Celebration of Spring Vegetables: English Peas, Favas, and Asparagus with Mint

1. Stage

While shelling fava beans, bring small pot of water to a boil. Add shelled favas and cook 2 minutes. Drain, then plunge into ice water to stop cooking and set color. Drain again, then slip skin off each bean with your fingers. Place beans in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. Stage

Shell peas and add to favas. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, bring a few inches of water to a boil. Add wax beans and cook 2 minutes. Drain, then plunge into ice water. Drain again. Set aside.

3. Stage

Prepare asparagus by breaking tough ends off where they give, and then peel each stalk. Cut trimmed asparagus diagonally into 2-inch lengths. Set aside.

4. Stage

Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic and cook another minute or so, stirring frequently.

5. Stage

Add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and asparagus, turn heat to medium-low, and cook until asparagus are just tender when pierced with a fork, 5 to 7 minutes, depending upon their thickness and freshness. Shake pan to prevent asparagus from sticking.

6. Stage

Add wax beans and stir to incorporate. Add wine or water and gently fold in favas and peas. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook just until favas and peas are warm, about 1 minute. Adjust seasoning, if necessary, before turning onto a warm serving platter. Scatter with mint chiffonade and drizzle with high quality extra-virgin olive oil, if desired.

7. Stage

To make chiffonade: A chiffonade is the result of a slicing technique you can use on any leafy green or herb to produce feathery light strips. The technique is a neat and fast alternative to chopping, which often results in bruised and torn leaves. To make a mint chiffonade, stack 2 large mint leaves so that their spines are aligned. Gently roll them into a scroll-like tube. Hold one end of the tube with fingertips curled under, and with a sharp chef ’s knife in the other hand, slice mint crosswise, as thinly as possible. Fluff strips and use them as garnish or in salads.