There was a week in April when the green garlic and the favas arrived at the same time. I have been waiting for that overlap since last year.
Serves 2 to 3
2 pounds fava beans in the pod 2 stalks green garlic, thinly sliced, or 1 small clove regular garlic, shaved thin Good olive oil Flaky salt Black pepper Pecorino romano, a chunk for shaving Half a lemon
Shell the pods. You will have more beans than you think you need and fewer than you want.
Blanch the shelled beans in well-salted boiling water for ninety seconds. Transfer immediately to cold water.
The beans have a second skin. Pinch one end of each bean and it slips off. This is the part people skip. Do not skip it. What is underneath is bright green and tastes like spring actually tastes, not what spring is supposed to taste like.
Toss the peeled beans while still warm with the green garlic and enough olive oil to coat everything. Add flaky salt and several turns of pepper. Squeeze over a little lemon. Not a lot. Enough to make the oil taste like more of itself.
Shave pecorino over the top. Eat soon.