Fave e Pecorino: Roman Fava Bean and Pecorino Salad
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Serves 2
Description
Sweet fava beans and salty, grilled pecorino make a surprisingly delicious salad. Perfect as a light lunch or vibrant side dish.
Ingredients
- 8 oz (227 g) aged Pecorino
- 20 - 25 pods fava beans
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 5 leaves fresh mint
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- Shell the fava beans.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Blanch fava beans in the boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Remove beans from water and peel while still warm.
- Toss with olive oil, garlic, and fresh mint.
- Season with salt.
- Grill the pecorino cheese until lightly colored on each side and softened.
- Place the warm cheese on a plate and spoon the fava beans over it.
- Drizzle with olive oil and serve.
Notes
- For easier shelling, blanch the fava beans for a minute longer before peeling.
- If fresh mint is unavailable, substitute 1/2 teaspoon dried mint.
- Store leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days; the cheese may become slightly firmer.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 300
- Sugar: 2
- Sodium: 300
- Fat: 20
- Saturated Fat: 10
- Unsaturated Fat: 8
- Carbohydrates: 20
- Fiber: 5
- Protein: 15
- Cholesterol: 20
Two skins stand between you and the mighty fava bean. Pop the pod first, then pinch a bit of skin off the top of each fava with your fingernail and squeeze from the other end, and the sweet green center slides right out. You did it!
Make sure to pick pods that feel full and give slightly when you press them; that's the sign the beans inside are still young enough to eat this way. It takes a few extra minutes and nothing more than a fingernail, and it is the ritual behind fave e pecorino, a Roman plate that pops up on spring tables the moment fresh favas do, paired with a wedge of good pecorino. Simple, and ridiculously good.
You can eat both raw, with just a knife, and plenty of people do. but here, we grill the pecorino instead: a few minutes a side is enough to soften it and turn the edges gold. Spoon the warm beans over the top while the cheese is still hot, add a little garlic and torn mint, and finish with good olive oil. That's the best spring dish you will have in a long time.
The beans themselves are only good for a few weeks each year, before the pods toughen and go starchy and dull. The window opens a little earlier farther south and a little later near the coast, but it never lasts long either way. That short window is why they are so beloved in Rome, where the first good batch of the season gets treated like an event, with a bottle of wine and little more than bread on the table.
