Smashed Fava Toasts with Pecorino

To make this chunky spread, nutty, tender fava beans smash together with a splash of olive oil, a bright squeeze of lemon, and salty sheep’s milk cheese. 

What You Get

Fava beans

Garlic

Mint

Lemon

Grated pecorino Romano cheese

Sourdough batard

What You’ll Need

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Olive oil

Makes 6 servings

25 minutes active 

40 minutes total 

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment or foil. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. 

Step 2

Shell the fava beans, popping them out of the pods. Peel 3 cloves garlic, chop 1 of the cloves, and cut the remaining 2 cloves in half. Pick the mint, toss the stems, and tear the leaves. 

Step 3

Add the fava beans to the boiling water, and blanch just until the skins loosen, about 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fava beans to a bowl of ice water. Skin the fava beans, by piercing the skin with your thumbnail and popping out the bright green bean. (You can skip this step, but the texture will be better, and the skins can be slightly bitter.) 

Step 4

In a frying pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the fava beans and sauté until they start to soften, 1 minute. Add the chopped garlic and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add ½ cup water and simmer until the fava beans are very tender and most of the water has evaporated, 6 minutes. Use the back of a spoon to roughly smash the favas as they cook. Remove from the heat, add the juice of ½ lemon, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and a small handful of pecorino, and season with salt and pepper. 

Step 5

To make the toasts, slice half of the loaf of bread into pieces about ½-inch thick, reserving the rest for another use. Place the slices on the prepared pan, brush with olive oil, and season with salt. Transfer the pan to the oven and toast until the bread is golden, 5 minutes. Rub each piece of toast with the cut garlic cloves. 

Step 6 

Spread the smashed fava mixture on top of the toasts. Squeeze with more lemon juice, drizzle lightly with olive oil, and sprinkle with pecorino. Grind with pepper, scatter with the torn mint, and serve warm or at room temperature. 

Contains: milk, wheat.