fava beans with manchego cheese

It has been quite busy in Jobyland as of late. Two product launch campaigns and one major sale in a span of six weeks is a lot for one girl to handle. Thankfully, Jordan finished his semester last week and has been taking good care of me. Last Thursday, he made his famous paella. Paella is one of Jordan’s specialties, but this time he decided to experiment and cook the shrimp in a spicy tomato sauce, instead of cooking them along with the rice. Slathering paella rice with spicy tomato shrimp and a garlicy aioli after a long day of Photoshopping—yep, that’s a very good idea.

But, paella isn’t just one of those things you whip up. It takes a while to come together and so to tide a hungry Emily over, Jordan made marinated fava beans. They were simple and delicious, and only get better the more they sit.

Marinated Fava Beans with Manchego Cheese
1 cup shelled fava beans
1/4 – 1/2 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
zest of one lemon, removed with a vegetable pealer
1/2 t fennel seeds, rosemary leaves and oregano leaves
salt and pepper
1/4 cup manchego cheese, cut into tiny cubes

Put a large pot of water to boil. Remove the fava beans from their pods. Fava beans come in a large pod and then have another external shell that needs to be removed before you eat them—annoying but worth it. Blanche the favas for a few minutes in boiling water, drain and remove their outer shells. Place them in a medium glass bowl.

Add the herbs, lemon zest and cheese. Pour olive oil over the mixture and season with salt and pepper. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for a few hours for the flavors to meld together. Serve with bread or crackers as an appetizer, or as a salad alongside your favorite spanish dish.

-Emily