Fresh Fava + Spinach Pasta

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Fava beans are full of flavor, but demand a certain amount of patience to get them out of their shells. There is the first shuck, removing the bean from the large pod. There are recipes that call for you to stop here as the outter skin is edible and many do eat it. I like to take it a step further by quickly blanching the favas in with this skin, then shocking them in an ice bath before removing, revealing a vibrant green bean. It may seem like a lot of work, but the flavor and texture of shucked favas is worth the work.

With all that work of processing the fava’s the last you want to do is throw out those shells and skins. They are full of flavor despite their fibrousness. When fresh fava’s are young, some people like to grill and eat them whole before the shells get too tough. But for the most part, they are typically discarded. Sautéing them in a bit of oil along with some aromatics before letting them gently simmer in some water will give you a beautiful nutty, buttery, and surprisingly complex broth that can be used in a variety of ways. I find it a perfect base for building a lovely pasta sauce. Recipes below!

1. Shuck the fava bean from the outer pod by splitting the seam and popping them out. Rinse and reserve the outer pod for the making of the stock

2. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and blanch the shucked fava for 1-2 minutes and immediately shock in an ice bath

3. Shuck the fava again, this is the dreaded second shuck. Pinch a hole in the top and the inner bean will pop out. Reserve the pods for the stock and set aside the green beans.

Fava pods, 1 small onion (quartered), 2 cloves garlic (smashed)

1. In a heavy bottom pot heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté all the ingredients, 1-2 minutes.

2. Cover with water (3 quarts) and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and simmer for 25-30 minutes.

3. Remove the solids and simmer the broth for an additional 5-7 minutes to concentrate the flavor.

4. Bring back up to the boil when ready to begin cooking the pasta.

250g dried cavatelli or your preferred pasta

10 ounces spinach or fava leaves

2 tablespoons butter

Lemon juice

Cracked black pepper

1. In the pot with the fava broth cook the pasta per the instructions on the package. When you are 3 minutes out from pasta being finished add the spinach to the same pot.

2. When the spinach goes into the pot. Brown the butter in a wide sauté pan. Strain the pasta and spinach directly into the brown butter and add a few ladles of broth. Toss the pasta to create an emulsion adding more pasta water as needed to achieve the desired consistency.

3. Finish the pasta with lemon juice and salt to taste.

4. Plate and top with freshly cracked black pepper.

5. Enjoy!