Fava Bean Dip with Goat Cheese and Garlic

Sorry guys - more fava beans! Another three pound bag in the CSA box this week and turned it into one tasty dip. Super simple, but really delicious, clean flavors. It's nice that it's not heavy like most dips and I love the neon green color!

Fava Bean Dip with Goat Cheese and Garlic
Recipe from www.simplyrecipes.com

• 2-3 pounds fresh fava (broad) beans, shelled (about 2 cups)
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1/2 cup chopped green garlic (can substitute 4 cloves chopped garlic)
• Olive oil
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup or more water
• 5 ounces goat cheese (I used about half the amount and thought it was perfect.)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 Remove the outer shell from the fava beans. The easiest way to do this is to work over a large bowl, bend the fava bean pod near one of the beans, squeeze the bean with your fingers, to have it shoot out into the bowl when the bean snaps. Keep squeezing, pinching and snapping, until you've de-beaned all the pods.

2 Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt. Add the shelled beans, simmer for 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove beans from the hot water and place in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and to shock the beans into maintaining their bright green color. When the beans have sunk to the bottom of the bowl of ice water, fish them out and remove and discard the outer peel.

3 In a small skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium. Add the chopped green garlic (or chopped regular garlic cloves) and cook until softened, but not browned, about 3 or 4 minutes.

4 Place shelled and peeled beans in a food processor with softened green garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, and water. Pulse until smooth. Stream in a tablespoon or two more of olive oil while puréeing.

5 Scrape mixture out of food processor into a bowl. Mix in the goat cheese until well combined. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

Serve with sliced cucumbers or jicama.

Makes about 2 cups.