tough ends snapped off
• 1 Tbl extra virgin olive oil

Place shallot, garlic, and lemon zest in a small bowl and add the vinegar and a pinch of salt. Toss to combine and set aside for 30 minutes to marinate.

Prepare the fava beans using the same method as noted above. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook fava beans until crisp tender, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and cool in an ice water bath. Remove outer skins.

Preheat oven to 450F. Arrange the asparagus on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and salt. Roast, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, until slightly browned and tender.

Place oil and shallot mixture in a deep skillet over medium heat. Saute for 2 minutes. Stir in fava beans add a pinch of salt and toss to coat.

To serve, arrange asparagus on a plate and spoon fava bean mixture over the top. And maybe some quinoa on the side.