Made famous by one cannibalizing psychopath a ways back, Fava Beans are something to look forward to in the spring, and though they can be a bit of a chore to clean, imagine what poor, poor Hannibal Lecter had to go through to prepare the rest of that meal. While cheffing, I've always enjoyed the power favas had to clear my kitchen of bored, chatty servers--anytime I've had them on a menu (favas, not servers), there's always a bowl of them floating around, and the dictum "you've got time to lean, you've got time to clean...favas" rules. Yes, they need to be peeled twice (the pod has to be opened, then the beans themselves have skin that needs to be removed), and yes, this takes a lot of time. But you know what happens when things take a lot of time in the kitchen? People start talking to each other. People start telling stories. It's like when people find out you don't have a television. "What on earth do you do with your time?" they ask, wide-eyed. Me, I'd take a half hour peeling favas over half an hour of pretty much anything on tv. Unless it was Silence of the Lambs.
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