From the Farm:: Raviolis with Sauteed Garlic Fava Beans

I had mentioned that my challenge this week was to cook with fava beans. I really enjoy their summery taste, and love their sightly al-dente crunch. We had a pound of them from last week's veggie share and I've never used them before.

So I was really excited when I got home and A. had already prepped them! ...I could really get used to having a sous-chef :-)

I decided to combine with eggplant pomodori raviolis (eggplant, ricotta, basil, pine nuts, and sundried tomatoes!) from Brunos Raviolis that we bought at the Fulton St. market a few weeks ago. Because I wanted to taste the fava beans, and the raviolis already have so much flavor, I lightly sauteed them with olive oil and garlic, and topped with fresh Parmesan. An easy weeknight meal!

Raviolis are great because you can buy fresh at the farmers market, freeze for a couple of months, and have an instant meal any day of the week,

RAVIOLIS w/ SAUTEED GARLIC FAVA BEANS

1 pack raviolis

1 lb fava beans (this will five you about a cup of beans)

3 tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic

lots of fresh parmesean

Prep fava beans by removing the beans from the pods and boiling in water for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and submerge the beans in ice water. When they are cool enough to handle, remove the outer skin from each bean. This will easily slide off and will remove the bitter flavor from the beans. Here's a picture: pods, skin, and beans

Cook raviolis per instructions. 6-8 minutes is usually enough. Drain.

Sautee chopped garlic in olive oil in a large skillet until lightly browned (a couple of minutes, not burnt!). Add the fava beans and stir. Add raviolis to the pan and add plenty of Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper and serve!