Spring Pea and Fava Bean Panzanella

Spring Pea and Fava Bean Panzanella with Fresh Basil 

Serves 4 

3 cups total: processed fava beans, sugar snap peas, and snow peas 

1 small loaf of sourdough bread (not pre sliced)

1 cup fresh basil leaves, picked off of the stem 

1 small shallot 

1 lemon 

8 oz. burrata, fresh mozzarella or fresh chevre

⅔ cup good olive oil 

2 cloves garlic, peeled 

¼ cup champagne or white wine vinegar 

1 tsp sugar 

1 tsp salt 

Preheat oven to 350

 In a large metal bowl combine ¼ cup of olive oil with 1 clove garlic grated on a microplane or pressed through a garlic press. Cut or rip your bread into roughly 1”x1” cubes and place them in the bowl, toss them in the oil to coat them evenly. Place the croutons on a large sheet tray, giving them each plenty of room, don’t crowd them. Bake them for 10-15 minutes until they start to turn golden around the edges. Allow them to cool fully. 

 In a small bowl combine the vinegar, salt and sugar and stir to dissolve. Thinly slice the shallot and add it to the vinegar.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil If you are using snap peas, slice them into 1/2" slices on the diagonal. If you are using english shelling peas, remove them from the shells. Prepare a large pot of ice water. Place all of your peas and beans in the boiling water and cook for 30 seconds, until they are vibrantly green, remove them from the water with a mesh strainer and place them in the ice water. Once they have cooled, strain them and toss them with lemon zest, 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 Tbsp lemon zest and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. 

When the croutons have cooled completely, place the shallots and vinegar in the large bowl that you tossed the croutons in. Add the remaining olive oil, zest from the lemon and fava beans and toss well to combine. Right before you are ready to eat, toss the fava beans, peas and shallots with the croutons and basil leaves. Plate the panzanella into a serving bowl and top it with fresh cheese, cracked black pepper and a sprinkle of sea salt. Enjoy! 

To Process Fava Beans: 

Remove the fava beans from their shell. Boil a medium sized pot of salted water. Place the fava beans in the boiling water for 1 minute. While the fava beans are cooking, prepare and bowl of ice water to shock them in.  Remove the favas with a mesh strainer and place them in the ice water bath. After a few minutes in ice water, you can strain them and puncture their outer shell with your fingernails and squeeze out the little, bright green fava beans. Toss them in a little bit of olive oil and set in the fridge until you are ready to use them. This is an amazing task for children!