Can We Love a Fava Bean?

In my never-ending, and sometimes painful, drive to get more vegetables in my diet, I subscribe to Farm Fresh to You, a produce delivery service from local growers. It's also a good thing to eat local and seasonal food - tastes better, better for the environment and the rest of that do-good stuff. I'm challenged and intrigued with each delivery because there's always one fresh item that I've never cooked with or that I think I'll like, which brings me to Fava.
What to do with a giant bean that arrived in a pod nearly the size of a banana? Like Katrina De Voort ("Her house always smells like soup," Bleeker said to Juno.), I made soup.
And that meant I went to Chop Therapy first.

Chop Therapy session included carrots, leeks, green beans, asparagus, celery and "The Groovy Sixties" CD. You can get pre-chopped if you're in a hurry, but you'll be missing the soothing sounds of Me and Bobby McGee.

My culinary cousin Pam taught me to start with a mirepoix (fancy French term for chopped veggies that become the flavor base - pronounced meer-pwah) - two parts onion (in this case, leeks) to one part each celery and carrots. Cook in a little olive oil over med/med high heat for five minutes to bring out the flavor. Add in broth (veggie/chicken or both), all beans and asparagus. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add dried herbs here or fresh herbs before serving (thyme, basil, flat leaf parsley, mint -all work for spring flavors). Play with ingredients you prefer or those you have on hand and always taste as you go.

Spring Vegetable Soup with fava beans.

It's Sunday, I even had time to grate some fresh parmesan cheese on top.

I had dismissed the fava as just another bean of colossal proportion, but it tasted unique - fresh, an inexplicable spring flavor.