Comments on: The taste of spring: Seasonal fava beans and pasta

By: Terry B

Terry B — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 04:45:11 +0000

Katie—When the girls were small, Marion would occasionally make a dish that required lots and lots and lots of freshly ground black pepper. She would enlist the daughters and have them take turns grinding pepper. When they refused to do any more, she knew she had enough.

Michelle—Don’t hold back. How do you really feel? I just took a quick look at your wildly entertaining blog. I will be back.

By: michelle

michelle — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 02:55:44 +0000

fava beans are a giant pain in my giant ass. i just did a dish with favas the other day, and i shot the damn things all over the kitchen. but i shell ‘em anyway, because they’re damn good. i’m loving all the fava bean recipes popping up lately - too bad the beans themselves aren’t around for very long.

By: katie

katie — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:58:45 +0000

I do the first step sitting in a comfy chair in front of the telly. The second - I have no problem just popping them out - maybe I blanched them a bit longer…
Either way, it is a pain in the ….
One should really have child labor….
(I can remember, as a child, sitting outside shelling peas)

By: Terry B

Terry B — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 03:28:40 +0000

ann—That’s exactly the kind of social event my Aunt Veta had turned shelling butter beans into. Well, except maybe with less of a southern twang emanating from your porch.

Christina—My brother was down in Mississippi recently visiting with Aunt Veta. She sounds like she’s still going strong.

Lena—Your parents were always generous to a fault with food. That they wouldn’t share their fava beans speaks to the allure of the beans’ meaty insides, as Christina so perfectly described it.

By: Lena

Lena — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 23:49:37 +0000

I am Marion’s sister. Our dad was quite the gardener but he never grew fava beans until Marion and I had both moved away. Once on a visit, my mom said to me with some excitement, “Daddy is growing fava beans.” “What are those?” I asked but she changed the subject. Our parents were generous people but they never gave us even one fava bean.

By: Christina

Christina — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 05:57:32 +0000

Beautiful dish. Don’t you just love how green the fava beans are once you get to the meaty insides?

When I blanch my beans, most of the time, the membranes split so they are easy to shoot out of their skins. I haven’t had to tear them open before.

Thanks for reminding us of your wonderful Aunt Veta. Such a great lady.

By: ann

ann — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 22:06:57 +0000

Funny! Isaac and I were just talking about fava beans today. We love them, and we even love shelling them. We buy pounds and pounds of them, then take bowls out onto our stoop and shell away while basking in the sunshine and saying hi to the neighbors. It’s such a lovely way to pass an afternoon, we can’t wait until they start showing up in the markets! Then I’ll get to try your lovely pasta Terry!

By: Terry B

Terry B — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 15:49:55 +0000

Helene—Reading food blogs around mealtimes can be treacherous, can’t it?

chefjp—Thanks! And thanks for the shout out in your round-up.

Susan—Thanks for inspiring me to try fava beans. And sure, I believe you. Whatever you say.

Mike—Can’t wait to see what you do with them!

By: Mike of Mike's Table

Mike of Mike's Table — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 15:13:57 +0000

Well now between you and Susan, I’m intrigued by the thought of fava beans as well. This looks like a great springy/summery dish. Thanks for the tips on popping them out–hopefully I can find some at the store this weekend

By: Susan from Food Blogga

Susan from Food Blogga — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 23:33:36 +0000

Nuts. My comment didn’t post b/c logging in/out. It went something like: Woo-hoo! You tackled fava beans! I like the tip about tearing the waxy shell, but mine really did pop right out. Scouts honor.

I can’t wait to make this recipe. Pasta with bacon and favas? What’s not to love? Great post, Terry.