Favas

J said ... hi michele, i've been having a bit of a fava moment myself and this fits the bill deliciously. strangely, my favourite part about favas is popping them out of their skins! ❋ Michele (2006)

The only thing that I do with dried beans, especially favas, is be very careful to remove any discoloured beans and any beans that float when put in water. ❋ Unknown (2005)

… The oldest archaeological remains of favas were found in a site near Nazareth dated between 6500 and 6000 BCE … Oddly, the archaeological record is otherwise silent and the next findings date from several thousand years later. ❋ Laurie Constantino (2009)

Whatever size favas you use, the best bet is to parboil the beans, peel them, then finish cooking until beans are tender. ❋ Ellen Kanner (2011)

Any cook who has ever labored through a pile of fresh favas—"all the work of shelling them, blanching them, peeling them and cooking them," Mr. Myers moans—will appreciate the shuck-for-your-supper approach. ❋ Katy McLaughlin (2011)

That said, peeling a pound of favas with your beloved is a worthy endeavor. ❋ Ellen Kanner (2011)

Grilled Fresh Fava Beans Chefs around the country are grilling fresh favas—some as simply as just piling the beans, still in pods, on the grill and serving them with salt. ❋ Katy McLaughlin (2011)

Exactly when and where favas were domesticated remains a complete mystery, and they quite suddenly appear in Bronze Age sites in the third millennium BCE in places as far flung as Spain and Portugal, northern Italy and Switzerland, Greece and the Middle East. … most likely they spread from the Fertile Crescent in every direction, becoming the premier bean of the ancient world. ❋ Laurie Constantino (2009)

Small favas, which the Egyptians call ful hammam, or bath beans, are not only quicker to cook, they're easier to peel. ❋ Ellen Kanner (2011)

I often use edamames as a substitute for fresh fava beans in Greek recipes, such as braised favas with dill and onions or favas and potatoes baked in grape leaves (recipes for both are in Tastes Like Home: Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska). ❋ Laurie Constantino (2009)

Available in Middle Eastern markets and many natural food stores, dried favas come in small, medium and large, but the Egyptians wisely use only the small tender ones for making ful. ❋ Ellen Kanner (2011)

Chefs around the country are grilling fresh favas. ❋ Katy McLaughlin (2011)

This is one good-looking plate of food, and I really want to make it this summer when favas come back in season. ❋ Unknown (2011)

If there is anything unsatisfying about favas, it is this -- the beans have a tough outer carapace that needs to be peeled before eating. ❋ Ellen Kanner (2011)

David Myers brushes his with his all-purpose grill baste of olive oil, sake and salt, so eaters' fingers will carry the flavor onto the favas. ❋ Katy McLaughlin (2011)