I am lucky enough to find freshly shelled fava beans and peas at my local supermarket. If you grow your own, or have a source of really young vegetables, use them, but it is better to use frozen petits pois and fava beans rather than old fresh ones.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Heat the garlic in 1 tablespoon oil for a few seconds only, stirring. Before it begins to color, add the fava beans and a little salt, and barely cover with water. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes, until the beans are tender.
Step 2
Add the peas, sugar, pepper, a little more salt, the mint, and lemon juice and simmer, covered, until the peas are tender. If they are very young, this takes only a minute. (If you are using older peas, put them in at the same time as the beans.) They do not need to be covered with water as they cook in the steam, but do not let the vegetables dry out. Add a little water, if necessary, and reduce excess liquid by cooking uncovered.
Step 3
Stir in the remaining olive oil and serve hot or cold.
