Fava Bean Salad with Fennel & Mint

In her cookbook, Alice B. Toklas (Gertrude Stein's companion) wrote, "Cookbooks have always intrigued and seduced me."

I'm obsessed with books. I have stacks in nearly every room of my house...on the coffee table in the living room, on the night stand in the bedroom, on the table & some chairs in the dining room, on the kitchen counter....everywhere.

Lately, I've been particularly obsessed with cookbooks. Even though I have so many cookbooks that I've never cooked from, I still want to buy more.

My most recent acquisition is A Platter of Figs by David Tanis.


It's a beautiful book with seasonal menus. And when I spotted fava beans at Soulard farmers market last week, I knew exactly which recipe from the book I'd try first. I'm a little sad that favas aren't available more often so that I could eat this whenever I wanted...it was that good.

Fava Bean Salad with Fennel & Mint

2 cups shelled fava beans

1 fennel bulb, trimmed & thinly sliced on a mandolin
2 scallions, thinly sliced
3 sprigs mint leaves, coarsely chopped
juice of 1 lemon
fruity extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt & black pepper

• To prepare the fava beans, remove the beans from their pods & boil them for 2-3 minutes. Shock the beans in ice water, then pop them out of their skins. See photos of the process here.
• Mix the beans with the sliced fennel, scallions, and a good sprinkling of salt. Drizzle generously with the olive oil to coat. Add the mint leaves & lemon juice. Toss and taste for seasoning.
• Top each serving with a few grinds of pepper and, if desired, a few shreds of parmesan cheese.