What I like about Spring

Spring can mean rainy days or allergies, as many plants flower and their pollen can provoke allergy attacks. This means that for many, spring means staying inside your house instead of going out and enjoying the warmer weather.

Allergies aside, spring also means fresh crops of asparagus, artichokes, peas and fava beans... all favorites of mine.

There are so many dishes where I can include these, but some of my favorite are a pasta dish with peas and fava beans and an artichoke salad with Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, a seasonal classic.

Shelling fava beans correctly is important. One needs to remove the beans from their pod, then cooked briefly in boiling water until a second skin starts separating. 

Drain and remove this second skin, now you can enjoy these beans without suffering from its collateral effects. 

Clockwise from top left: fava beans with second skin on, on top right with second skin removed, and below, the empty second skins...