Fava Bean Fennel Salad with Parmesan

Ingredients

• 2-3 lbs fresh fava beans, yielding about 1 1/2 to 2 cups shelled beans
• Salt
• 1 small bulb fennel, thinly sliced
• 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, thinly sliced
• 10 fresh mint leaves, thinly sliced
• 2 scallions, sliced
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Lemon juice
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Fava beans make you do a little extra work: you’ll shell them in 2 stages, once before they cook to get them out of the pod, and once after cooking to slip off the firm skin around each bean.
2. Set a large bowl in front of you and pop the beans out of their pods over it. Use your fingers to squeeze and bend each pod until it breaks, letting the beans jump right into the bowl. Keep going until all the beans are out.
3. Drop the beans into 2 quarts of boiling, salted water. Let them simmer for a few minutes, just until they’re tender.
4. Lift the beans out of the pot with a slotted spoon and move them straight into a bowl of ice water so they stop cooking and stay bright green. Leave them there for 1 or 2 minutes, then drain them and peel off the outer skins.
5. In a bowl, toss together the cooked, peeled fava beans with the sliced fennel and onions. Add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss again so everything is lightly coated.
6. Squeeze lemon juice over the salad, about 1 tablespoon, then add the Parmesan and mint and toss to combine. Finish with fennel fronds and/or mint sprigs.