Favas

They're in season now... but i think i missed out on this one way of cooking them that i've been hearing about lately: beer battered & deep fried.

Instead, I followed the recipe that introduced me to Fava's - making a Fava hummus

from Suzanne Goin's Sunday Suppers at Lucques.

It's fairly simple yet somewhat labor intensive.

I bought the favas in th

e shells/pods - but they can be purchased already shelled. that would save a lot of time, but it's easy enough to do it while watching tv or something.

After shelling the favas, you gotta blanch them to remove the outer white skin - and what you're left with is a beautiful bright green bean (above left in bowl).

For the hummus recipe, you basically need some good olive oil, garlic, chile de arbol, rosemary sprig, salt & pepper - and of course the Favas.

heat the oil, swirl in the chile & rosemary - then add the garlic, let sizzle about a minute, then add the favas & seasonings. when tender, remove the rosemary and chile, drain the oil - and puree in a food processor, adding the oil in a steady stream until the puree is a nice velvety smooth texture.

serve with a topping of chopped black olives & feta cheese with parsley.

of course i forgot to buy those ingredients - so here's a picture i took of some of the hummus last year.