and then i made

it's kind of weird to admit this,

but fava beans were

non-existent in my life,

until this year.

i don't know why or how

that happened,

but this spring,

they were everywhere -

as i'm sure they've probably

been every spring -

and somehow, i spotted

this recipe, and so began

my extreme approval

and interest in fava beans.

somewhat similar to edamame,

but larger, softer and

boasting a much

greener flavor,

these beans are easily adaptable to

tons of recipes and flavor

profiles.

but, unlike other things,

i like these simple

so that you can really enjoy

the fruits of your labor.

(i might as well tell you,

fresh fava beans are

not for fast meals.

if you, like me,

have never peered inside

a fava bean before,

it may feel like a

mysterious process: once

you shuck the outer pod from

each shell, you then must also

remove the second skin that

clings to each bean.

it's called,

double peeling.)

so - simple.

after finding ridiculously huge

fava beans at the market,

i knew that i would have enough

to support and star in

a dish for two.

lo and behold,

once shelled, we had

the perfect amount.

this recipe,

by bobby flay,

recommends blanching the

beans once removed from their

pods, making it easier to remove

the second skin.

he, of course, was right.

with this method, they just pop

right out.

i prepared them ahead of time

and then waited until about 10

minutes before dinner to toss

them with the fast vinaigrette.

lemon

and garlic

make for a very fresh salad,

shaving manchego on top

makes the otherwise

simple dish, memorable.

just make sure you pick

up a manchego worthy

of the fava beans - i'm not

sure that i did, this time around.

i know that i'm pushing it -

finding fava beans at the store

right now would be a

(somewhat scary) miracle -

but if you do come across

the pods, count your blessings,

grab a large bunch

and make this salad.

lemon and garlic fava beans with manchego

adapted from bobby flay

i halved the recipe, which is how i wrote it here, but it is obviously, very easy to double. i liked the lemony side, so i only used one tablespoon of olive oil (instead of two). as usual, i left off the tablespoon of chopped flatleaf parsley, but it would absolutely add a nice green.

2 pounds fava beans (about 2 cups shucked beans)

1 lemon, juiced (about 2 tablespoons)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

kosher salt

cracked black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 ounces manchego cheese, thinly shaved

shuck beans. fill large bowl with ice water; set aside. in large saucepot bring water to a boil; salt well. add beans and cook 3 minutes, or until tender. immediately plunge beans into ice water to cool. drain water; remove beans from outer skin.

in medium bowl, combine lemon juice, garlic and add salt and pepper, to taste. drizzle in olive oil, whisking constantly. add beans; gently toss to coat. top with manchego cheese.