I love fava beans and March always reminds me of them. They are not quite in season here yet, so I have opted for frozen. They are gorgeous, tender and incredibly fresh. They can be a bit labour intensive, but if you have kids you can easily assign the task of shelling the beans to them.
Believe me, it's worth it! The bright green fava bean looks glorious. They have a nutty taste and pair beautifully with smoky chorizo and the fresh chilli.
And of course you can omit the chorizo and make this vegetarian. Would be equally delicious topped with a soft poached egg.
Spaghetti Primavera with Fava and Cannellini Beans Sun Dried Tomatoes Chorizo and Chilli
Serves 4
Under 30 minutes
200 g. Frozen fava beans
400 g. Spaghetti
150 g. Diced chorizo, Spanish or Portuguese variety
150 g. Grated Grana Padano cheese, plus more to serve
120 g. Cannellini beans, drained
60 ml. Extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. Unsalted butter
6 Garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
6 Sundried tomatoes, finely chopped
2 Red chillies, optional if you want it less spicy
1/2 Lemon, juice and zest
Bunch of fresh Italian flat leaf parsley to finish
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
2 Ladles (150ml.) of the pasta cooking water to finish
1. In a small saucepan bring water to the boil and blanch the fava beans for approximately 2 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. When they are cool enough to handle, remove the skin to reveal the gloriously coloured fava bean. Set them aside and discard skins.
2. Put a large pot of water generously salted on the boil for the pasta. Add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package directions for al dente.
3. Meanwhile, in a large frying pan on high heat, add chorizo and olive oil. Fry until crisp and fragrant. A few minutes.
4. Reduce heat to low and add garlic and chilli, stirring constantly, so garlic doesn't burn, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, fava, and cannellini beans. Cook gently for 2 minutes. Stir often.
5. Add 2 ladles of the pasta cooking water, butter and cheese.
6. Drain pasta and add pasta to sauce frying pan. Add lemon juice and zest.
Stir to combine and cook a further 2 minutes on a low heat. Adjust salt and add if needed. Remember cheese is salty. Add parsley and stir to combine.
Divide pasta among 4 bowls along with extra cheese.
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