Fava bean leaves. Who knew?

I recently talked about the WhatsApp cooking in quarantine group I’m part of and how inspirational it is. One member recently got a farm box from Chez Panisse in Berkeley which included fava bean leaves, which I didn’t know were edible.

This week at the farm stand (haul above) I asked them for some fava bean leaves, which they didn’t know were edible either. They sent their son into the field behind the shed to cut them, having to clarify three times that the American was after the leaves, not the beans.

I brought them home and blanched some fresh asparagus, sauteed some baby garlic sprouts, shallots, and onion sprouts, added a dash of chicken broth and white wine, sauteed a few mushrooms, added the blanched asparagus for a few moments, and then at the very last minute a bunch of fava bean leaves and some toasted sesame seed, along with sea salt, pepper, and a few flaky red pepper flakes.