Fava beans and lima beans really get a bad rap so it was no surprise that family members winced when they saw that this was our contributing dish to our Easter pot luck. My mom put my sister and me in charge of 'greens'. Lucille found this recipe knowing that fava beans were in season and we decided to give it a go. We couldn't make it to the farmers market so we ended up getting lima beans from the grocery store. We tweaked the recipe a bit and cooked bacon instead of pancetta (since we had some in the fridge already) and tossed it in at the very end to add some crunch. I had left overs for lunch this morning and thought it tasted even better so making a day ahead of time is probably best so the flavors can meld together even more. Come on, give beans a chance.
Saute of Fresh Fava Beans, Onions and Fennel
- 3 pounds fresh fava beans, shelled, or 3 cups frozen baby lima beans, thawed
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 fresh fennel bulb, trimmed, sliced
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, coarsely ground in spice grinder
- 1 1/3 cups (about) canned low-salt chicken broth
- 4 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 1/2 cup chopped pancetta*
- 1/2 teaspoon dried savory
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Cook fava beans in boiling salted water 2 minutes. Drain, cool and peel outer skins (do not cook or peel lima beans).
Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and fennel bulb; sauté 5 minutes. Add favas or lima beans and fennel seeds; sauté 3 minutes. Add 1 cup broth and 2 tablespoons dill; bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes to blend flavors. Stir in pancetta and savory, adding more broth if mixture is dry. Simmer until favas are tender, about 15 minutes longer. Mix in lemon juice and 2 tablespoons dill. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.)
1 comment:
Spencer LOVED this!
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