Sautéed Fava Beans
Ingredients
4 pounds unshelled fava beans (in the pod)
2 tablespoons olive oil (plus more for drizzling)
3 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh mint (optional)
Instructions
Fill a large bowl with ice water. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Drop the fava bean pods into the boiling water. Boil for 30 seconds. Drain the pods. Submerge the pods in the ice bath. Let them sit for a few minutes until chilled.
Snap one end of the shell and pull the string down the seam of the pod to open the pod. There will be about 4 or 5 beans inside. Remove the beans. If the fava beans are mature, they will have a white-ish shell around the bean; peel those shells off. You should have about 2 1/2 to 3 cups of fava beans.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute, until the garlic starts to turn golden and soften and smell fragrant. Add the fava beans and sauté for about 3 to 5 minutes, until they are as tender as you like them. Season with salt and pepper, and add the mint, if using. Serve hot or warm with a final drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt