Spring Ragout Recipe

[rajeshsheth]

It is important to have all your ingredients washed, prepped and ready to go before you even get near the stove. The whole thing comes together fast and furiously. The edible flowers you see here are flor de kale morado, unlike many other other edible flowers you might find they can stand up to a bit of cooking - it softens up their stems a bit and makes them a more pleasant texture to eat.
20-30 fava bean pods, removed from puffy shells
extra virgin olive oil
fine grain sea salt
1 bunch thin asparagus, cut into 1/2-inch segments
1 1/2 cups peas, freshly shelled or frozen
zest of one lemon
splash of cream
pecorino cheese (Parmesan would be a fine alt.)
edible flowers for garnish (totally optional)
Cook fava beans for about a minute in a pot of salted water. Drain, run under cold water, and shell 2nd layer. To do this pinch each fava to break the skin and gently squeeze to separate the bean from the skin. Set aside.
In a cold skillet big splash of olive oil, 2 big pinches of salt, and 2 tablespoons of water. Heat over medium high heat and when the water starts bubbling add the asparagus spears. Cover and cook for 30-45 seconds, longer if the asparagus is thicker until it is barely tender and bright green. Stir in the peas peas and cook uncovered for another 20 seconds or so (maybe a touch longer if you were using peas that were frozen). Stir in the lemon zest, the tiniest splash of cream, and serve garnished with edible flowers.
Serves 4.