More Recipes From Boulder

Every time I go to Boulder to visit Phil, Deborah and Lennon, I come back with great meal ideas and some new recipes which I like to share with you. This past visit I was joined by my mom, so we had four generations together. It was wonderful

The first night there was a balmy summer evening after a scorching day, and Phil was planning a typical dinner. Salad of some sort from the garden, vegetables of some sort also from the garden, and fish or chicken.

We asked if we could help, and he said we could get busy shelling peas and fava beans for the salad. There we were, three city girls sitting outside on a warm summer evening shelling peas. It was a first for me, but with talking and watching Lennon, the job was done in no time. The salad he made was fresh from the garden and absolutely delicious. Here it is.

Pea and Fava Bean Salad with Mint Dressing

2 cups raw peas (or frozen for most of us)
1 cup shelled fava beans (remember to remove the membrane)
1/2 cup marcona almonds (slivered almonds would also be fine)
1/4 cup dates, well chopped
4 slices bacon, crumbled

blanche peas and fava beans in boiling water, then put in ice water to stop the cooking. Drain. Add almonds and dates. Then mix above with the following dressing

Mint Dressing
2 big handfulls of chopped mint
Vinegar and Oil to taste

Put chopped mint in a mortar and pestle, and smash well. Add olive oil and vinegar (approximately 2:1) to taste. Toss the pea mixture with the mint dressing. Top with crumbled bacon.

The salad looks great on a white plate, but it won't last. It's delicious...Enjoy