Fava, Arugula and Shaved Parmesan: perfect starter or palette cleanser

fava-arugula

Here’s a very simple something to start off a meal, or to act as a palette cleanser part way through — best served with a crisp white wine.

I have not been a happy CSA customer this summer (I’ll just say, it’s not *just* the fault of the weather), but I’ll spare you the detail on that. One nice thing they have given us is fava beans, and I was able to pick up some arugula from the farmer’s market this weekend. They paired very nicely here.

Fava Bean, Arugula and Shaved Parmesan Salad
Serves 4
4 large handfuls of fava bean pods, shelled
2 handfuls of arugula leaves, washed with bottom stems removed
1 lemon
olive oil
salt and pepper
dijon mustard
parmesan cheese

After shelling the fava beans, boil them in water for 3-4 minutes then drain and quickly plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Once cool, you want to remove the outer layer of the fava beans. I find it easiest to pinch at the edge of the skin at the dimple of the bean, and then squeeze the bean out — it should slip out quite easily.

Make the dressing by combining the juice of 1 lemon, an equal amount of olive oil, a pinch of salt, a small amount of dijon mustard, and a teaspoon of finely grated parmesan cheese.  Wisk it up well with a fork, then combine with the fava beans in a bowl for about 15 – 20 minutes.

Right before serving, gently mix in the arugula leaves and plate with some fresh pepper and some parmesan shavings on top.

4 thoughts on “Fava, Arugula and Shaved Parmesan: perfect starter or palette cleanser”

  1. That is one gorgeous, 5 star-restaurant-worthy looking salad! As you know we’ve been very happy with our CSA but even we are thinking of not getting it next year because our local farmer’s market has gotten so good we want to buy everything there.

  2. This is a gorgeous salad. What clean bright flavors. I’m a huge fan of arugula and parmesan salads and the addition of the fava beans takes it to the next level. Thanks for sharing!

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