Grilled Fresh Fava Beans

Ignacio Matta’s Grilled Favas

— from Food52.com via Cook With What You Have

This recipe is brilliant. I first tried whole grilled fava beans (including the pods) at the Gathering Together Farm booth at a farmers’ market this season. Then I found this recipe, which is incredibly good. You can also just grill them with olive oil and salt and a squeeze of lemon with the same method. But all the extra goodies are worth it. And it seems like a lot of anchovies but it is well balanced. And if you don’t have a grill, a smoking hot cast iron pan works too—just turn your fan on high and open the windows.

Serves 4 to 6

1 pound fresh fava beans in their pods, the younger/smaller the better
1 teaspoon sea salt 1 teaspoon ground chile pepper
1 teaspoon picked rosemary
3 to 4 cloves chopped garlic
1/4 cup good olive oil, plus more to finish
2 tablespoons water
1 lemon
6 canned anchovies in oil, chopped finely
1 handful toasted bread crumbs (optional)
Mix first 7 ingredients together in a large bowl. Toss to coat the fava pods, then place them on the grill over medium-high heat.

Grill favas for several minutes, until charred, then flip them over and char the other side, cooking until the pods seem about to open.

Remove pods from grill, return them to the mixing bowl, and squeeze the lemon over them. Toss the pods to coat. Check the seasoning, and add salt if necessary. Add the anchovies to the bowl, mixing well.

Place the pods on a serving platter, drizzle to taste with olive oil, and sprinkle the bread crumbs on top, if using. Serve hot or at room temperature; eat with your hands or with forks and knives, depending on how messy you want to get.