Fava Bean Salad with Fresh Mint

Ingredients

• 2 pounds fava beans in their pods
• 2 sprigs fresh mint
• 2 cups salted water
• 2 ounces thinly sliced Serrano ham, prosciutto or Black Forest ham
• 1 small head of romaine lettuce, cut into thin strips
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Peel the fava beans and discard the pods. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the fava beans and simmer thirty seconds. Remove the fava beans and cool. To peel them, puncture the bright green skin with your fingernail and pop the bean out of the shell. Discard the shells.

Remove the leaves from the mint sprigs, but reserve the stems. Pile the leaves one on top of another and roll like a cigar. Cut into very thin strips and reserve. With the back of a knife, tap the mint stems several times to bring out their flavor. Bring the salted water and the mint stems to a boil. Add the fava beans and simmer until tender, 3 minutes. Drain, discard the mint stems and cool.

Cut the ham into thin strips. Combine the ham, lettuce, strips of mint, and fava beans. Whisk together the mustard, olive oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Toss the vinaigrette with the fava bean mixture and serve immediately.