The spring harvest underdog is the broad bean a.k.a fava. Think of them as the grown up edamame. You don’t have to work too hard to get to the bean but like us, the legume has layers. I like to just cut to the chase and blanch them pods an all in salted boiling water for about two minutes then shock them in an icy bath.

Once cool enough to handle i peel off their thick bean coats. The beans just slide out. You can pop them from their pods by squeezing lightly like you would an edamame as well. There’s just one more layer to the bean before you get to their juicy, nutty, emerald seed. So yes, you need to shell twice but just be glad it’s spring okay? The weather is warming, the days are getting longer and summer is just around the corner.To honor the fava, i toss them lightly in salt and squeeze a little lemon. Toast a crusty piece of bread, top with crumbled feta, fava, few leaves of mint, a drizzle of the best olive oil you can get your hands on (i used graza) and a light sprinkling of fresh cracked black pepper.