Fava Bean and Tomato Salad

Fava beans, huh? What the heck are fava beans? A few weeks ago I had never even heard of fava beans. That all changed when these little beauties showed up in my CSA box.

Fava beans are the craziest things. If you've never seen one, I have to say that they are amazing. These beans are around 7 inches long. And the inside of the pod is soft and smooth to the touch. It's not what I expected to find in there. Even weirder, it doesn't stop at the inside of the pod. The actual bean has another layer of skin that has to be removed. It's very well-designed.


You can find fava beans at the local farmer's market or at PCC. They are a bit of a process to cook so don't say that I didn't warn you on that one. And, they have a very distinctive fava bean-like taste. There's no way for me to really describe it to you -- you just have to try one.

If you're ready to embark on the adventure of cooking your own, I suggest you check out this video: How to Cook Fava Beans It's a great h0w-to and it shows you step-by-step. Even though they are a bit of work, that beautiful green bean is worth it in the end. And, once you've cooked the beans, this salad can be thrown together in a matter of minutes.


Serves 2

Ingredients:
1 cup cooked fresh fava beans (I found that it takes about 1 pound of fava beans to get 1 cup of the actual bean/seed inside.)
1/2 onion, diced
2 Tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
1 cup quartered grape tomatoes
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium radish, minced
Salt to taste

Once your fava beans have been cooked and cooled, gently mix them with the onion, fresh cilantro, tomatoes, and radish. Drizzle the olive oil over the top and add salt to taste.