Fava Beans (Italian Legumes II)

Fava beans seldom pop up in the diet of Middle America. I've long known of their existence and their importance in Egyptian cuisine (which, is, in itself, odd because I couldn't tell you another distinct component of Egyptian cuisine). I've also known for years that Brits eat them fresh as broad beans. What I didn't know is what they taste like. I know now.

Not much.

I'll be the first to admit that I may not have prepared them in the most succulent of ways. The Ambassador, the friend I was visiting in Rome, had purchased the beans as a novelty at the local vegetable market and promptly forgotten they were in her refrigerator. I peeled them, boiled the beans and mashed them with olive oil, rosemary, salt and lemon juice. The resulting paste was spread on rice cakes. Altogether it was a success, but made one wonder why one didn't just make hummus.

I later learned of a seasonal Italian soup involving fresh fava beans and artichokes, but was unable to sample it as I never recognized it on a menu nor knew exactly what to look for.