In My Kitchen: Favas

Fresh fava beans are one of the best things about spring. I buy them (and fresh peas) whenever I see them, knowing their season is short. Don’t let the task of skinning them keep you from working with favas. Yes, it is necessary and don’t let anybody convince you that it isn’t. But you can get into a rhythm and it can go quickly. Turn on some good music or catch up with those last two episodes of Mad Men that you missed while you pop the favas out of their skins. Here’s how you do it:

Shell the favas. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Fill a bowl with ice water. Drop the shelled fava beans into the boiling water and boil  2 minutes. Drain and transfer immediately to the cold water. Allow the beans to cool for several minutes, then slip off their skins by pinching off the eye of the skin and squeezing gently. Hold several beans in one hand and use your other thumb and forefinger to pinch off the eyes, have a bowl for the shelled favas close at hand and this will not take a very long time. Once you’re done skinning, choose from some of my favorite recipes in my fava bean recipe box on cooking.nytimes.com.