Fava Bean Salad with Toast and Poached Egg

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds fava beans in the shell, shelled
• 6 ounces bacon, chopped
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 4 large eggs
• 4 thick slices country bread
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 ounces cherry tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 cups sweet green peas
• 1/4 cup mint leaves, chopped
• 1/4 cup basil leaves, chopped
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Fill a medium-sized saucepan halfway with water and bring it to a boil. Add the fava beans and cook for 1 minute, then lift them out with a slotted spoon and cool them under cold running water in a colander. Slip off the skins, then put the beans back into the boiling water and cook until just a little tender, about 2 minutes. Drain them in the colander and set them aside. Fill the same medium-sized saucepan halfway with fresh water, stir in the vinegar, and put it back on the stove. Set the heat to medium and bring the water to a gentle boil.
2. While that gets going, place the bacon in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat. Cook until the bacon is crisp and the fat has cooked out, about 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain.
3. Raise the skillet heat to medium and add as many bread slices as you can fit in a single layer. Toast them until the underside is lightly browned, then turn them over and brown the second side. Take the bread out and set it aside, then do the same with any slices that are left.
4. Clean out the skillet, then pour in 1 ½ teaspoons of the olive oil. Set the heat to medium, and when the oil looks shiny, add the fava beans. Cook, stirring now and then, until they pick up a little color, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the fava beans to a bowl and set them aside.
5. Pour the remaining olive oil into the skillet and add the cherry tomatoes. Cook over medium heat until the tomatoes soften, 1 to 2 minutes. Move the tomatoes into the bowl with the fava beans.
6. Leave the heat at medium and add the butter to the skillet. When it has melted, stir in the peas and cook until tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the peas to the bowl with the fava beans and tomatoes. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, add the mint and basil, and toss everything together well.
7. Divide the toast and the fava bean mixture among 4 plates.
8. Turn the heat under the medium-sized saucepan down to medium-low. Working with 1 egg at a time, crack the egg into a shallow dish, then slide it into the simmering water. Cook until the whites are set enough to hold their shape while the yolks remain runny, about 3 minutes. Lift each egg out with a slotted spoon and gently blot it on paper towels.
9. Set 1 poached egg on each slice of bread. Add salt and pepper to taste, scatter the bacon over the top, and serve right away.