fava beans are all over farmers markets these days. my earliest memory of them is hannibal lecter’s famous quote in silence of the lambs, which may, or may not, have led to my reluctance of ever trying them. fortunately, i must have mis-read a sign, and picked some up a couple of days ago. once i had shelled a couple, i realized they were not what i thought they were. so, i asked my friend the farmers market fairy what she thought they might be. fava beans? huh. ok, well i guess i’ll google them and see what comes up. npr actually did an article about them a month or so ago with a recipe i thought i’d try.

i had to adjust it a little, because i only had chèvre goat cheese and some pre-grated pecorino on hand. it turned out pretty good, but i think with the chunks of cheese they suggest it would have turned out a little less pasty. to compensate i put it on a bed of greens which seemed to help. i might also try substituting some of the parsley with mint or basil.

i’m not sure how it would pair with liver and a nice chianti though. i would recommend a grilled swordfish or chicken breast with a sauvignon blanc.

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