Holy goodness! I have been obsessed with fava beans for some time now and LOVE that so many San Francisco restaurants are offering a variety of dishes showcasing this lovely little green bean. My favorite dish with fava beans has to be a fava crostini. I recently had one at Firefly, one at Locanda, and one at Contigo. I decided to combine all of my favorite elements of those and add my two other favorite ingredients: radishes and burrata. I also used Judy's Lovesticks to make the crostini, since I love the added nutty flavor the sunflower seeds add. This dish is a perfect appetizer on a warm evening. It's almost as beautiful as it is delicious. Enjoy!
Makes 10-12 crostini
Ingredients:
- 1/2 lb. fresh fava beans
- 2 tbsp. finely grated parmesan
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped mint
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1/2 cup fresh burrata cheese
- 2 radishes, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp. balsamic reduction
- 10-12 slices of baguette
Directions:
-Preheat the broiler and bring a medium saucepan of salted water to boil.
-Remove the favas from the shells and blanch in boiling water for about 5 minutes.
-Transfer favas to a small ice bath to cool and peel off the waxy outer layer.
-In a small Cuisinart, combine the favas, parmesan, olive oil, mint, and lemon juice.
-Pulse until well blended, but not perfectly smooth.
-Meanwhile, brush bread slices with olive oil and broil for 1 minute on each side.
-Remove from oven and slather with a spoonful of the fava mixture.
-Top with radish slices, a dollop of burrata, and a drizzle of balsamic reduction.
-Garnish with any leftover mint leaves and transfer to a platter for immediate consumption.
