Hello, Fava

I confess, I've been obsessed with fresh fava beans this spring.  It took a really long time for favas to hit our menu and for this I blame Hannibal Lector.  Hearing "I ate his liver with fava beans and a nice Chianti" just didn't make me go "yum."

But let me tell you, these little beans are awesome and so versatile.  And I've read Jack's magic beans were likely favas.  How cool is that?  Who couldn't use a little magic in their life?

Fresh favas involve a bit of prep work, but they are so worth it.

Pasta with Favas, Tomatoes and Sausage
Of the various dishes we've made with fresh favas, this pasta from the May 2008 issue of Bon Appetit is my favorite.  We made it as written, except we used dry campanelle pasta instead of making fresh pasta.  We've also made it with ham instead of sausage and that was really good too.

I like to shuck the beans while catching up on DVR'd episodes of Gossip Girl, but shucking would go well with pretty much any mindless activity.

Wine
We drank a Fiano di Avellino by Feudi di San Gregorio from the mountainous Irpinia region of Italy, about 40k outside Naples.   Fiano di Avellino is a dry, white wine that was delicious with this pasta dish but would also pair very well with seafood or a simple pizza margherita.  Or just drink it all by its yummy self; it's a perfect summertime wine.