A fresh fava bean salad is such a delight on a hot day with a cool glass of wine… and yesterday was certainly a hot day here in NYC, up in the mid 80s with extreme humidity.

Shelling and cooking fresh fava beans is one of those processes similar to sautéing spinach — you begin with mounds of the stuff and after all of your slaving are left with virtually nothing… So you may start making these fava beans with asiago cheese with every intention of sharing them with someone, but by the end you will be treating this dish like your baby bear cub (if you were a mother bear). I guess you could triple or quadruple this recipe but I don’t know if that would change anything…

For a snack for 1-2 people (if you are feeling generous…) you will need:

1 cup shelled beans (from about 1lb fresh fava bean pods)
1-2 oz asiago cheese, crumbled
Olive oil
White wine vinegar
Salt to taste

Shell the beans and blanch for about 2 minutes in salted boiling water. Remove their tough outer skins and reserve the beans in a small bowl. Add the cheese, a splash of white wine vinegar and a drizzle of olive oil, season with salt and enjoy!