The end of this week also means a wrap up of all the work that’s been going on at home the last several days. The swimming pool was drained, got a fresh coating of fiberglass and was re-tiled. Inside, my husband decided he had grown tired of the red walls in our guest bathroom so we had the walls prepped for new wall covering. This was a sad day for me because I’ve always loved that color–I picked it out after all. A great compromise that came out of it though, was that I’d be able to change the wall colors in our guest bedroom and office. Fair deal. What I didn’t anticipate was that we’d end up touching up other walls, repainting our bedroom, master bath plus laundry room and all the furniture moving, dust and chaos that would ensue.
I was finally able to get away today to spend an afternoon catching up with a friend. When I got home, I found a large bag of fresh fava beans sitting on the counter. My husband spent a day on the coast (will write about one of my favorite places sometime) and remembered how much I’ve missed them so he picked up a bag from a local grower. What a very nice surprise!
Well of course, I couldn’t just feed him the leftovers I was counting on serving tonight. We had some mushrooms waiting to be used and they also happen to be my favorite accompaniment to the fava beans. Perfect. I simply sautéed the mushrooms and fava beans in olive oil, garlic, salt and the first course was served.
The woodsy, earthy mushrooms pair very well with the buttery fava beans. The garlic goes without saying, at least in my kitchen. Since my 4-5 year old kalamansi (calamondin) tree is finally bearing fruit, I also sprinkled a little juice to brighten the flavors of the sauté. Of course, it probably took more time to shell, blanch and hull the fava beans than it did to eat them but it was all worth it.
Sautéed Fava Beans
- Fresh fava beans, I think I had 3-4 pounds unshelled
- mushrooms, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- salt, to taste
- a squeeze of fresh citrus juice, I used kalamansi but feel free to use lemon
To prepare the fava beans, bring a pot of water to a boil. While you wait, remove the beans from their pods by splitting the latter down the middle. When the water’s boiling, blanch the beans for about two minutes. Drain. You can throw the blanched beans in ice water to stop the cooking process but I don’t ever do this. When they’re cool enough to handle, hull the beans to reveal the bright green gems.
Heat olive oil in a sauté pan and add the sliced mushrooms. Sprinkle a pinch or two of salt to release season and release some of their water. Once the mushrooms have colored a bit, add the fava beans and stir-fry for a minute or so. They’re already cooked so you don’t want them to be exposed to the heat too long. I like to add the minced garlic at about the same time. Once the garlic is fragrant, turn of the heat, plate and serve.
Perfect and simple, my favorite way of eating anything!
Fresh fava beans sound amazing…we use to visit a farmer’s market that sold fresh beans every weekend…so good! And of course, I love mushrooms with almost any meal. Thanks for the beautiful photos!
I absolutely love fava beans! Love the idea of sauteed favas. I am entertaining tonight and doing fava beans with small bits of parmesan cheese, olive oil, lemon zest, thyme and salt and pepper on a grilled ciabatta crostini. Enjoy your weekend!
Wow, that sounds great, Lisa. Can’t wait to read all about it. 🙂
Simple and delicious… love it! I’ve never mixed mushrooms with favas before, but it sounds like a really great combination. Too bad the favas have already come and gone for us this year. 🙁
Isabelle, there’s always next season! 🙂
Love the simplicity of this dish–I had come across it before, but the combination of mushroom and fava sounds just right.
Fava beans are best as simple as possible and this version seems like a winner. GREG
I love mushrooms and fava beans… together they would be great!
The last time I prepared fava beans was when I first really started cooking…maybe 15 years ago! It was a fava-disaster! I think you’ve inspired me to give them another shot!
That’s great, Sommer. This is the simplest way to prepare them, I think.
I love fava beans, and the mushrooms are a bonus! I just saw fresh fava beans at the market the other day. They were also selling fava bean leaves. That was a new one for me, but they are quite edible.
Oh, I didn’t know that. I’ll have to watch for the leaves next time. Thanks for the tip!
This highllights the fresh fava beans in the best way. And they are in season around here. Can actually find them. Delicious and simple – showcasing the beans – just the way I love it.
Fava beans are beautiful little creations of nature. A friend brought me a bag from California and I made three different purees from three different recipes- at the same time to choose my favorite recipe. I found it (and you can check it out in my 3x post) but I have to say that sauteeing looks fabulous! Colorado fava beans should be here this weekend and I am certainly trying a simple sautee.
I have Fava beans lying around and my mother is in town and she loves mushrooms…I am going to make this for her and serve this on toast….
What a great way to showcase the flavor of fava beans! Another one of my simple favorites is a salad of arugula, asparagus, and fava beans in a lemon vinaigrette with shaved pecorino romano. Don’t you just love Spring ingredients?
Its been a while since I’ve made fava beans but know that you have me thinking about it going to give this recipe a try
What a great dish…