This delicious and simple dip or crostini spread can be made a few days in advance making it the perfect party appetizer for spring.

I love fava beans. They are a springtime favorite and oh so delicious. Also known as broad beans or horse beans, fava beans can can be hard to find off season. And for this recipe you need fresh fava beans. Dried will not work. The good news is you can often get them on sale for $1 or $2 dollars a pound in April and May.

I love this recipe because it’s so simple. Although not necessarily easy, because fava beans can be kind of pain to shell. You have two shell them twice as there is both the inner and outer shell of the bean that needs to be removed. You can leave the inner shell on but but it will give the beans an earthy flavor and you won’t have that signature bright green fava bean look. But aside from the double shelling this is a delicious recipe that can be made a few days in advance, making it a perfect party staple.

I used this spread to top crostini along with manchego cheese and a drizzle of olive oil, but you can also use as a dip with vegetables and crackers.

In order to shell the bean, you’ll want to bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Once it’s starts boiling add the fava beans and cook for 8 minutes. While they’re cooking, fill another large bowl with ice water.

Once they’re cooked, use a slotted spoon to transfer the beans to the ice water bath. Once they’re cooled, you can strain the beans out and tap dry with a towel. Then, shell both the outer and inner shell leaving only the bright green inner fava beans.

Once they’re shelled add them to a food processor along with lemon and garlic and puree until smooth. While still pureeing, slowly add the olive oil.

That’s it! If putting on a crostini add a slice of manchego cheese, a drizzle of olive oil, and salt and cracked pepper and you’re good to go! You can also put it in a bowl as a dip, or just eat it by the spoonful.

Fava Bean Crostini

This delicious and simple dip or crostini spread can be made a few days in advance making it the perfect party appetizer for spring.

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Author: Sophia Assunta

Ingredients

2 pounds fresh fava beans
½ -¾ cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic
Juice half lemon
Manchego cheese thinly sliced
Olive oil
Kosher or sea salt
Pepper
Crostini

Instructions

Bring an extra large pot of water to a boil
While bringing water to a boil, fill a large bowl with ice water
Once the water is boiling, add the fava beans
Let boil for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally
Using a large slotted spoon, move the fava beans to the prepared ice water bath
This will stop them from cooking and allow the outer shell to slide right off
Once they’ve cooled, drain the ice water
Shell the fava beans by removing both the large outer bean and the inner white bean
Put the shelled fava beans, garlic, olive oil and lemon into a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth.
Salt and pepper to taste
Add a tablespoon or two to the prepared crostini
Top with a few slices of manchego cheese
Drizzle with olive oil and add kosher salt or cracked pepper