Sunday, April 18 - Fava Beans & a Nice Chianti

We took in a ball game this afternoon....Perfect weather for an April afternoon in LA. It was hat day, so Mike was thrilled to get a "This is my town" cap since he loves his adopted city soooo much. But did you know Dodger Stadium doesn't allow parking lot tailgating with beer any more? Boo. We managed to sneak in a Jersey Mike's (roast beef, provolone & turkey) sub and a Pacifico without security ejecting us.

They played "Don't Stop Believin'" at the top of the 8th inning...then Manny Ramirez, who was on the injured list for most of the game,  came up to pinch hit and BAM! 2 run homer to win the game. Yay!

While we had to overcome a little inertia to cook dinner, we had bought these gorgeous looking fava beans at our local Venice Farmer's Market on Friday. We bought a bag and Laura started saying in a Hannibal Lecter-esque cadence, "Clarice! Quid pro quo! The lambs the lambs!"

The truth is, fava beans are a bit of a pain in the ass. You need to shell them from their pod, dump them in boiling water for 2 minutes, then put them in ice water in order to get their skin off. It's a lot of effort for little return.

Our wine is, of course, 2005 Chianti that we picked up for $19.99 at Costco yesterday. It's dry and fruity with soft tannins. Pretty big for a $20 wine. Sabrina approves. Make sure there is the pink label around the neck of the bottle, as that certifies that the wine is officially from the Chianti region of Italy, and not an imitation.

LEMON FAVA BEAN PASTA ALFREDO

1 pound fresh, shelled fava beans
1/2 box orechiette (ear shaped) pasta
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice & lemon zest
1/2 lb. fresh spinach (washed)
1 tomato, seeded & minced
1/4 cup half and half
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. pepper
salt to taste



1. Cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. With 30 seconds until done, throw in the spinach to wilt it. Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water, and drain the pasta & spinach in a colander.
2. In pasta pot, melt butter and half and half for 1 minute. Stir in lemon juice, zest & pepper.  Add pasta and cheese. Toss until cheese is melted. Add the fava beans & toss. If the sauce is too thick, use some of the reserved pasta water to thin it out.
3. Plate the pasta and add the fresh tomatoes on top. Salt lightly to taste.

Serve immediately, or else sauce will start to thicken.