Fava Beans with Feta

I've been trying new things lately.

After being distracted by the bargain bin at Barnes & Nobel, I found a fantastic new recipe book! The Vegetarian Bible- Fresh From the Garden. I've tagged a few recipes, and actually tried two, and they are TOTALLY out of the box for me. So... I pushed my fears back in the cupboard and I gave them a try.

First of all..... beans.

I hate beans.

Scratch that- hatED beans.

Yesterday, I made Fava Beans with Feta.

The only thing I knew about fava beans was from how Hannibal Lecter ate them. You know the quote, "a census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti."

I didn't find fava beans in the fresh veggies section, but I did find them in a can. It's a start.

Fava Beans with Feta

Ingredients
1 lb Shelled Fava beans
4 tbsp extra virgin oliv eoil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill, plus extra to garnish
2 oz feta cheese, drained and diced
salt and pepper

1. Bring saucepan of water to a boil. Add the fava beans and cook for about 2 minutes, until tender. Drain throughly and set aside.
2. When the beans are cool enough to handle, remove and discard the outer skins to reveal the bright green beans underneath. Put the peeled beans in a serving bowl.
3. Combine the olive oil and lemon juice, then season to taste with the salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the warm beans, add the dill, and stir gently. Adjust the seasoning, if necessary.
4. If serving hot, add the feta cheese, toss gently, and sprinkle with extra dill, then serve immediately. Alternatively, set aside the beans in their dressing to cool and then chill until required.

Num num num! Dr.Lector was right... fava beans are great! I was surprised by how large they were, I've only really eaten beans when I really have to at Mexican Restaurants. These were smooth, buttery and wonderful. They also opened my mind to the wonderful world of dill! I've been putting on everything now. When using the caned beans, you don't need to shell them. Apparently, fava beans are the staple of many diets, and even saved the Romans from starvation. But here in America, fava beans have never really been popular, and that's because of how labor intensive they are! Like corn, you have to peel and shuck them until you end up with a couple of beans. Save yourself some pain and give them a try in can form, then maybe progress onto the big world of fresh green fava beans.