I had never heard of Fava Beans until I saw “The Silence of the Lambs.” Instead of being creeped out by the mere thought of them, I was intrigued. What were these magical beans? Where would I find them?

 

Flash-forward a couple of decades and now I’m a Fava freak! Their appearance in the market is all-too-brief, so I try to eat them as much as I can while they’re in season. If you love Favas, you know of what I speak. If you’re unfamiliar, give them a shot. But do try to find them at an ethnic or farmer’s market, as the big stores charge an arm and a leg. And that’s a little too Hannibal Lecter. Ahem…

 

Anyway, this was Sunday Supper. It was fresh, used simple ingredients and mm-mm good. Here’s what you’ll need…

 

 

Fresh Fava Beans, Carrots, Cherry or Grape Tomatoes, Fresh Parsley (or Basil), the freshest Ravioli you can find, Garlic-Herb Butter and Parmesan Cheese (not pictured)

 

Put 2 c. water on to boil. Start removing your Favas from their pods.

 

 

Just twist the pods a bit, to pop them open. You can also use your thumbnail to press the pods open. Either way, you’ll find the attached Favas, all in a row inside…

 

 

When you’re finished, 1 lb. of Favas in their pods will yield slightly over 1 c. of Fava Beans. This is why I suggest trying to save some money by shopping at a nice ethnic market.

 

 

Add the Favas to the boiling water. Cook for 5 minutes. Drain and submerge in an ice water bath. Allow to cool completely.

 

 

Once cooled, drain. Now you begin peeling the Favas. What, you say? Yes. There’s a waxy shell that’s hiding the delicate bean inside. Just pinch the outer coating a bit and tear. Then you can squeeze out the bean.

 

 

When you’re finished shelling the beans, they’re just beautiful!

 

 

Set aside the shelled Favas. Place your salted water on to boil for the Ravioli.

 

Either clean your Carrots well or peel them. It’s up to you. Either way, once they’re prepped, use a vegetable peeler to make Carrot “ribbons”…

 

 

Use every bit of the Carrots, as you’ll want the full amount in your final dish. Set the Carrots aside.

 

 

This is my Tomato Knife. I love it. I want to marry it. I should compose poetry in its honor. I haven’t, but I should

 

 

Quarter or slice your Cherry Tomatoes. As the Grape Tomatoes I had were gi-normous, I sliced them. When finished, set aside…

 

 

Finely chop the Parsley (or Basil). Set aside…

 

 

Cook the Ravioli according to package instructions. While it’s cooking, melt about 2 T. of the Garlic/Herb Butter. The microwave is fine, but I placed a large stainless steel bowl over the pot and melted it there…

 

 

Once the Ravioli are cooked, DO NOT DRAIN! Instead, use a slotted spoon and lift them out…

 

 

…placing them into the bowl with the melted Butter…Throw remaining Butter into the bowl with the hot Ravioli, so that it can melt.

 

 

Add the Carrot ribbons to the boiling pasta liquid and cook for 1 minute.

 

 

Add the Favas to the water with the Carrots and cook for 1 minute more.

 

 

Drain the Carrots and Favas, then add to the big bowl with the Ravioli and Butter. Add the Tomatoes and 1 T. of the Parsley as well.

 

 

Toss gently to combine. Plate the Ravioli and veggies, grate a little Parmesan cheese on top, sprinkle remaining Parsley (or Basil) over and serve.

 

 

This was a nice supper. Using pre-made Ravioli was easy, though it would be divine with homemade. The store-bought Garlic/Herb Butter was a blessing, too. But I sometimes make that myself, and may try my version next time. The Favas are the only real time-consuming part. But like I said, they’re only around for a short while. It’s worth it to me to pod and shell those beauties. And here’s a real bonus: cleaning those Favas reminded me of sitting on the front porch with my Granny Vera, shelling butter beans and snapping green beans. I had no idea I was learning to appreciate my food.

 

Here’s the printable…

Ravioli With Favas, Carrots & Tomatoes
Recipe Type: Entree
Author: Mikki Brisk
Prep time: 40 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Total time: 50 mins
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. Fresh Fava Beans (in their pods)
  • 2 medium Carrots
  • 1 c. Cherry Tomatoes
  • Fresh Parsley or Basil, enough for 2 T. chopped
  • 9 oz. Prepared Ricotta Ravioli
  • 1/2 c. Prepared Garlic/Herb Butter
  • Parmesan Cheese (optional)
Instructions
  1. Put 2 c. Water on to boil.
  2. Start removing your Favas from their pods. Just twist the pods a bit, to pop them open. You can also use your thumbnail to press the pods open. Either way, you’ll find the attached Favas, all in a row inside. Add the Favas to the boiling water. Cook for 5 minutes. Drain and submerge in an ice water bath. Allow to cool completely.
  3. Once cooled, drain. Now you begin peeling the Favas. There’s a waxy shell that’s hiding the delicate bean inside. Just pinch the outer coating a bit and tear. Then you can squeeze out the bean. Set aside the shelled Favas.
  4. Place your salted water on to boil for the ravioli.
  5. Either clean your carrots well or peel them. It’s up to you. Either way, once they’re prepped, use a vegetable peeler to make carrot “ribbons.” Use every bit of the carrots, as you’ll want the full amount in your final dish. Set the carrots aside.
  6. Quarter or slice your cherry tomatoes. Set aside.
  7. Finely chop the parsley (or basil). Set aside.
  8. Cook the ravioli according to package instructions.
  9. Melt about 2 T. of the garlic/herb butter and place in a large bowl.
  10. Once the ravioli are cooked, DO NOT DRAIN! Instead, use a slotted spoon and lift them out, placing them into bowl with melted butter. Add remaining butter to the bowl with hot ravioli, so that it can melt.
  11. Add carrot ribbons to the boiling pasta liquid and cook for 1 minute.
  12. Add favas to the water with the carrots and cook for 1 minute more.
  13. Drain the carrots and favas, then add to the big bowl with the ravioli and butter. Add the tomatoes and 1 T. of the parsley as well. Gently toss to combine.
  14. Plate the ravioli and veggies, grate a little parmesan cheese on top, sprinkle remaining parsley (or basil) over and serve.
Notes

This was a nice supper. Using pre-made ravioli was easy, though it would be divine with homemade. The store-bought garlic/herb butter was a blessing, too. But I sometimes make that myself, and may try my version next time. The favas are the only real time-consuming part. But like I said, they’re only around for a short while. It’s worth it to me to pod and shell those beauties. And here’s a real bonus: cleaning those favas reminded me of sitting on the front porch with my Granny Vera, shelling butter beans and snapping green beans. I had no idea I was learning to appreciate my food.

 

 

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