Fava Beans and Strawberry Salad with Cheese

[Guest guest]

Fava Beans and Strawberry Salad with Cheese

 

2 cups shelled fresh fava beans (must shell them twice)

2 cups strawberries

arugula or various lettuce greens

Pecorino cheese [or a similar hard cheese of your choice]

juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

4 tbsps. extra virgin olive oil

kosher, sea salt or table salt, to taste

coarse ground black pepper to taste

 

Bring a pot of water to boil, season with salt, blanch the shelled favas for

about 1 minute then transfer to a seasoned ice bath so as not to over cook. Once

cooled, re-move the skin* and discard. Place the favas in a mixing bowl, then

set aside.

To remove the skin of fava beans, after they’re cooked, pinch a hole in the

skin at one end of the bean and ‘squirt’ out the bright green inner bean.

Wash the strawberries, then remove the green tops. Cut berries into quarters and

add to the mixing bowl with the favas. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper.

Add the arugula or torn up, bite-sized pieces of various lettuces, then dress

with a splash of lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil, toss

to incorporate all the in-gredients then put on a platter or plate.

Using a peeler, peel curls of Pecorino or Romano or Parmesan on top and serve.

If you don’t have any of these cheeses, Feta cheese would be tasty too; just

crumble on top instead of slicing. Serves 4.