Have you ever seen a Fava bean? Well, let me tell you. These babies take some work. I mean WORK. It almost took me a hour to get them prepared. You better believe every bite was not taken for granted.
They come in huge pods...once you take the bean out of the pod, THEN you have to take the casing off the bean. When done...you have yourself one of the most amazing beans, in my opinion. 
Fava beans should be shelled and peeled before eating. The outer peel on the beans, while technically edible, is very woody in texture and detracts from the buttery feel of the inner bean. This is the bean all ready to be blanched. They are very large so you only get a few beans per pod.
They come in huge pods...once you take the bean out of the pod, THEN you have to take the casing off the bean. When done...you have yourself one of the most amazing beans, in my opinion. 
Fava beans should be shelled and peeled before eating. The outer peel on the beans, while technically edible, is very woody in texture and detracts from the buttery feel of the inner bean. This is the bean all ready to be blanched. They are very large so you only get a few beans per pod.
I rinsed the beans and sat them aside. The hard part was over! Wait...what am I making??? Sorry, I forgot to tell you!
Fava beans with mint, prosciutto, tomme & brown butter vinaigrette
Now you know. Back to Fava's...They have high concentrations of L-dopa (dopamine), an amino acid that is a neurotransmitter in the brain. Dopamine plays a role in the brain in such activities as memory, energy and sex drive. Dopamine levels decline in brain cells as we age, so who knows what role Fava Beans might play in keeping those levels up. We do know for sure that Fava Beans are low in calories and in fat, with no cholesterol. They’re also high in protein, iron, and fiber, and are good sources of vitamin C, vitamin A, and potassium.When the fava's were shelled and ready I started making the brown butter vinaigrette.
Thanks to my magic bullet (a single girls best friend) I was able to make a perfect amount (2 servings) for me and another. I decided that I would invite another person to try out this dish and get some input. He will be commenting on this post with his thoughts and I will publish it. (You better Pete!). Anyway, the vinaigrette had mint and olive oil and shallots (and other unnamed ingredients, just to make you wonder...ha!)
I went with red shallots as I like the taste better than the yellow variety. I saved just a tad to toss with my fava's as I blanched them. Once the favas and the vinaigrette was ready it was pretty much time for me to plate the food. I used arugula, prosciutto, tomme, mint and parsley. Together...they became one.
OMG...this was one of the best salad's I have ever had. I haven't had prosciutto in forever so that is why I went with it instead of the country ham. I rolled the prosciutto and they seriously looked like roses on the plate!
This recipe is the perfect start to a meal, lunch, or all by it's self. You know that I can eat...so the salad needed some friends to go along with. I was starving so prepare your self...I really added some weight to this meal!
I made some asparagus, corn and baked sweet potato's to go along with the wonderful salad. Here is the final product.
I made some asparagus, corn and baked sweet potato's to go along with the wonderful salad. Here is the final product.
A meal like this wouldn't be a meal without the perfect wine pairing (in my book ) so this was the wine of the evening that I chose.
I went with one of my favorites! New Age. If you haven't had this wine. Get. It.
I went with one of my favorites! New Age. If you haven't had this wine. Get. It.I am a red wine lover. I very rarely drink white wine. I do however have a slight obsession with anything fizzy (soda streamer ring a bell?). With that being said, sparkling wines such as prosecco is the perfect adult beverage in my mind. I love a light sparkling wine. This was the perfect wine for this meal. I was going back and forth with going with a red vs a white but I am happy with my decision.
All in all, this meal was fantastic. It was easy and I really enjoyed making it.
Lastly, get ready to hear a lot about this other gadget that came into my life recently....The Gruve! I am playing around with it as we speak and should know the in's and out's in a day or two. I will be back with a full review!
See you soon!
-Heather
