Fava beans have more to offer than second fiddle to a glass of Chianti. Here, give them a little grill time in their pods, serving them with an aromatic, herb-infused dressing. Simply pop them out of the warm pods, scoop up a little dressing, and enjoy.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs fava beans, still in their pods
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
- A generous few dashes of salt
- 1 tbsp minced garlic scapes (or garlic cloves)
- 1 tablespoon scallion bulbs, finely chopped
- Zest and juice from one lemon
- ½ tsp salt, plus more as needed
- 1 tsp sumac
- ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
- ¼ cup Italian parsley, chopped
- ½ tsp Aleppo chili flakes
Preparation
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
- In a large bowl, toss the fava beans with enough olive oil to coat, followed with a generous sprinkle of salt.
- Grill the pods for 4-5 minutes per side, or until the pods are marked by the grill. Pop a bean from one of the pods and test it. It should be tender.
- Make the dressing: in a small bowl, whisk together the 3 tbsp of olive oil, garlic, scallions, sumac, and lemon zest and juice.
- To serve, arrange the pods on a platter. Spoon dressing over top of the pods. Garnish with the mint, parsley, and Aleppo chili flakes.
- To enjoy, use your teeth to pull the beans from the pods, slurping up any dressing or seasoning as you go. (If your bean pods are very young and tender, you can eat them up as well.) Serve with a little bread on the side for sopping up all the yummy dressing.
