Smashed Fava Beans, Pecorino, and Mint on Toast

This is a loose pesto of fava beans and mint, with plenty of olive oil. Use it as a pasta sauce or as a dip for vegetables, spoon it over crushed boiled new potatoes, or spread some on toasted country bread, as I do here. If you have a mortar and pestle, use it, though a food processor will work fine, as long as you don’t overprocess 👍

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Step 1

Shell, blanch, and ?eel the ?avas as ?reviously described.

Step 2

Put the green garlic and a ?inch o? salt into a ?ood ?rocessor and ?ulse a ?ew times. Add hal? the mint leaves and ?ulse a ?ew more times so the garlic is ?airly ?ine. Add the ?eeled ?avas and 2 tables?oons olive oil and ?ulse again.

Step 3

Your goal is to bash u? the ?avas but not com?letely ?uree them. You may need to scra?e down the sides o? the ?rocessor bowl between ?ulses.

Step 4

Scra?e the mixture into a bowl, season with some ?e??er, and stir in ¼ cu?

Step 5

grated ?ecorino and 1 tables?oon lemon ?uice. ?aste and ad?ust the ?lavor with more salt, ?e??er, or lemon ?uice, and ad?ust the consistency with olive oil so that it is loose and luscious.

Step 6

Brush the bread on one side with olive oil and grill or broil until cris?.

Step 7

Arrange on ?lates, to? with the ?ava mixture and the rest o? the mint leaves (torn i? they’re big), and ?inish with a nice shower o? grated ?ecorino and another dri??le o? oil.