In Tuscany in the spring fava beans are one of the first things to come up. At Easter time traditionally favas are eaten with Salamis that were made in the early days of January. Here in New England favas come a bit later and they are not here for very long. The heat destroys them. They are often harvested too big and their outer skin becomes tough and bitter. One farmstand in Union Square picks them young and tender enough to eat them the way they do in the Mediterranean with out the foolish blanch and peel that makes thousands of prep cooks in New York groan and want to call in sick. In Italy I would eat fava beans until I couldn't stand it anymore but here I count myself lucky if I make it to the market in time for perfect favas. This year I almost missed them.
I sauteed the favas and some fresh peas with serrano ham and young onions and tossed in fresh mint at the very end.
One of my favorite ways to eat favas is raw, tossed with a young, mild sheep's milk cheese such as Pecorino Toscano or a young Manchego, extra virgin olive oil and all sorts of tender young herbs and greens, pea shoots, basil leaves, "micro greens" whatever you find or imagine. A fair amount of cracked black pepper but no vinegar or acid. Every time I make it here it makes me wish I lived in Italy again
Tagine in Morocco of lamb, artichoke hearts and peas garnished with hard boiled eggs
I became really intrigued with the tagine as a cooking vessel when I went to Morocco in February. It's a flat bottomed shallow dish that goes straight over the fire and an extremely tall conical lid that rests on top all made out of terracotta. The bottom is glazed but the inside of the top is not. When I came back I insisted on buying one. It's a really unique way of cooking something. Hot dry heat on the bottom, moist, aromatic steam on top and everything permeated with that terracotta flavor. The funny thing is in Morocco most of the home cooks prefer the pressure cooker for it's speed but I think the old fashioned tagine is vastly superior.
Last night we bought rabbit at the butcher and braised it with preserved lemons and olives. When it was almost cooked we added fresh peas and blanched carrots. It was one of the best rabbits I've ever tasted.
