fava beans.

I fall in the more is better category.  If the cookies are good with chocolate chips they will be better with nuts! dried fruit! toffee!  It gets a little excessive and I usually end up with lots of add ins and little dough.  Restraint is not for me.   (The feelings of more is better goes beyond just food for me, it's pretty much how I feel about everything - one necklace is good, three are better!).  

But all of that changes with the arrival of seasonal produce.  The beauty of the food at the farmers market is that it is so utterly fresh and ripe that it doesn't need much to shine.  A little salt, a little olive oil, and lots of pepper makes all vegetables shine.  This is most evident in the simplest (and in my opinion best!) preparation for fava beans.  

Fava beans if you've never had them are delicious especially fresh ones.  They look like little ears and taste like spring in Italy (pasta with fava beans is a spring staple in Italy).  In this dish, they are cooked with garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil.  The whole thing comes together super quickly. The end product makes a lovely crostini topping or you can eat it right from the bowl as I tend to. Restraint can be wonderful.  

Fava Beans

Recipe adapted from Mommy

2 pounds fresh fava beans (should leave you with about 2 cups after removing from the pods)

Juice of half a lemon

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons water to start (may require more)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 clove garlic, chopped

Place everything in a pot, bring to a boil and cover.  Simmer over low heat about 10 minutes. Taste the beans to check, they should be soft but not mushy.  If not soft, add a little more water and continue to cook until tender.  Add more salt and lemon juice if you desire.