Name: Fava Bean Beurre Blanc Pasta
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min

Like most recipes, we tend to adjust them before even cooking. Often we just try to minimize the number of dishes, streamline the process or just use ingredients we have on hand.

We love Sarah Raven's cookbooks, but still find ways to adjust recipes from even our favorite cooks.

This one is from her Garden Cookbook, I highly recommend getting a copy even though it is a splurge.

Ingredients

250g (~0.5lbs) board (fava) beans, shelled
(this is about 1kg / 2lb when still in the pod)
350g (0.75 lbs) pasta of your choice
We used a thin spaghetti or a tagliolini is what Ms. Raven recommends.
100g (1/4 lb) pasture raised ham
sliced and then fried briefly over high heat in some butter
2 T of fresh herbs (thyme, marjoram, summer savory or Italian mix) - we also used our chives
Graded Parmesan cheese

4 T white wine (we used a Sauvignon Blanc)
4 T white wine vinegar
1 heaping Tablespoon of finely chopped shallots
(we used a bit more and used leeks)
175g (1.5 sticks) butter, cold and cut into half tablespoon sized pieces
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente (still has a little bit of bite on it, not soft, but not crunchy either)
Save all the cooking liquid for re-use when straining -- Bring back to boil to cook beans
Toss the pasta in olive oil and keep warm

Begin Beurre Blanc
In a medium saute pan, simmer the wine, vinegar, shallots/leek until reduced to about a tablespoon of liquid (ignoring the shallot volume)
Whisk in the cold butter pieces one by one over very low heat. It should end thick and creamy
Salt and pepper to taste, keep warm- you kind of want this to be done right when the beans are ready

Cook Beans
Start while you are reducing the sauce
Once water is boiling again, cook the shelled beans in water for about 4 min. Remove beans and save some cooking water
Cool the beans quickly by running some cold water over them in a strainer
Optional: pop out the beans from their skin.
Puree half of the beans with about a tablespoon of the cooking water

Mix and serve
Add the puree, fried ham pieces and beurre blanc to the pasta and stir
Add in the remaining whole beans and stir
Top with fresh herbs and parmesan, salt and pepper to taste