Fava Bean & Olive Pasta with Goat Gouda

Seems like everyone has a "problem" with fava beans.

As I bagged a couple of bags of homegrown favas, fresh from my friend's garden, another friend looked over in surprise and said "You like fava beans?".
"You have to peel them." I said (to raised eyebrows).

My mother used to cook fava beans, or broad beans as they are called in my homeland, as a side to ham. She served them covered in parsely sauce and they were never a favorite of my vegetable-loving childhood ("Give me your cabbages, your swedes, your brussels sprouts!"). With hindsight, I realize that the problem was that she never peeled them. They were served with their wrinkled bitter skins intact, and even I observed them mournfully (although, the parsely sauce really helped.)

"But they're so time-consuming to peel" critics say.

Put them in boiling, salted water for 3 minutes, then strain, rinse with cold water and peel. Is this so stressful? Takes but a minute to pop these beans out of their grey cloaks and reveal their brilliant, bright greenness.

Isn't the photograph above mouthwatering?

Here's the simple recipe of a wonderful combination of Reginette pasta, fava beans, and kalamata olives:

Fava Bean & Olive Pasta with Goat Gouda

6 oz Reginette pasta (or pasta of your choice, spaghetti or rigatoni would also be good)
1 cup fresh fava beans
1 stalk of green garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp butter
squirt of lemon juice
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp red wine
8 kalamata olives, sliced
2 oz Goat Gouda, diced

Cook the pasta according to directions.

Boil water and add salt. Cook the podded fava beans for 3 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Peel.

Heat the oil in a skillet and sauted the green garlic until tender, 4-5 minutes. Add the peeled fava beans and butter and cook 1-2 minutes. Add the lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, red wine, and olives. Cook 1 minute. Add the pasta and stir until combined. Add the goat cheese, season, and serve.